„Sofia Tеch Park is one of our most ambitious projects which will turn into a catalyst of the innovation processes in the country“. This was declared by the Minister of Economy Bozhidar Lukarski at the inauguration of an innovation forum „Innovation Exchange” in Sofia Tеch Park. The event was organized by the British Embassy in Bulgaria and gathered in the same place over 100 Bulgarian and 17 English companies from the sector of information technologies. According to his words the Bulgarian entrepreneurs have a serious potential for development of good and innovative ideas and the task of the Ministry of Economy and of Sofia Tеch Park is to support their realization.
Minister Lukarski indicated that the encouragement of the innovations is a priority in the policies implemented by the Ministry. „The innovations are a fundamental factor for the attainment of accelerated growth and the enhancement of the added value in the economy. They also create real possibility to keep the young and talented people in Bulgaria“, he added. Operational Programme “Innovations and Competitiveness” 2014-2020 sets up a focus onto innovative projects as well, and the scheme for introduction of innovations is forthcoming to be opened by the end of the year. Its budget is in the amount of 50 million Euro.
„The objective of our policy is to pass from the group of the “cautious” to the group of the “moderate” innovators, and for the purpose we need to invest at least 1.5% of the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) into a scientific research and development activity”, Minister Lukarski explained. In 2013 the share of these expenditures in the GDP was 0,64%, and in 2014 in noted down a growth of 25,8%, reaching 0,78%.
Sofia Tеch Park will also have a key role in the encouragement of the innovation processes according to the words of Minister Lukarski. The objective of the first scientific-technological park in the country is to provide a platform for interaction between the scientific circles and the business, through which to develop innovations with a real economic contribution. „The building up of modern scientific infrastructures guarantees high quality of the investigations made, state-of-the-art process of training and possibility for attraction of an intellectual potential as well as generation of new knowledge and their transfer to the economy of the country“, he added.