Minister of Innovation and Growth Milena Stoycheva (BTA photo)
SHUMEN, Bulgaria – Bulgaria should become one of the centers of the new wave of innovations based on high scientific activity, Minister of Innovation and Growth Milena Stoycheva said here on Tuesday.
According to her, this will cause more and more Bulgarians to choose the path of entrepreneurship.
Small and medium-sized businesses are at the heart of the economy and it is good that more people are inspired to start working in this direction, the minister said.
Milena Stoycheva participated in a discussion forum with the business community in Shumen, dedicated to funding opportunities from the Ministry of Innovation and Growth.
The meeting was hosted by Alkomet AD.
The Executive Director of the InvestBulgaria Agency Hristo Etropolski, Shumen Regional Governor Dobromir Dobrev, Deputy Mayor Rositsa Antonova, and business representatives.
Stoycheva pointed out that the main task of her Ministry is to create a better environment for investments oriented towards digital transformation and the creation of products and services with high added value.
She argued that this will turn Bulgaria not only into a destination for innovation, but also for human capital development.
Stoycheva also said that the goal is to rebrand Bulgaria and make it a preferred location for creating new services.
The Minister gave aluminum rolled and extruded products manufacturer Alcomet AD as an example of how to achieve this goal, pointing out that the company has a sustainable development plan, which helps the whole region.
Stoycheva pointed out that new technologies are being introduced at the plant, which not only create greater production capacity, but also provide opportunities for people to develop and innovate in the process.
Bulgarian businesses currently have very good opportunities to apply for funding, with one of the highlights being the development of the circular economy, Stoycheva added.
She recalled that contracts for investments in innovation and increasing competitiveness are already being signed for the implementation of projects under two procedures of the Recovery and Resilience Plan.
The projects approved so far for the Shumen region are worth about BGN 5 million. (BTA)
