Network Member

Applied Research and Communications Fund

Bulgaria

Contacts	Angel Milev Angel.milev@online.bg http://www.arcfund.net
Objectives	Affect policymaking Commercialize research Create jobs Develop profitable enterprises Raise the awareness of potential entrepreneurs 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
Interests	Applied Research and Communications Fund (ARC Fund) is a premier Bulgarian non-for-profit research organisation, established in 1991, active in the field of innovation and knowledge-based economy. In 1997 ARC Fund joined the European Innovation Relay Centres (IRCs) network and hosts since then the national IRC-Bulgaria (www.irc.bg). In 2007 ARCFund established a virtual innovation incubator supported by InfoDev (www.irc.bg/vi - in Bulgarian). ARC Fund provides technology brokerage, innovation counselling, training and information services to over 5000 clients. ARC Fund works in close cooperation with key government agencies, regional and local authorities in the country in defining national and regional innovation policies. Over the recent years ARC Fund initiated and coordinated two Regional Innovation Strategy (RIS) actions - for the South Central and the South West Regions of Bulgaria, as well as a pilot Technology and Innovation Foresight for Bulgaria and Romania in biotechnology and e-government, and a DG-contracted ForeIntegra – Integrating Foresight in Research Infrastructure Policy Formulation project. ARC Fund has a track-record of successful international projects supported by the European Commission (FP4, FP5, FP6, Leonardo da Vinci, PHARE), the World Bank, UNDP, USAID, German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ). ARC Fund was subcontracted to develop the first ever country report for Bulgaria on Strategic Evaluation on Innovation and the Knowledge-based economy in relation to the Structural and Cohesion Funds, for the programming period 2007-2013 – an analysis to DG Regional Policy; it was also commissioned by the Bulgarian Ministry of Economy and Energy to develop the pilot Annual report on the Bulgarian National Innovation Policy 2006 and it is going to develoop the second report on the National Innovation Policy for year 2007. ARC Fund was twice awarded Best National Performer - in FP5 and FP6 by the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science, the National Coordinator of EU Research Framework Programmes.
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	Information and Communication Technologies Manufacturing Textile Other: Machine building; Furniture Production; Food and Beverages
Target Population
Advocacy	This organization actively works to improve innovation and entrepreneurship policy and regulation

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 the conference focused on Bridging Education, Research and Business Incubation for Fostering Academic Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Over 70 participants from 17 countries shared local and international experience on running incubators, technology and science parks based at academic institutions, commercialization of R&D, technology transfer and relationships between academia and business. 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		40
Number of employees in client firms		20000

Graduation

Number of graduated firms		40
	Last Year	Total*
Number of employees in graduated firms		20000
Companies still in operation 3 years after graduation

*since beginning of incubator operation

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

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