The French-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has launched the third edition of its Innovation Awards. The competition aims to promote the most innovative projects developed in Bulgaria, and for the first time, the competition is open to external companies, non-members of the Chamber. All companies registered in Bulgaria for at least 18 months, with at least 5 employees, regardless of their sector of activity, who have implemented an innovative local project in Bulgaria, can apply for the Innovation awards of the CCIFB.
Applications are accepted in four categories: “Investment”, “Businessman”, “Businesswoman” and “Corporate Social Responsibility”. The applications for each category will be reviewed by an independent jury. Apart from the winners in each category, one project from all four will be nominated to compete for the Special Jury Award. Applications are accepted until February 28.
SMEs can now apply for the exclusive eBay Growth Program, in which the e-commerce giant will provide a package of exclusive services to the companies:
Personalized growth program
Customized training program for setting up online activities on the eBay platform
High sales limits for rapid growth
3 months free eBay subscription
Retailers must have more than 100 items for sale. The inclusion of Bulgarian companies in the eBay Growth Program is locally supported by the Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency (BSMEPA). Applications are accepted at: https://export.ebay.com/en/new/?utm_source=BSMEPA
Companies with urban mobility solutions have have now the chance to test their ideas in real urban conditions through an EIT Urban Mobility project – an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). The project partner the cities of Toulouse and Milan, which have already presented specific mobility challenges that need to be addressed. During the implementation of the project, the pilot initiatives will be tested in parallel and entirely in a real urban environment. EIT funding and administrative support from the cities’ administrations for the implementation of the pilots will be provided. Find out more about the specific challenges posed by Italian cities and how to apply for pilot testing here. The deadline is February 8, 2022.
Through the network of the International Economic Relations Center to BIA, a Germany-based research institute is looking for a partner from Eastern Europe and the Balkans for their Horizon Europe project proposal “Digital tools to support the design of a circular economy”. The Institute is looking for partners with semi-automated production, interested in saving costs through the application of second-hand production technologies and have a product with many steps of assembly. See more features that the potential partners must meet on the BIA website and contact the experts at their Assistance Center in case you are interested.
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Innovation Capital, financial intermediary of the Fund of Funds under the Seed / Acceleration and Start-Up Fund, is looking for the next Bulgarian companies to support with public and private resources for growth. Pre-revenue or idea/MVP stage startups can receive between € 25,000 and € 50,000. Applications are accepted through the form here. Every Thursday of the month, the Fund also organizes Office Hours for live pitching and negotiations. Request for such a presentation can be made through the website of Innovation Capital here: https://www.innovationcapital.bg/office-hours.