The Professional Association of Robotics and Automation (PARA) has published its annual report “Bulgarian Success Stories in Robotics and Automation” dedicated to the achievements in the sector. The fourth edition contains data from 2021 and features good practices from companies and organizations specified in four groups – startups, industrial automation, service robotics, and education. The document also includes a mapping of the key stakeholders in the ecosystem – companies /with Bulgarian ownership and multinationals/, universities and educational centers, integrators, R&D centers, as well as government, industry, media, and tech supporters.

In the mapping, 100% of the included robotics and automation multinational companies have their headquarters in Sofia, as well as over 75% of the Bulgarian companies. All R&D centers listed in the mapping are also in Sofia. These are the Institute for Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, and Technology (INSAIT), the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia Tech Park and the co-innovation hub Resonator. Sofia-based companies such as FESTO, OCADO Technology, Schneider Electric, Zuhlke Engineering, Gimatic, ABB, FANUC Bulgaria, SPESIMA, Giga Automata, Allterco Robotics, Kimex, Neurorehabilitation Robotics, Amygda Labs, ZekEng, Ondo, Technology Valley, IRise Mechanics, Biodit has been featured among the main players in the ecosystem.

This year’s edition also includes an overview of the activities of Innovative Sofia – the digitalization and innovation department of Sofia Municipality. The document features some of the initiatives led by the department that aim at consolidating and guiding all of the city’s digital and smart city projects and supporting high-tech and R&D companies in the city, the Sandbox for innovative solutions and the partnership in the GATE’s project for the first of its kind for Bulgaria city digital twin, being among them.

According to the report, there is a new trend among enterprises regarding the most desired activity to automate. While in previous releases, it was production, last year, the attitudes have changed and more than half of the surveyed enterprises (58%) stated data collection and processing as the activity they most want to automate. This, according to PARA, shows that in the Bulgarian industry there is an increased deployment of infrastructure that generates more and more data.

Companies’ reasons for introducing automated processes are also changing. Until now, it has been an “increase in production capacity”, but currently there is a new predominant motive – “cost optimization” (58%), followed by process integration (54%), improved quality (50%), increase in production capacity (42%) and shortage of

ARICOMA Group, part of the Czech holding KKCG, acquired 100% of the Bulgarian IT company Musala Soft. The value of the deal remains undisclosed. The Bulgarian management team will stay on board in the long term. Founded in 2020 in Sofia, Musala Soft builds next-generation software products and enterprise solutions for local and international clients. The company is provider of high-end software engineering services in AI, Big Data, IoT, Analytics, Cloud, and Integration. Musala Soft covers all elements of the software life cycle for clients in IT, Telecom, Finance and Automotive. The company has a team of 750 employees and, apart from the office in Sofia, it also has offices in Burgas, Ruse and Skopje, as well as local partners in Egypt, Albania and Kosovo. With the acquisition of the company, ARICOMA Group becomes a family of 10 technology companies and a leading supplier in the development of software solutions from South-Eastern Europe with a consolidated turnover exceeding EUR 400 million, and more than 4000 professionals. The group partners with more than 1,000 clients in a total of 15 markets from its 8 Europe-based delivery centers and provides end-to-end digital transformation solutions, including UX design and consulting, software development, IT infrastructure, IT operations management, cloud services, and security.

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The smart career platform nPloy raised an investment of over BGN 3.8 million. The main investor is the Morningside Hil venture capital fund. In this first round for the Sofia-based startup, funding was also attracted from Blue Ocean Ventures, Digimark Ventures and GAP Investments. The investment will help nPloy enter new markets in Central and Eastern Europe. By the end of next year,  the company plans to launch operations in 10 countries in the region. Currently, the platform is active in Bulgaria and Romania.

The nPloy career platform is a locally developed product that, unlike standard job boards, offers employers the opportunity to find and contact even passive job seekers, start a chat or video interview, and build and develop their employer brand by using various tools integrated into the platform. For job seekers, the platform is completely free and accessible via a mobile app. In April, Invest Sofia signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the company for joint activities in the development of the labour market in Sofia, overcoming the shortage of staff, and helping talents and companies in the context of human resources management.

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The Foody.to platform

The first edition of the International Conference under the Spinoff Bulgaria Initiative is to be held between September 1-2, 2022 in the Burgas International Congress Center. Invest Sofia is a partner of the event and we will join the forum with the participation of Victor Gusev, Head of the Investment Analysis Department in the ‘The Governmental Perspective – Governmental support for spinoff creation’ panel.

