In 2011, the European Union started the implementation of its new policy of intelligent growth Europe 2020 and preparation for the next budget period 2014 – 2020. For the first time, Bulgaria faced the challenge and the opportunity to define its new national innovation policy, participate in the formation of the EU innovation policy and determine the programs and priorities of financial support from the EU for the next decade - all at the same time. The decisions and actions of the Bulgarian government in the development of the new EU financial prospects will determine whether in 2020 Bulgaria will continue to be the poorest member state or will become a model to emulate.
The annual Innovation.bg report provides a reliable assessment of the innovation potential of the Bulgarian economy and the state and development capacity of the Bulgarian innovation system. It puts forward recommendations for an improved public policy on innovation in Bulgaria and EU drawing on the latest international theoretical and empirical research while taking into account the specific economic, political, cultural, and institutional framework in which the country’s innovation system is operating. For a seventh consecutive year the report raises the awareness of the importance of innovation as a factor for setting national priorities in the implementation of the new EU 2020 Strategy.
