Bulgaria launches 17 million call for proposals

Over €17 million in funding for individual projects was made available on 23 January 2008 to Bulgarian NGOs, public and private sector bodies. The call is also open for partnership projects with institutions from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

Public and private actors as well as NGOs in Bulgaria are now able to apply for grants over €250,000 towards projects in the public benefit within the priority sectors protection of the environment, human resource development, health and childcare and conservation of European cultural heritage. Project applications can be submitted to the Bulgarian Focal Point until 25 April 2008. Further details including eligibility requirements, allocations to the different priority sectors, and focus areas under each sector, can be found in the open call text.

In addition to the funding through the open call, an NGO Fund and grant schemes for secondary schools, universities, students and teaching staff are under preparation in Bulgaria.

 

Norwegian bilateral cooperation programme

Bulgaria also benefits from a separate Norwegian bilateral cooperation programme, which will make available €20 million to Bulgaria until April 2009. Today's open call under the EEA Financial Mechanism follows in the heels of the already opened call under this bilateral programme.

The Norwegian cooperation programme will fund Bulgarian-Norwegian partnership projects aimed at reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, energy efficiency and renewable energy, facilitating sustainable production, and implementation of Schengen requirements. Five percent of the bilateral cooperation programme is earmarked to NGOs.

  • Further information on the Norwegian cooperation programme is available on www.norwaygrants.org
  • Staff from Innovation Norway, the institution managing the programme, are based at the Norwegian Embassy in Sofia - sofia@innovationnorway.no.