BULGARIAN- DUTCH SEMINAR “DEPLOYING THE BIOECONOMY IN BULGARIA: OPPORTUNITIES FOR INNOVATIONS ADOPTION AND GROWTH DEVELOPMENT”

17.03.2022

BULGARIAN- DUTCH SEMINAR “DEPLOYING THE BIOECONOMY IN BULGARIA: OPPORTUNITIES FOR INNOVATIONS ADOPTION AND GROWTH DEVELOPMENT”

under the patronage of the Minister of innovations and growth Mr. Daniel Lorer

March 10th 2022, International Fair Plovdiv

Agricultural University- Plovdiv and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bulgaria organized a seminar “Deploying the Bioeconomy in Bulgaria: opportunities for innovations adoption and growth development” under the patronage of the Minister of innovations and growth Mr. Daniel Lorer. In the forum also took part the rector of the university Prof. Hristina Yancheva, the vice-rector for science and projects Prof. Vladislav Popov, the ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bulgaria H.E. Simon van der Burg, the agricultural counsellor at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Sofia Mr. Arie Veldhuizen, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Bulgaria Mr. Ivan Hristanov, dr. Vanya Simeonova from Wageningen University and Research, the Netherlands, the dean of Faculty of Economy, Agricultural University -Plovdiv assoc.prof. Dimo Atanassov, Prof. Violeta Bozhanova from the Agricultural Academy in Sofia, Mr. Ivo Kumanov from NIK Electronics and Cleantech Bulgaria.

The seminar’s objective was sharing experience and approaches from the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Republic of Bulgaria in adoption of methods for development of circular bioeconomy aimed to support implementation of innovations in the bioeconomy and to address the Green deal and the European Bioeconomy Strategy.

The seminar was opened by the rector of the Agricultural University-Plovdiv, Prof. Hristina Yancheva, who emphasized that the topic is extremely relevant in today's conditions, because the European and national challenges put on the agenda by 2030 the need for the development of the bioeconomy, as well as those related to it sectors including agriculture, forestry, food processing. Prof. Vladislav Popov pointed out that the European Bioeconomy Strategy offers an alternative to dependence on hydrocarbon resources, opportunities to increase the potential of all bio-based sectors of the economy to generate added value, stimulate economic development, create employment, including in rural areas, as at the same time guarantee the protection of natural resources along the entire food chain.

In his welcome speech, H.E. Simon van der Burg added that it is very important for the two countries, in particular the Agricultural University-Plovdiv, to work together in the field of organic agriculture and food, expanding cooperation and sharing good practices and experiences.

The Minister of Innovation and Growth, Mr. Daniel Lorer, under whose patronage the event was held, expressed the support of the Ministry regarding innovations in the agrarian sector in the direction of stimulating Bulgarian traditional products and foods to be popularized more widely on the European and world markets.

During the seminar, successful examples from the Bulgarian-Dutch partnership in the bioeconomy, the role of education in building expert capacity in the bioeconomy were pointed out.

"In Bulgaria, we need to create a strong ecosystem that includes the introduction of innovations. In this context, we have a lot of work to do, we started from scratch. It makes sense to create mechanisms for innovation projects to be funded at an early stage, then to find funding to bring them into everyday use." This was stated by the Deputy Minister of Agriculture Mr. Ivan Hristanov. "The whole ecosystem we are trying to create has one goal - to increase productivity. We are constantly working to provide this environment. We want to assure you that this is our priority," the Deputy Minister pointed out. He noted that there are many small farms in our country and efforts should be invested in making innovations accessible to both large and small producers, as well as the exchange between science and business being more closely advocated. The seminar continued with a discussion initiated by Cleantech Bulgaria, which, together with Agrarian University-Plovdiv, is the official hub manager of EIT Food – the leading European initiative for food innovation. Practical steps and cooperation for building a successful entrepreneurial ecosystem in agri-food in Bulgaria and support for start-ups were discussed.

The event brought together representatives of the agricultural sector, business, academia, local authorities, startups and university students.

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