I expect that by the end of the year the gross value added produced by research and development will reach BGN 10 billion. This was announced by the Minister of Economy and Industry Nikola Stojanov during the opening of the 76th edition of the International Technical Fair in Plovdiv. He congratulated the organizers for giving focus to Industry 4.0 and innovation this year.
“Bulgarian companies and scientists produce a competitive product and in some respects, even occupy the leading place. A testimony to the competitiveness of our business is the country’s export data, which last year amounted to over BGN 68 billion and recorded an increase of 24% year-on-year. Among the leading markets for our goods are Germany, Italy and Austria, which shows that we compete and work with the best in Europe,” said Nikola Stojanov.
The Minister of Economy stressed that an expert working group is working in the Ministry of Economy and Industry, with the participation of businesses and municipalities, to propose measures to help Bulgarian companies for faster and more successful digital transformation.
“We are in a spiral of challenges – broken supply chains, rising energy prices. These are difficult times for all companies, but it is investments in innovation and digitization that will make us more competitive in the crisis,” Minister Stojanov said.
The forum, which runs from today until 24 September, will bring together nearly 200 companies. More than 15 premieres of innovative products, systems and equipment are planned, as well as a demonstration of Bulgarian drones – developments of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.