Other projects of innovative ecosystems, similar to Sofia Tech Park, can be implemented in Bulgaria. The country has an enormous potential for innovations. This was the opinion shared by President Rosen Plevneliev and Carlos Moedas, EU Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovations, who held talks at 2 Dondukov street today. The two exchanged opinions on the construction of the first innovative ecosystem in Bulgaria, for which the European structural and investment funds have provided 50 million Euro.
“We have focused on all mechanisms for promoting innovations, startup companies, scientific research, and also on ensuring that the business circles, scientific institutions and universities pool efforts,” President Rosen Plevneliev said at the talks. The Head of State highlighted the advantages of the first of its sort innovative ecosystem Sofia Tech Park, which will make Bulgaria a regional innovation leader.
“In order to ensure successful projects such as Sofia Tech Park, we should invest not only in quality, but also in achieving a sufficiently high standard, which will attract young people,” the President commented and briefed Commissioner Moedas on the history of the project and the support of the presidential institution for its implementation.
Commissioner Moedas highlighted the Bulgarian authorities’ genuine commitment to encouraging science and innovations. “We should start speaking about “intelligent reforms” instead of “structural reforms”, Carlos Moedas said. Commissioner Moedas proposed that Bulgaria established its National Agency on Research, which should allocate funds on the basis of the quality of the projects and after other scholars have made an expert assessment.
Commissioner Moedas is on a visit to Bulgaria to present the report and conclusions of the report on Bulgaria under the mechanisms for support of the policy in the sphere of research and innovations under the Horizon 2020 program. Our country is the first member state, taking part in the mechanism in order to assist the reforms in the state policy related to research and innovations.
“I congratulate Bulgaria on the fact that it was the first member state which of its own will took advantage of the mechanism for support in the spheres of policies under the European Research and Innovation Framework Programme Horizon 2020. As other EU member states do, Bulgaria is making a transition to an economy based on knowledge, the greatest advantages of which are the innovative products and services. The sector of research is a key sector in this transition. However, it needs reforms. I am convinced that these reforms will be conducted successfully and will lead to economic growth and the creation of new jobs in the country,” EU Commissioner Carlos Moedas said.