In a spirit of satisfaction from shared practices and optimism for future joint projects, the 3rd Annual Meeting of the European Information Networks and Programmes was held with the kind hosting of the European Digital Innovation Hub “Trakia” and “Europe Direct” – Plovdiv.
The progress in joint activities between the different business and civil society associations from the South Central Region working on significant European projects and programs for the region was noted with satisfaction.
We shared the successes and challenges that each of those involved in the European agenda encountered in the course of their work in 2024, as well as the opportunities for partnerships within common initiatives in 2025.
The latest project of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry – Plovdiv in the field of energy efficiency “Multi Home”, was presented as a good practice in the private-public-civil sector axis.
Progress on pan-European initiatives which are expected to have a positive impact on the economic and technological landscape of the region, such as the “Deep Tech Innovation Valley – Plovdiv”, the Digital Innovation Hub in Utilities “UDIH 4 EU” and the Digital Innovation Hub in Biotechnology “Next-Gen-BIoTech” were also discussed.
Business representatives, including members of the Union for Private Economic Enterprise, Bulgarian Industrial Association, Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association, and Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, showed interest in the opportunities provided through the local “Employment Bureau” through the pan-European network “EURES” (European Employment Services).
The Ministry of Labour and Social Policy shared the specialized opportunities for supporting social enterprises in the region under the project “Development of the Social Economy” with a local focal point “Plovdiv”, and the recent training for social entrepreneurs in the office of the EDIH Trakia, organized by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy and the inspiring speakers from Hub Trakia, Holistic.BG and the Regional Information Center (RIC) Plovdiv were highlighted as a good practice in interaction.
The Regional Information Center (RIC) Plovdiv shared their good practices in promoting all these and a number of other opportunities for access to EU funding and support within the 18 municipalities of the Plovdiv region, as well as the outreach information events that are held on the initiative of the RIC in the smaller settlements of the region, often with the help of local action groups in agriculture.
Prospects for further steps in collaboration between European networks were outlined, particularly in light of new directives and regulations on cybersecurity, such as the “Cyber Resilience Act”. In this context, the European Digital Innovation Hub Trakia, through the “OSCRAT” project under the “Digital Europe” program, will participate in the development of publicly accessible cloud-based tools to assess the compliance of local businesses.
The European Digital Innovation Hub “rakia,” coordinated by the UPEE and working on the Cyber4AllSTAR project with the support of the “Digital Europe” program and the national program “Research, Innovation, and Digitalization for Smart Transformation” (RIDST 2021-2027), introduced the audience to another one of its newly launched projects: CyberSec4OT. This project aims to enhance professional training opportunities for companies in the industrial sector of Plovdiv in the field of cybersecurity for operational technologies (OT).
At the end of the meeting, the possibility was discussed of the next gathering in this well-established network format being hosted by the “Plovdiv – European Capital of Culture 2019” Foundation in early March 2025. The foundation is a leader in Bulgaria’s creative industries and participates in various initiatives supported by programs like “Erasmus+,” which are of interest to the academic youth. One of the foundation’s key points of collaboration is with local academic institutions, such as the Academy of Music, Dance, and Fine Arts “Prof. Asen Diamandiev,” which also took an active part in the 3rd Annual Meeting of European Information Networks and Programs “The European Union in Plovdiv,” during Erasmus Week.