The national “Innovative Enterprise of the Year” contest has been recognized by the European Commission as the best national practice for promoting innovative business development. The Excellence in Innovation label of the Applied Research and Communications Fund is granted annually to the finalists in the national Innovative Enterprise of the Year Contest. The label recognises excellence, impact and effectiveness of cutting-edge innovations developed by Bulgarian enterprises.
We present the finalists and winners in the competition in 2024
Winners:
For Market Leadership Category 2024 – statuettes and Honorary Diplomas:
The company offers customized sortation systems for the courier and online commerce business by using a DWS system that provides seamless size, weight and identification of shipments, even the smallest, in motion. The innovation’s advantage is the investment security they offer with a local solution and the ability for the customer to self-diagnose and resolve potential issues in a minute. The company offers a comprehensive suite of services to the customer including planning and design, mechanical and electrical installation, software implementation, visualization and maintenance. They apply a social policy that motivates innovation by offering not only an environment for staff development, but also based on various techniques such as brainstorming, ideas and concepts are generated to develop the systems (both software and hardware). They have built an “innovation zone” where opportunities for improvement and innovation are discussed even in the smallest details of the process.
The company’s innovation is the MiNi-LTE-M-AV 0 a small but powerful alarm communicator specifically designed for security systems. It provides a reliable connection, making it ideal for applications requiring a stable connection and coverage in hard-to-reach locations with reduced range. The second innovation M2M is involved with, Connect+ Pro, is an innovative security panel. Connect+ Pro offers combined communication capabilities with the option of Z-Wave integration via a separately ordered Z-Wave™ expansion card. With capacity for up to 96 zones and up to 50 key fobs, the panel provides exceptional flexibility for a variety of scale applications from small to large security systems.
For Innovation for Quality of Life 2024 – Honorable Diploma
MatriChem develops innovative collagen bioink for 3D bioprinting that finds applications in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. The technology enables the creation of complex, high-fidelity tissues that help repair cartilage, bone and skin tissue. The company’s core product, a proprietary bio-ink, accelerates the gelling process and enables controlled delivery of growth factors that support tissue regeneration and ensure long-term functionality.
For Green Innovation 2024 – Honorable Diploma
The innovation is a technology for the regeneration of abrasive materials, the production of which involves expensive raw materials, energy and human resources. Using their recently patented technology, Abrasive are working towards creating an industrial-scale abrasive disc regeneration plant that is more cost-effective than current technologies due to the lower power consumption and dramatically shorter time required to cure the discs.
For Digital Transformation 2024 – Honarable Diploma
The company develops microchips for embedding in artificial intelligence systems based on neuromorphic technologies (those operating similarly to the human brain). At its core, the innovation is a hardware platform for next-generation artificial intelligence, developed and manufactured in Europe, and designed to be embedded in devices with autonomous operation. A key advantage is the integration of computing, communication and acceleration modules to develop groundbreaking chipsets that deliver unparalleled performance, efficiency and scalability.
For Innovative Startup 2024 – Honorable Diploma
Simobotix Ltd. created the first Bulgarian autonomous mobile robot, which is a modular mobile platform that can be transformed depending on the application. This robot encompasses in one solution all major technologies in mobile robotics, replacing and can use the already built infrastructure of differential platforms, pallet trucks, conveyors, lifting platforms, etc. PENKA is the second innovation the company has applied for. It is a control and management system for collaborative and industrial robots. It functions via a joystick and intuitive software with a digital twin. By articulating the joystick in space, the software saves its trajectory and interprets it graphically, which can then be edited and replayed countless times by the robot or cobot.
For Innovation in Education 2024 – Honorable Diploma
Tinusaur is an original Bulgarian educational product at an affordable price with a focus on programming, mathematics, physics, as well as work on practical projects. Developed by teachers and lecturers at university, the platform has been tested in practice and constantly improved based on the feedback received.
For Innovation Management 2024 – Honorable Diploma
Asarel-Medet AD is the first Bulgarian company to integrate two innovative technologies designed to transform the way geological exploration and production management is carried out, while contributing to reducing the environmental footprint. “Asarel-Medet is the first company to not only test but also successfully integrate these technologies into its operations, demonstrating leadership in the application of world-class innovation.
The innovation is a concept, a type of internal program, for digital solutions to streamline processes, optimize resources and improve overall productivity. Star Factory is based on the idea of further modernizing Solvay Sodi’s IT platforms and industrial infrastructure. At the heart of the innovation is the company’s focus on environmental and sustainable development, aiming to reduce the carbon footprint of production by 40% by 2026, as well as ending the use of fossil fuels in the Solvay Group’s largest soda ash plant by 2030 and achieving climate neutrality by 2050. The concept (development program) itself is a set of innovative solutions developed internally that aim to achieve the vision outlined above.
All finalists in the Competition awarded the Excellence in Innovation label 2024:
The innovation represents the first in Bulgaria spa services for babies, which include spa swimming, aromatherapy, massage, and salt therapy. Newborns swim in specialized baths that use no chemicals and the water is ozonated and changed after each baby. Collars that are placed around their necks help elongate their cervical spines. They also have a salt room with essential oils that parents and siblings can use with the newborn.
BuddyGuard connects trained pet sitters with owners by offering real-time tracking. Owners can receive notifications about their pets’ status using GPS and AI technologies. Each caregiver has a personalized profile built that includes ratings, reviews, photos and animal care certificates. There is the option to communicate directly via chat or video. Based on the BNB principle, payments are made online and are guaranteed, with the amount only being credited once the service is complete. Customers find the platform as a more convenient alternative to an animal hotel.
