Sofia Investment Agency Presented its Work on Sofia’s Digital Transformation Strategy at a Round Table under the Patronage of Bulgaria’s Head of State Rumen Radev  

Vladimir Danailov, CEO of Sofia Investment Agency, presented the work of the Agency on the Digital Transformation Strategy of Sofia at the “Towards a Competitive and Prosperous Bulgarian Economy” round table organised by the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association (BICA), the Bulgarian Industrial Association (BIA) and the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI). The forum was held under the patronage of President Rumen Radev and with the participation of ministers, chairpersons of parliamentary committees, branch organizations and owners and managers of companies from different sectors of the economy. The meeting aimed at identifying measures to eliminate the factors that underpin Bulgaria’s economic growth.

The Digital Transformation Strategy of Sofia was developed with the help of consultancy experts from the European Commission within the framework of the EC Digital Cities Challenge programme, where Sofia participates alongside 40 other European cities. At the round table Vladimir Danailov presented the work of the Agency on the project as an example of a regional instrument for economic development of the country.

The guidelines of the Strategy draw attention to Bulgarian local IT solutions and developments as a basis for the digitization of the city. The document focuses on intelligent growth supported by digital systems – both in the ICT-based ecosystems of Sofia (on the supply side), and in other industries and services that use digital services for the needs of their business (on the demand side).

The Strategy for Sofia was prepared with the participation of more than 100 representatives of the local ecosystem. Its draft was presented to EC experts and the other cities in the Digital Cities Challenge programme at an academic meeting in February this year. The strategy is based on the Assessment of Sofia’s Digital State report and the online inquiry, dozens of personal interviews and three working meetings with key local stakeholders – institutions, academic circles, the IT sector, utilities and the start-up community – conducted in 2018.

The strategy is currently awaiting completion.

Video from the event.

Pictures from the event.