The Innovation.bg report provides an annual assessment of the innovation potential of the Bulgarian economy in Europe and of the status and opportunities of the Bulgarian innovation system. It makes recommendations for improving public policy on innovation in Bulgaria and in the EU drawing on the latest theoretical and empirical research and taking into account the specific economic, political, cultural and institutional framework within which the country’s innovation system is developing.
The leading theme of Innovation.bg 2019 is the European science and innovation policy in the next programming period and the instruments envisaged to achieve the ambitious goals. The concept of smart specialisation launched by the European Parliament and the Council has proven to be a successful tool for pursuing EU cohesion policy at regional level and will continue to play a key role in the next programming period. In this regard, the development of a transparent and effective innovation policy for the smart specialisation of Bulgaria for the programming period 2021-2027, which reflects and develops the national innovation potential and competitive advantages of the regional business communities, should focus the attention of the Bulgarian government in the next year.
