Publications
ARC Fund coordinates, through its subsidiary ARC Consulting, the Enterprise Europe Network for Bulgaria. The Network supports SMEs to improve their positions on the international market. EEN-Bulgaria further advises businesses, research and industry organizations on the Framework Programs of the EU, including the European Innovation Council, facilitates the establishment of international partnerships, enhances the SMEs’ capacity to manage their innovative processes, to transform digital or sustainable, and introduce resilient business models.
The target group of EEN-Bulgaria includes SMEs with high potential for growth or development of innovation. The services are open to enterprises from all sectors of economic activity. The portfolio of services includes access to finance, partner search, sustainability consulting, digital transformation, introduction of sustainable business models.
Thirty-three interactive online risk assessment tools covering different economic activities have been developed by the Executive Agency “General Labour Inspectorate” (GIL) to support micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in the country. With these tools, employers can carry out a quality risk assessment themselves, at their own expense. The tools can also be used for training and coaching. They are available on the website of the project under which they have been developed, “Prevention for Safety and Health at Work”, funded by the Human Resources Development...
A new book ‘Energy Demand Challenges in Europe: Implication for policy, planning and practice’, co-edited by Dr Frances Fahy and Dr Gary Goggins from the National University of Ireland (NUI), Galway, was published by Palgrave MacMillan. It is an open access publication and can be freely downloaded from Springer. The book examines the role of citizens in sustainable energy transitions across Europe, with cases from Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Switzerland, and United Kingdom. The chapters provide short and readable summaries of...
As part of the efforts to strengthen the capacity of the Danube region research infrastructure (RI) policy-makers, managers and reviewers, ARC Fund was involved in the preparation of three guidance documents. These guides aim to improve framework conditions for research infrastructure and innovation in the Danube region and to build capacity and upgrade the knowledge of policy-makers and policy delivery organisations involved in the funding of research infrastructures, and RI managers. The three guidance documents are: A Practical Guide on Ex Ante Evaluation for Research Infrastructures This...
On 10-11 May, the sixth Innovation Academy took place in Sofia with the participation of students from 20 universities from all over Bulgaria. 19 out of 30 teams presented innovative business and social projects to a jury of CEOs from 7 business organizations, 5 NGOs and 10 universities. 10 mentors, including Dr. Todor Galev, senior expert at the Applied Research and Communications Fund, assisted the participants. The Fund partnered with the event for the second consecutive year. The teams competed for a prize of 10 000 BGN and a visit to the European Institutions in Brussels, provided with...
On 10 and 11 May, the sixth edition of Innovation Academy – Student Innovation Hackathon will take place in Sofia, at the club “Feather”. They will have the opportunity to develop and present their ideas on five current topics. Dr. Todor Galev, Senior Expert at the Applied Research and Communications Fund, will mentor several of the teams. The Foundation is a partner of the event for the second consecutive year. The two-day event, with elements of a hackathon, is organized by the innovation agency Innovation Starter, with the institutional support of the European Commission...
The programme of the international annual conference of the Bulgarian Association for People Management on 30-31 May focuses on the hidden reserves and resources of the labour market, tailored to the specificities of regional economies and the unrealised opportunities for the implementation of specific groups of workers. Leading Bulgarian and international companies will share their experiences on “growing” and attracting talent; on managing crisis situations through communication and innovative tools; on the introduction of GDPR in Bulgaria and the challenges we face. One of the...
On 21 April, Radio Sofia hosted the third specialised radio show on innovation and entrepreneurship in partnership with the Applied Research and Communications Fund and Work and Share coworking space. Bozhidar Georgiev, Angel Chureshki, prof. Maria Vodenka and the expert from the Ministry of Economy Iliana Ilieva spoke on various topics related to the development of a competitive business environment. Iliana Ilieva, Deputy Director General of the Directorate General “European Funds for Competitiveness” at the Ministry of Economy, talked about the procedure “Regional...
Innovation.bg provides a reliable annual assessment of the innovation performance of the Bulgarian economy and of the current conditions and development opportunities of the Bulgarian innovation system. The report provides recommendations on the improvement of the public policy on innovation, building on the latest international theoretical and empirical studies and taking into account the specific economic, political, cultural and institutional framework of the innovation system in Bulgaria. The report targets leaders and decision-makers in the public and private sector of the country and...
December 20, 2018
1 min read
Eisenstadt, 02.10.2018 – Two days full of learning, networking, and gaining skills for innovative project management: University of Applied Sciences (UAS) Burgenland’s Campus Eisenstadt turned into a networking hub for 25 young project managers from all over Europe on October 1-2. The event kicked off a one-year pilot blended learning programme, the “ReSTI.academy”, in which students and trainers will work together on testing and improving a five-module curriculum on Excellence in Research, Social and Technological Innovation Project Management (Excellence-in-ReSTI). Press Release (Adobe PDF...
October 4, 2018
1 min read
“The National Innovation Fund is one of the most successful instruments that support the research and development of small and medium-sized enterprises,” said Ventsislav Slavkov, the founder of SPESIMA. Therefore, the increasing of its budget and its administration procedures` improvement are of utmost importance for innovative enterprises in the country. Shared views and ideas at the meeting will be used to prepare recommendations that contribute to improving SME Executive Agency (BSMEPA) administrative capacity. The agency manages NIF. The aim is to engage more actively in the...
September 25, 2018
1 min read