The Competitiveness and Innovation in Enterprises Program 2021-2027 is directly aimed at achieving smart and sustainable growth of the Bulgarian economy, as well as the implementation of industrial and digital transformation. The program includes 2 main priorities for business support, each of which is aimed at achieving certain specific goals.

PRIORITY 1: INNOVATION AND GROWTH

Specific objective “Digitization”, under which businesses can receive support for:

• • Encouraging the introduction of Industry 4.0 technologies in enterprises;
  • Implementing standards in the field of Industry 4.0;
  • Investments aimed at developing digital technologies, software, digital applications in the field of Industry 4.0;
  • Implementing appropriate cybersecurity and data confidentiality processes in SMEs.
  • Increasing the digital skills of the staff in connection with the introduced technologies from Industry 4.0.

Specific objective “Research and innovation”, under which businesses can receive support for:

• • Implementation of internal R&D and innovation for enterprises;
  • Implementation of innovations in enterprises: introduction of product innovation or innovation in business processes, incl. marketing and organizational innovation;
  • Developing innovation capacity in enterprises by attracting foreign researchers in the process of developing R&D and innovation, with a focus on growing enterprises;
  • Creation of new and development of innovative start-ups, primarily with main activity in the high-tech or medium-high-tech sectors of the manufacturing industry and knowledge-intensive services that are not related to technology transfer;
  • Protection of industrial property in enterprises, incl. support for protection of patents, utility models, designs and the like.

Specific objective “Growth and competitiveness”, under which businesses can receive support for:

• • Productive investments in enterprises according to the regional potential for development: support for family enterprises, enterprises from the creative industries and crafts;
  • Promotion of entrepreneurial activity – support for the creation of new and development of start-ups;
  • Development of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, promotion of internationalization and attraction of foreign investments: provision of complex services in support of SMEs;
  • Growth and competitiveness of SMEs within new / existing industrial parks, incl. construction of production infrastructure.

PRIORITY 2 “CIRCULAR ECONOMY”

Specific objective “Energy efficiency”, under which businesses can receive support for:

• • Implementation of energy efficiency measures in enterprises based on recommendations from energy audit (energy efficiency audit);
  • Implementation and certification of energy management systems;
  • Implementation of systems for monitoring and control of energy consumption.

Specific objective “Circular economy”, under which businesses can receive support for:

• • Measures to improve resource efficiency in enterprises, incl. in the field of product design, production and waste management;
  • Development and implementation of innovative products, processes and business models in the field of the circular economy;
  • Establishment of partnerships between enterprises to achieve industrial symbiosis.
  • Technological development, innovation and resource efficiency for waste pre-treatment plants as part of the recycling sector.

For more information on the open and upcoming calls for proposals, please contact Tetra Solutions’ team.