The number of Bulgarian organisations that have applied for funding from the European Defence Fund (EDF) has doubled in 2023. This was announced by the Deputy Minister of Economy and Industry Dr. David Sukalinski at the opening of the National Information Day 2024 on the Fund, organized by the Ministry of Economy and Industry.
The deputy minister added that according to the European Commission Bulgaria is the country with the highest growth of participation in the programme for 2023.
‘Bulgarian companies and research organisations are not only actively participating, but winning European funding and successfully implementing projects funded under EDF and its predecessors’, said Dr Sukalinski.
The Deputy Minister of Economy recalled that in the period 2021—2022, 14 projects involving 11 Bulgarian organizations received grants under the program. This result ranks our country 17th out of 27 countries in terms of participation in projects financed by the Fund. The figures for 2023 are to be published soon by the EC, but they also include projects with Bulgarian participation that will receive grant funding from the EDF budget for 2023.
Deputy Minister Sukalinski emphasized that in 2021—2022. Bulgaria ranked 14th in the number of small and medium-sized enterprises participating in funded projects. ‘This proves that our companies are innovative, high-tech, competitive and adaptable, can fully meet the high criteria and expectations of the EU and are able to participate as a full partner in consortia alongside the major international corporations’, the Deputy Minister of Economy said.
He urged the representatives of the Bulgarian industry, which works in the interest of security and defence, to be even more active and to make the most of the European Defence Fund.
The European Defence Fund (EDF) is an EU programme to promote the competitiveness and innovation capacity of the European defence technological and industrial base. The European Defence Fund has a budget of almost EUR 8 billion for the period 2021—2027, of which EUR 2.7 billion is earmarked for research and EUR 5.3 billion for the development of defence products and technologies.
The National Information Day 2024 on the European Defence Fund was attended by representatives of the Bulgarian defence industry, research and academic centres and institutes.