The conference is the first of its kind in our country and aims to create and implement a sustainable spin-off ecosystem and culture, which by 2030 will create 100 new technological startups originating from science universities or existing corporations. By definition, a spinoff is a newly created company with high added value, which arises from an already existing organisation (university, SME, corporation). A spinoff has a new strategic goal, stimulates research and development, the adoption of innovations, and attracts investment for them.

The forum will focus on the New European Innovation Strategy and how it can be implemented best in the future Bulgarian innovation strategy, as well as on topics related to academic technology transfer and corporate spin-off programs, early-stage investment and innovation, and access to the ecosystem. During the conference will be presented international spinoffs and best practices from Bulgarian. All attendees at the event will have the opportunity to expand their network, connect with international partners and start cooperation initiatives with universities and representatives of the existing scientific infrastructure.

The Spinoff Bulgaria conference is free to attend and suitable for IT and tech companies, R&D centers, NGOs, clusters, government structures, and associations, as well as for companies and academic units that develop innovations. The initiative is created by Biotechnology and Health Cluster Bulgaria, Cluster Artificial Intelligence and Venrize with the support of BRAIT (Bulgarian Employer Association for Innovative Technologies) and general partner BSMEPA – Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises.Save the date and book your presence by August 26, 2022 (Friday) on the event webpage here: https://b2bconnect.bg/bg/events/view/142

The Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency (BSMEPA) invites Bulgarian SMEs on a Trade Mission during the international startup event Slush. The forum will take place from 16 to 19 November 2022 in Helsinki, Finland. Slush is an annual startup and tech forum that brings together entrepreneurs and investors from around the world.

Startups from all sectors of the economy can register for participation until August 16. The economic activity of the companies should fall into one of the groups specified in the National Strategy for the Promotion of SMEs – 2014-2020, Annex No. 10. BSMEPA will partially cover expenses for transport and transfers, accommodation for one representative from a company, hall rentals for bilateral meetings, technical equipment; translation services, entrance fees to networking events, and other related expenses. Participating companies should bear a percentage of the costs. For more details please visit BSMEPA’s website here: https://b2bconnect.bg/bg/events/view/129

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BSMEPA, together with the US Embassy and the American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria invite Bulgarian companies to join the international conference “EXPLORE USA”. The forum is dedicated to the opportunities for Bulgarian companies ready to start and expand their business in the USA. The event will be held on October 13, at the Millennium Sofia Grand Hotel. Details of the US market will be presented, as well as guidance on how to establish a business in the country. The Agenda also includes practical sessions, as well as information about the SelectUSA project, which aims to support Bulgarian companies that want to develop activities in the USA. Participation is free and upon registration by October 7.

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No later than August 18, companies can submit project proposals in the 13th session of the National Innovation Fund. Applications should be in the following four areas: Informatics and ICT; Mechatronics and clean technologies; Healthy living and biotechnology industry; New technologies in the creative and leisure industries. The intended maximum value of the grant per project is up to BGN 500,000. You will find more details here.

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Companies, universities, and research centers in the field of healthcare can join the bilateral business meetings during the MEDICA Healthcare Brokerage Event 2022, which this year will take place between 14-17 November 2022 in Düsseldorf, Germany, as well as online to December 15. The event is suitable for organizations seeking international partners for product development, manufacturing and licensing agreements, distribution, R&D collaboration, investment, or other

The office market in Sofia is still recovering, although the leasing activity in the first half of 2022 was above the average for the last five years and reached 85,444 sq.m. The hybrid work model is now firmly adopted by many companies. It allows them to grow and hire staff without office expansions. Data is according to Q2 2002 office market analysis by the Bulgarian unit of the consulting company Cushman & Wakefield Forton.

Renewals and relocations dominate the office market, with more than 70% of the take-up. Tenants’ desire for a better office environment remains the main driver, so most transactions are for Class A offices and new buildings.

IT and BPO companies keep the largest market share, with more than half of the total transaction volume in the first half of the year. More and more companies are looking for flexible office space, thus providing their businesses with a solution for rapid expansion. Currently, the total supply in the segment in Sofia is about 50,000 sq.m.

The pace of supply is slowing down. Unoccupied office space in Sofia in Q2 2022 reaches 16.7% compared to 16.4% for the first quarter. A significant change in the vacancy rates is not expected due to the lack of projects under construction.

