Bulgaria has the potential to establish itself as a European center for innovation and artificial intelligence. This was stated by the Minister of Innovation and Digital Transformation Ivan Vassilev during the seventh edition of the Sofia Economic Forum.
According to him, Bulgarian companies are increasingly actively using artificial intelligence, and the state must also accelerate its development in this direction. “Our goal is for Bulgaria to be the best place in Europe for starting and developing high-value-added business by 2030“, Vassilev said.
Focus on talents and technological projects
The minister pointed to talented engineers and strong research teams as the basis for the development of the sector. According to him, the state's task is to improve the business environment so that innovative companies can develop new products, grow and enter international markets.
Among the country's technological advantages, Vassilev highlighted the Institute for Artificial Intelligence INSAIT, the Bulgarian language model BgGPT and the AI factory BRAIN++, which is being built in Sofia Tech Park. “Talent is our strongest card“, he emphasized.
Regulatory sandboxes for AI and robotics
The creation of regulatory “sandboxes“ for artificial intelligence and robotics is among the priorities of the Ministry. In them, innovators will be able to test their solutions and identify possible risks at an early stage.
Vassilev also announced that a Council for Innovation and Technological Development has been established. It should connect the state with technology companies, startups, investors and researchers.
Less administrative steps
In the part about public services, the minister stated that the interaction between the state, citizens and business should be almost invisible. “Documents should be processed quickly and no one should submit the same document twice“, said Vassilev.
He also mentioned the SIGMA platform for transparency of public spending, through which it is possible to track how public funds are spent.
The Sofia Economic Forum brings together representatives of politics, business and intellectual circles to discuss the economic challenges facing Bulgaria and Europe. The organizer is the Delphi Economic Forum.
Sources: nova.bg