On December 3, 2024, the founding meeting of BIOEAST HUB Bulgaria was held in a hybrid format at the EXPO Hotel Sofia, in Sofia.
The event was organized by the Agricultural Academy under the project “BOOSTING the bioeconomy transformation FOR (4) the BIOEAST macroregion (BOOST4BIOEAST)“, funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe program. The project is designed to support the BIOEAST initiative, founded by 11 Central and Eastern European countries. The representatives of Bulgaria in the initiative are the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the Ministry of Education and Science.
The meeting was opened with a presentation by the General Secretary of the BIOEAST Initiative, PhD. Barna Kovacs, and welcome remarks were delivered by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food, Mr. Ivan Kapitanov, and the Chairperson of the Agricultural Academy, Prof. Violeta Bozhanova.
Deputy Chair of the Agricultural Academy, Prof. Iliana Nacheva provided information on the goals and mission of the BIOEAST HUB Bulgaria, and Prof. Krasimira Kaneva of the Agricultural Academy, in her capacity as the National Contact Point for the BIOEAST Initiative, gave a presentation on the Bioeconomy Strategy – Challenges and Priorities.
Participants in the kick-off meeting included representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the Agricultural University of Plovdiv, scientific units of the Agricultural Academy, NGOs, the business sector, and agricultural producers.
The interactive panel of the meeting discussed and outlined the opportunities, challenges, and innovations associated with bioeconomy in Bulgaria.
BIOEAST HUB Bulgaria is established with the aim of supporting the development of a sustainable and competitive bioeconomy, bringing together all stakeholders – government representatives, industry, academia, biomass producers, producer associations, research institutions, and NGOs.
Key objectives of BIOEAST HUB Bulgaria include, but are not limited to:
• Supporting the creation and implementation of a National Bioeconomy Action Plan;
• Creating a functional structure with active member engagement;
• Developing strategic documents and policy recommendations;
• Promoting stakeholder-led initiatives to address bioeconomy challenges;
• Maintaining dialogue and coordination between policymakers, researchers, and the industry;
• Creating a network that facilitates participation and funding opportunities from the EU and international projects;
• Encouraging cross-sector collaboration and innovation;
• Assisting startups in the bioeconomy sector;
• Enhancing public awareness and communication about the benefits of the bioeconomy.
BIOEAST HUB Bulgaria is emerging as a leading platform for promoting collaboration, policy development and capacity building in the field of bioeconomy.
By aligning national priorities with the broader vision of the BIOEAST Initiative and EU policies, the platform will contribute to transforming Bulgaria into a model for sustainable bioeconomy development.
