Speaking during a visit to the Adlershof technology centre in Berlin on the first day of a two-day official visit to Germany, President Rosen Plevneliev called for more Bulgarian-German joint ventures in innovation and for German expert support in the implementation of the concept of Sofia Tech Park by the end of 2012.
Adlershof is one of the most successful high-tech centres in Germany and the largest media centre in Berlin. In an area of 4.2 sq. km, near the future Berlin Brandenburg airport, work 905 companies and 17 academic institutes. Adlershof is a scientific and technological park with nearly 430 companies and 11 university research institutes. The centre specialises in the areas of photonics and optics, the creation of microsystems and materials, information technology and media, biotechnology and environmental protection, photovoltaic and alternative energy.
In his speech to representatives of companies in the technological center, President Plevneliev emphasised that Germany is a strategic partner of Bulgaria and that Bulgaria will seek to use the German experience in the preparation of its strategy for development. “In 2011, bilateral trade reached 4.5 billion euro, but more importantly created long-term prospects for cooperation. The contribution of traditional industries such as tourism, energy and agriculture is undeniable, but Bulgaria is trying to achieve concrete results in the industries of the future - information and high technology, food production, pharmaceuticals and the development of new materials. This gives both parties an opportunity to rise to a qualitatively new level of bilateral partnership,” President Plevneliev said.
He said that the implementation of Sofia Tech Park is ensured long-term financing, which is a clear sign of Bulgaria’s determination to carry out the project. “The success of this venture depends, however, on the right concept for its structure,” President Plevneliev said, and added that representatives of German companies could make full use of the potential of young Bulgarian scientists and teachers, which will create a new focus for the work of universities and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.