AI Virtual Assistants, developed by Digitech Consult, are a state-of-the-art business process automation solution based on conversational artificial intelligence. The innovation is distinguished by its flexibility and wide range of applications. The virtual assistants offer a unique integration of technologies such as Natural Language Processin and Natural Language Understanding, which enable free communication in over 50 languages. The focus is on expanding the range of services, integrating new technologies and entering new industries. The aim is to create a comprehensive ecosystem of AI solutions accessible to companies of different scales and sizes.
Enterprise Innovation is a digital platform that enables entrepreneurs, wherever they are in the world, to protect their brand at the European Union level. ApplyIP enables the user to go through the trademark registration process themselves, with the end result being security and minimised risk of registration failure. Through a combination of software solutions and professional experience in trademark registration, ApplyIP gives the user relevant results whether there are previously registered ones that would affect the registration process. If any are available, the platform enables the user to contact an attorney to explain what options are available to them.
SmarTest work with over 150 schools across the country, where they provide teachers with the ability to quickly and easily create didactic tests. Their solutions are aimed at facilitating the learning process by optimizing the time teachers spend on administrative tasks and increasing the efficiency of student assessment. SmarTest saves up to 20 hours of work per month per teacher. The platform has the potential to save large amounts of paper, with around 100,000 sheets of paper saved per exam through its partnership with the Ministry of Education.
Mathematico is the first digital trainer to the National External Assessment, also known as the matriculation exams after seventh grade. Built on the curriculum of the Ministry of Education, the platform helps children to solve typical problems, gradually building their mathematical intuition. They work with schools around the country as well as with individual clients. Children have access to a wide range of problems, each with a tutorial that teaches the student how to solve it. If a student doesn’t understand something in the lesson provided, they can ask an online assistant in the form of an AI-based chatbot who is an expert on it.
The Rematrak innovation started as Project. At the heart of the innovation is the idea that mattresses are composed of non-biodegradable materials, making them a particularly hazardous waste for the environment. In the framework of the competition, the company applied with a process innovation involving the collection, removal and separation of the retread from the mattress. On the basis of a contract with the Metropolitan Municipality, the company is setting up a a facility in downtown Sofia where people can deliver their old mattress. The company manually separates the useful materials in order to use them for the production of new mattresses.
Orac Smartercard is a healthy school meal software platform that automates and transparently regulates the relationship between parents/students, healthy school meal providers and schools. The platform also offers functionalities for process control by municipal and state authorities. The platform supports all types of school meals, including morning and mid-morning snacks.
The innovation is the first fully applied teacher training programme in Bulgaria and is a comprehensive training course that provides all the knowledge and skills needed for successful teaching in schools. The programme is aimed at motivated participants with no prior pedagogical training. Within 9 months they go through simulations of real school situations, developing skills in three main areas – digital, organizational and social competences. The programme culminates in a compulsory internship that guarantees experience and confidence in the classroom. The enterprise’s second innovation, the Teacher Hire model, is an innovative outsourcing service that connects understaffed schools with new teachers undergoing training. Teachers are employees of Sindeo and are provided to schools as a service, eliminating the need to hire directly or hold a teaching credential.
National Archives Corp. EOOD creates a unique service for the Bulgarian market – Intelligent storage and database management. This service is based on specially developed software – Docs Online – which automates and simplifies data management for businesses with large volumes of information. Docs Online works as a centralized system that offloads existing customer servers, transferring data to their cloud infrastructure, while maintaining the connection between local and external customer systems.
The innovation is a digital platform that collects, consolidates and processes information on active real estate auctions in Europe on a daily basis. The information is available in English regardless of the language of the source. The service currently covers Bulgaria, Romania, France and Spain. In Bulgaria, in addition to private bailiffs, information is drawn from the NRA, insolvency practitioners and state-owned enterprises. Local on-prem AI language models are used for certain parts of the workflow, such as automatic translations, extracting property data from scanned PDF documents, and synthesizing the information into a form accessible to users.
PolygrAI Desktop is an installable software that produces a behavioural analysis and real-time estimation of the risk of lying in online meetings and interviews. The platform dynamically “learns” each person’s behavior on various parameters and monitors for significant deviations from the established baseline, determining with up to 76% accuracy whether a given person has told a lie or the truth. By analyzing parameters such as body language, micro-expressions (which cannot be seen with the naked eye), tone of voice, heart rhythm and word choice, the software allows users to detect behavioral deviations with high accuracy and understand the true intentions of the person opposite.
Additional prizes for participants:
Leader.BG provided an interview to Asarel Medet AD.
The Professional Association for Robotics, Automation and Innovation (PARAi) provided a one-year membership in the association worth 500 BGN to M2M Services.
TLL Media provided an exclusive advertising presentation in the specialized portal Robotics-Bulgaria.com in 2025 to Simobotix.
The BAS’s Single Innovation Centre provided two additional prizes:
– A voucher for 10 hours of mentoring on “Intellectual Property Object Protection” by MatriChem;
– Voucher for 20 hours of mentoring on “Business Model and Commercialization of Innovation” to Abrasive Technologies Ltd.
Biotechnology and Health Cluster Bulgaria and Artificial Intelligence Cluster Bulgaria provided a Spinoff 2025 nomination and a plaque to PolygrAI Ltd.
Congratulations to all participants and to the awarded enterprises!
