Leading initiatieves
Innovation Forum
Annual Report
Innovation Forum
The National Innovation Forum is a unique annual event for Bulgaria, aimed at uniting the efforts of all stakeholders to discuss the innovation environment in the country and to propose optimization measures.
The event focuses on improving the level of cooperation between companies and academia within the country and between Bulgarian and foreign organizations, in order to stimulate the national economy and enhance the competitiveness of businesses. Within the Forum, the need to manage innovations at both national and regional levels in the context of a National Innovation Strategy and European policies is also discussed.
The event is traditionally held under the auspices and with participation of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, the Prime Minister and many ministers and deputy ministers from the Bulgarian government.
Participants in the Forum are officials from the public and private sector, parliamentarians, NGOs, business associations, companies, consultants, brokers and funders, the media, the European Commission (DG “Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs” and DG “Research and Innovation”), academic and development organizations, World Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the leading international experts in the field of innovation, as well as representatives of multinational companies.
Traditionally the National Innovation Forum presents the annual Innovation.bg report and the awarding ceremony of the winners in the “Innovative Enterprise of the Year” national contest.
For 18 years in a row the contest awards annually Bulgarian enterprises for their innovative products, processes, services and practices successfully realized on the Bulgarian and world markets.
Having started in 2004, the contest has the mission to encourage the innovative activity of Bulgarian enterprises and to promote their successful innovations among the general public.
The contest is open for active Bulgarian companies, which have successfully developed and implemented an innovation over the last three years.
More than 150 enterprises have already been acknowledged for their achievements in the 18 editions of the contest.
The “Innovative Enterprise of the Year” is organized by the Applied Research and Communications Fundand ARC Consulting in partnership with Enterprise Europe Network – Bulgaria and with the support of the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency of the European Commission and Sofia Tech Park,in collaboration with the Bulgarian Association for People Management, the Bulgarian Association of Information Technologies, the Bulgarian Entrepreneurial Association and the Professional Association of Robotics, Automation and Innovation, and media partners. The candidates are assessed by an expert group and an external jury based on a specific methodology.
The awards are given according to the impact of the distinguished innovations in categories such as:
- Market Leadership
- Quality of Life
- Green Innovation
- Social Innovation
- Innovation in the Creative Industries
- Innovative Start-up Enterprise
- Digital Transformation
The award ceremony takes place annually during the National Innovation Forum in December. The Forum is traditionally organized under the aegis of the President or the Prime-Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria.
The contest is recognized by the European Commission as “best national practice” for promotion of innovative development.
You can find additional information about the contest and its previous editions here.
Annual Report
Innovation.bg is a flagship of the Applied Research and Communications Fund to support the national policy in the domain of science, technologies and innovations. It offers expertise, an own political framework and know-how for impact assessment.
Since 2004 the annual report presents an exhaustive assessment of the national innovation policy, the national economy’s innovation potential, the performance of innovative Bulgarian companies and the state, opportunities and future trends for development of the Bulgarian innovation system. The report provides recommendations on the improvement of the public policy on innovation in Bulgaria and the EU, 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 in the country and abroad.
Methodologically, the report is based on several existing models for measuring and comparison of innovation systems:
1) the European Innovation Scoreboard of the European Commission;
2) the OECD Science, Technology and Industry Scoreboard;
3) the U.S. National Innovation Initiative and
4) the Executive Index of the Massachusetts Innovation Economy.
The report is reviewed and approved annually by the Expert Council on Innovation at the Applied Research and Communications Fund and is presented during the National Innovation Forum.
In the last 18 years Innovation.bg made on an annual basis a series of specific recommendations for improvement of the national innovation policy and practice in the country, which were supported by the business and academic communities.
Innovation Product
The gross innovation product, or the innovativeness of an economy, is assessed by the new products and services introduced, the new technologies created and the scientific outputs. It involves and results from the interaction of the innovative, technological and scientific products of a country.
Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is one of the binding elements of the national innovation system. It is embodied in newly established companies and in the means of interaction and exchange of information, know-how and technologies among stakeholders in the innovation economy.
Investment and Financing
Spending on research and innovation is a measure of the investment in the creation, use and dissemination of new knowledge in the public and private sectors. It is considered an indirect indicator of the innovation capacity of the national economies. A high ratio of R&D financing to GDP is a factor fostering dynamic economic growth and competitiveness.
Human Capital
Staff engaged in R&D together with those employed in scientific and technological activities comprise the human resources directly responsible for the creation, application and dissemination of new knowledge in the area of technologies. The indicator of employment in high-tech sectors characterizes the country’s specialization in sectors with a high level of innovation.
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
The current status of infrastructure in the field is analysed, considered being an engine for the innovation activity in all the other sectors of the economy.