Prices remain stable. The high-end rents are at levels of 15 euros/sq.m in the city’s central areas and 12-14 euros/sq.m alongside main roads. Rising operating costs are putting service charges under pressure, ranging from 2.75 to 4 euros/sq.m. Prime yields also remain stable – 7.5% for Sofia.

Sofia to be the first European city where public transport on demand will be piloted. Via a mobile app, citizens will be able to book a bus that has fixed end stops, but the route will be according to the needs of the passengers. The project is implemented by the Sofia Development Association, is part of the InnoAir project, and is financed by the European initiative Urban Innovative Actions. The service is expected to become available in September. The service will be available for the Southern Sofia districts first.

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Another innovation has been already introduced in the public transport in Sofia. Following good practices from a number of European countries, an “Optional stop” has been introduced in some bus lines. Lines 1, 3, 4, 26, 27, 42, 58, 59 and 63 will not stop at all bus stops, but only at those where there are passengers waiting or for those wanting to get off and who have signaled to the driver via the STOP button. The new practice aims to increase the average speed of public transport and optimize expenses. You can check out the full list of “Optional stops” for each bus route here.

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A new outdoor space for cultural events has just opened in Sofia. This is the stage pavilion of VOX POPULI located in Knyajeska Garden. It will be open for art activities until the end of October and will offer a diverse programme. The project is implemented by “Studio for Documentary Theater VOX POPULI” with the support of Sofia Municipality and is part of the Cultural Events Calendar of Sofia in the “Open Stages” section. 

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We remind you that citizens of Sofia can use the increasing number of online-delivered services of the Architecture and Urban Spatial Development Service (NAG), a permit for the development of Detailed Site Development Plans (DDP) being among them. You will need a qualified electronic signature (KEP), an installed BIS application, free and valid for all types of KEP, a user profile in the NAG portal and readiness to provide a payment document at the time of the e-application. Detailed information can be found on the official NAG website at nag.sofia.bg/Pages/Render/974.

Sofia marks a 77% increase in the number of tourists for the first half of 2022 compared to the same period of 2021, deputy mayor of the “European policies, international activity and tourism” department Irina Savina announced. According to the data by the Unified Tourism System (UTS) of the Ministry of Tourism, foreign visitors grew up to 139% while visitors from Bulgaria marked 37% of growth, compared to the first half of 2021.

The number of foreign tourists is bigger than Bulgarian tourists. Foreign visitors are returning, with the most coming from Germany, Romania, Israel, Italy, the USA and Greece. Since the beginning of 2022, there has been an increased interest in Sofia as a tourist destination for UK citizens as well.

The average length of stay is 2.3 days, while the growth of overnight stays is 86%. For the first six months of the year, foreign tourists have the leading share with 62% of overnight tourists, against 38% for visitors from other Bulgarian cities. UTS data show a positive trend compared to the same period last year, when the share of Bulgarian tourists who stayed overnight was 51%, against 49% for foreign tourists.

 We invite you to participate in a short survey initiated by the Sofia Municipality, aimed at the experience of the city residents, related to access to administrative services and information from the city administration.

The questionnaire is anonymous and takes only 5 minutes.

More participants in the survey will help the city administration further optimize the processes related to the provision of administrative services and information about municipal initiatives, as well as build new approaches and more effective communication with the citizens of Sofia.

The questions are related to the most frequently used services, does the Municipality provide services and feedback in a timely manner, etc.

You can share the questionnaire with more friends or acquaintances who live in Sofia. The opinion of both natural and legal persons who develop business in the city whould be helpful. 

Link to the survey.

New entrepreneurs with a startup company or business idea, as well as experienced entrepreneurs who own or manage SMEs, can now apply for access to the cross-border exchange programme “Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs”. A partner organization for Bulgaria is the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), which has already supported 8 exchanges and has the opportunity to stimulate 11 more in Bulgaria and abroad.

“Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs” offers on-the-job training in a small or medium-sized enterprise abroad with a funded stay of 1 to 6 months. Among the advantages for the participants are improving the business plan, acquiring know-how, accessing new markets and partners abroad, looking at different cultural and organizational attitudes, and doing business in another EU country.

Participating companies from Bulgaria will join the programme as a host of a new entrepreneur from another EU country and will benefit from innovative approaches, new skills and knowledge about business and foreign markets, and improved potential for company growth by establishing business contacts with partners from another European country.

To apply for Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs, please submit your CV and business plan through the website of the programme: www.erasmus-entrepreneurs.eu. You need to indicate the BCCI is your intermediary organization. The platform will then allow you to connect with participants from another country and agree on the details of the exchange – dates, goals, etc.