In 2025, the SustainX project progressed from conceptual framing to concrete, region-specific implementation work, with a strong focus on translating green and digital transition ambitions into operational regional pathways.
A core pillar of this phase was the development of Regional Action Plans across five participating regions, each reflecting distinct innovation capacities, policy frameworks, and ecosystem maturity levels. Rather than producing static strategy documents, the project partners worked collaboratively to develop living action frameworks—designed to evolve, be fine-tuned, and remain relevant through to the end of 2026.
Regional Action Plans as Living Instruments
The Action Plans were developed through a structured yet flexible methodology, combining desk research, stakeholder and competence mapping, survey analysis, and peer exchange among regions. Crucially, each region contributed its own contextual intelligence, ensuring that the plans respond to real ecosystem challenges rather than abstract policy assumptions.
The regions’ contributions were particularly valuable in:
- identifying concrete bottlenecks for SME innovation and scaling,
- clarifying how Smart Specialisation priorities are interpreted and applied locally,
- highlighting gaps between policy objectives and operational support mechanisms.
As a result, the Action Plans function as shared learning tools, not final prescriptions.
Alignment with Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3)
A central analytical task was ensuring that regional actions are meaningfully aligned with Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3)—without forcing artificial coherence. This required close cooperation between partners to interpret S3 priorities as enabling frameworks, allowing room for experimentation, cross-sector collaboration, and emerging innovation niches.
This alignment process strengthened:
- policy relevance at national and regional level,
- coherence with EU priorities such as the Green Deal and Digital Europe,
- the foundation for future integration into funding instruments and policy dialogue.
KPI Tracking and SME Focus
To support evidence-based implementation, the project placed emphasis on KPI logic and monitoring, particularly regarding SME engagement in green and digital innovation domains. Rather than treating KPIs as a reporting exercise, SustainX partners worked to ensure consistency, comparability, and learning value across regions.
This approach allows the project to:
- track real SME participation and capacity-building,
- adjust activities based on observed gaps,
- strengthen accountability toward regional stakeholders.
From Frameworks to SMEs: Open Call and Selection Process
To translate strategic and analytical work into direct SME engagement, SustainX partners launched an open call for SMEs, providing equal access to companies interested in strengthening their green and digital innovation capacities.
The open call process was designed to ensure:
- transparency and equal treatment of applicants,
- alignment with the project’s sustainability and digital transformation objectives,
- realistic expectations regarding participation and capacity-building commitments.
All applications were formally acknowledged, followed by a structured evaluation phase carried out at regional level. This step was essential to ensure that selection decisions were based on objective criteria and readiness to benefit from the programme, rather than visibility or prior involvement.
In Bulgaria, this process resulted in the selection of 15 SMEs that will participate in targeted training and support activities under SustainX. Importantly, the communication with applicants emphasized clarity regarding timelines, evaluation status, and next steps — reinforcing trust between the project and participating enterprises.
This phase marked a critical transition: from strategic planning and ecosystem analysis to direct, hands-on engagement with companies, closing the loop between policy-oriented frameworks and practical innovation support.
From Training to Joint Initiatives: The Next Step for Bulgarian SMEs
In the next phase of the SustainX project, the focus in Bulgaria will be on practical capacity-building for the selected SMEs, supported through targeted training activities and interregional interaction.
The upcoming training programme for Bulgarian companies has been designed as part of a broader intervention logic that goes beyond the transfer of knowledge. Its objectives are to:
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support SMEs in further developing their innovation-driven and sustainable business models;
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prepare them for participation in interregional partnerships;
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create a solid foundation for the development of joint project ideas and investment concepts stemming from real regional needs.
A key element of the project is interregional matchmaking among SMEs from different regions that are active in similar thematic areas related to the green and digital transition. By combining training activities, peer exchange, and targeted networking sessions, SustainX encourages companies to identify complementary competencies and explore opportunities for collaboration.
This approach reflects the core ambition of the project — not merely to support individual enterprises, but to stimulate collaborative innovation initiatives that may evolve into future projects, pilot solutions, or investment proposals with a strong interregional dimension.
Looking Ahead to 2026
As living documents, the Regional Action Plans will continue to evolve through implementation feedback, stakeholder engagement, and structured interregional learning. Their value lies not only in the priorities and actions they already articulate, but in their capacity to remain responsive as regional innovation ecosystems, policy frameworks, and SME needs develop over time.
Throughout 2026, SustainX will use insights generated from training activities, SME participation, and KPI monitoring to fine-tune the Action Plans, ensuring that proposed measures remain realistic, relevant, and aligned with Smart Specialisation priorities. Feedback from regional actors and participating SMEs will play a central role in this process, reinforcing ownership and practical applicability at local level.
Interregional exchange will further support this refinement, allowing regions to compare approaches, identify transferable practices, and adapt solutions to different institutional and economic contexts. This iterative process strengthens not only the quality of individual Action Plans, but also the collective learning capacity of the project as a whole.
By maintaining this adaptive approach, SustainX aims to consolidate the Action Plans as practical reference frameworks—capable of informing future initiatives, supporting policy dialogue, and contributing to more resilient, green, and digitally enabled regional innovation ecosystems beyond the project’s lifetime.
