Applied Research and Communications Fund

Bulgaria

Contacts	Angel Milev Angel.milev@online.bg Teodora Georgieva Teodora.georgieva@online.bg http://www.arcfund.net
Objectives	Entrepreneurship Awareness Job Creation Policy Impact Profitable Enterprises Research Commercialization The ARC Fund’s capacity building project (e3I) aims in particular to: Establish a virtual ICT-enabled innovation incubator capacity with the Applied Research and Communications Fund (ARC Fund) in Bulgaria by transforming the current organization and delivery of innovation-focused business development services provided to Bulgarian SMEs by ARC Fund and its partners. The above is expected to result in reengineering of the current innovation incubation processes, which are mostly project-based, towards client-centric processes; Enhancing and computerization of current innovation-support operations; and Achieving business and systems interoperability of current fragmented services Strengthen ARC Fund’s knowledge management (KM), networking and incubation capacities through effective integration into the global innovation incubation community. The project would assist ARC Fund in implementing the KM strategy and IT system that would enable effective internal (ARC Fund) and network (incubator-centered) KM and customer relations management (CRM) Strategic re-visioning and positioning of ARC Fund from a national player towards ECA-network player; Knowledge sharing and organizational learning within the global innovation incubation community
Description	ARC Fund is the premier Bulgarian ICT and innovation policy and research institute, established in 1991. It has coordinated for ten years activities of the Innovation Relay Centre (IRC) in Sofia, part of the EC supported European wide network, and is currently the coordinator of its successor - the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN / www.enterprise-europe-network.bg) – the key EU led initiative for supporting SMEs in Europe through facilitating technology transfer among member-states and internationally. ARC Fund has been at the forefront in promoting the internationalization of the EEN in the ECA region. ARC Fund pioneered the development of Regional Innovation Strategies in Bulgaria, carrying out two such strategies in the country’s biggest regions – South-Central and Southwest. ARC Fund is the only non-governmental organisation – member of the Bulgarian National Innovation Council at the Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism (MEET). It has coordinated and carried out the first pilot foresight study in Bulgaria and Romania, including in the area of e-government. With the support of the European Commission and in cooperation with the World Bank and MEET , ARC Fund hosts an annual National Innovation Forum and Enterprise Innovation Award. The European Commission has declared the latter a best national practice. ARC Fund is the National Contact Point for a host of European initiatives in the areas of IT and innovation, such as ERAWATCH, EUREKA and the European Commission Industrial R&D Scoreboard. It has been awarded the most active NGO in Bulgaria under FP5 and FP6.
Interests	We are curentlu working on and are interested in partnership opportunities in the following areas: - Virtual incubation services; - Internationalisation of our incubees; - Transnational Technology Transfer; - Partnership opportunities under European and other support programmes; - Conducting applied research and analyses that assist the development and implementation of public policies ; - Introducing new policy concepts and innovative policy-making tools (e.g. foresight); - Promoting public policy consensus by bringing together the key actors in government, industry and civil society, and by forming coalitions and public-private partnerships; - Building capacity in various professional groups by providing specialized trainings and facilitating the transfer of knowledge and international good practice; - Enhancing the capacity of companies to innovate by providing technology brokering and consulting services; - Designing innovative solutions to development problems by initiating pilot projects that demonstrate the values of technologies, including ICTs, in strengthening democratic governance, empowering civil society, and developing competitive businesses.
Services	Finance: Financial management training Finance: Linkages to financiers Incubation and Business Development: Business information Incubation and Business Development: Business management and development advisory services Incubation and Business Development: Incubation program for non-resident clients (virtual incubation) Incubation and Business Development: Training in business management International Business Services: Help entering particular markets Networks and Synergy: Facilitation of linkages between incubates Networks and Synergy: Networking events Technology Transfer: Help with commercializing technology Technology Transfer: Help with intellectual property/patent advice
Year Opened	2007
Type	NGO
Model	Not-for-profit
Sectors	ICTs Manufacturing Textile Other: Machine building; Furniture Production; Food and Beverages, Mechatronics
Target Population
Advocacy	This organization actively works to improve innovation and entrepreneurship policy and regulation

Global crisis fosters innovation in Bulgaria

ARC Fund Bulgaria publishes fourth survey on innovation activity of Bulgarian businesses

12 March 2010 | The Innovation.bg report provides a reliable annual assessment of the innovation potential of the Bulgarian economy and the condition and opportunities for development of the Bulgarian innovation system. Innovation.bg is conducted and published by infoDev's gl... More

Outcomes of the 4th ECAbit conference on business incubation AIECA2009

22 October 2009 | The Network of Business Incubators and Technology Parks in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ECAbit), held its fourth annual conference “Advancing Innovation in Eastern Europe and Central Asia” (AIECA) in Gabrovo, Bulgaria on September 24-26, 2009. This year th... More

President of Bulgaria Awards Innovative Companies at Forum Organized by ARC Fund

27 February 2009 | More

GARNET Workshop: Innovation, IPRs and Regulation in SEE Countries

18 April 2008 | More

Space

	Business Incubator	Technopark
Buildings
sq.m. available in total
sq.m used for incubator services/admin
sq.m. rented by client firms

Note: We do not offer rental space (virtual incubator)

Clients

	On-Site	Off-Site
	Business Incubator
Number of client firms		46
Number of employees in client firms		20200

Graduation

	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	Total*
Total client firms	0	25	40	40	45	46		196
Total employees in client firms	0	11000	17000	17000	20000	20200		85200

Graduation

	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	Total*
Number of graduated firms	0	0	0	0	0	0		0
Number of employees in graduated firms	0	0	0	0	0	0		0
Companies still in operation 3 years after graduation	0	0	0	0	0	0		0

*since beginning of incubator operation

Note: Does do not use a graduation model for our incubator

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Last Updated
16 April 2013

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