Description
Green issues are still new both for the public and private sectors in Bulgaria. Raising awareness on production and technology environmental aspects as well as on green products‘ added value are of crucial importance to develop sustainable entrepreneurship and business culture. As a part of the Green Industry Innovation Programme Bulgaria the pre-defined project has the aim of increasing the capacity and competitiveness of Bulgarian SMEs through training on business modelling and green innovation and possibility to further develop project ideas and establish partnerships with relevant Norwegian entities. The main target groups are: - Small- and Medium-sized private enterprises from manufacturing and processing sectors. A priority will be given to: - Young SMEs enterprises, which have been in operation from 1 to 3 years - SMEs owned/managed by female entrepreneurs At the end of the training, a competition among the participants in the training will be organised as an incentive tool. The participants will be encouraged to submit project ideas related to improvement of existing technologies and processes, innovative products and services in the green industry. 10-15 project ideas will be selected and have the possibility to perform a feasibility study and develop/formulate a project. A study tour in Norway will be organised for the selected companies in order to provide the opportunity to visit Norwegian companies working in the green business and on innovative products and identification of potential Norwegian partners for long-term cooperation. Through developing innovative project idea the entrepreneurs and start up companies will have the opportunity to further apply for funding from the existing financial schemes, like JEREMIE and EBRD initiatives, etc.
Summary of project results
The objectives of the pre-defined project were: i) to contribute to the increased capacity and competitiveness of Bulgarian SMEs through training on business modelling and green innovation and ii) to raise awareness on green issues. Based on a tender procedure, Innovation Norway selected a Norwegian expert/consultant to be involved in the project and a strong Bulgarian organization - Center for Entrepreneurship and Executive Development (CEED) Bulgaria, to coordinate the project. CEED in cooperation with experts from Innovation Norway Oslo and Bergen offices has adapted Innovation Norway’s training concepts for business models and green innovations to the target group (Bulgarian SMEs, startups and entrepreneurs) in developing a 2-module training programme. A total of 6 training sessions took place in the 6 NUTS Bulgarian regions and there was a huge interest in the project, since it reached more than 600 people. The main project results are as follows: • More than 220 participants trained in the 6 main cities in Bulgaria (Plovdiv, Burgas, Varna, Veliko Tarnovo, Gabrovo and Vratsa); All participants (Bulgarian companies mostly) in the training reported that they have acquired new knowledge that helped them assess, from a different angle, the possibilities for doing business and that they feel well prepared to start green business initiatives. • Green Demo Day organized and 25 selected companies presented their business ideas; • 6 companies ( winners of the Green Demo Day) awarded to further develop their business ideas. The participants in the “Green Demo Day” got the opportunity to develop more thoroughly their green ideas. Although not all of them were awarded as “winners”, many companies were able to attract the attention of other investors and were financially supported to develop a prototype or to start investment. • Study trip to Norway organized for the 6 winner companies with the purpose to meet Norwegian SMEs from the relevant sectors and opportunity to establish sustainable partnerships.
Summary of bilateral results