Rousse Chamber of Commerce and Industry taking the first steps towards creating a regional innovation center

Within the framework of a business forum, which brought together nearly 50 business representatives in Ruse and the region, the idea of developing a concept for regional innovation centers was discussed and confirmed. The initiator of the idea and the connecting link in this case was the Ruse Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and representatives of the Regional Administration and Ruse Municipality, as well as some of the largest companies developing business in the region, took part in the talks.

At first, a consortium will be sought at the local level, which will have the opportunity to provide co-financing for the ambitious project. Readiness for institutional assistance was also expressed by the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in its capacity as one of the largest employer organizations in the country.

Two of the largest companies developing business in the region - "WITTE Automotive Bulgaria" and "Bulmarket" - have already expressed a principled interest in the existence of such centers. In May 2019, "WITTE" will expand its production facilities at its plant in Ruse with an investment of over BGN 12 million. and will create another 400 new jobs, alongside the transfer of technological know-how and working methods. The Ruse "Bulmarket", for its part, is developing activities at the national level, and is also planning investments that can be supported by new technologies and administrative support.

Regional innovation centers are a relatively new concept for Bulgaria, the construction of which will contribute to the development of the local economy with new products, services and processes. The idea is to build and develop a modern scientific research and innovation infrastructure and expertise with the aim of conducting applied research and open-type development activity, which will contribute to the accelerated economic development of the Bulgarian regions. This will stimulate the creation of new types of products and services in the priority areas of the Innovation Strategy for Smart Specialization.