On 2 October 2006 the Bulgarian Ministry of Economy and Energy and ARC Fund jointly organised in Sofia a discussion on the opportunities for development of innovations in the Bulgarian economy provided by the Competitiveness Operational Programme, which will guide EU financial support for the country in the field of innovation for the period 2007 – 2013.
In her opening speech the Deputy Minister of Economy and Energy, Ms. Nina Radeva underlined the crucial role that creation, adoption and promotion of innovations play for enhancing the competitive advantages of the Bulgarian industry. The Deputy Minister urged all innovation stakeholders to send their analyses and comments for improving the Competitiveness Operational Programme in order to achieve better use of the EU Structural Funds and increased innovation investments in Bulgaria.
ARC Fund proposed some major directions the Bulgarian government should follow in the delivery of the Competitiveness Operational Programme to achieve maximum impact on the Bulgarian economy. The main efforts should be focused towards development and expansion of the national innovation infrastructure in two areas:
Expanding and perfecting technology transfer mechanisms for both science-to-business and business-to-business partnerships. The system should make use of the Innovation Relay Centres Network of the European Union and ensure adequate technical support to innovative Bulgarian companies by Bulgarian universities and R&D units for adopting and using new technologies;
Strengthening the regional aspects of the national innovation policy by focusing on the EU Regional Innovation Strategies taking into account the specifics and the innovation potential of the regions in Bulgaria;
Presentations:
Competitiveness Operational Programme
Operation 1
Operation 2
Operation 3