Bulgarian small business promotion agency invites applications for innovation fund grants
The Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency (BSMEPA) has invited applications from science and technology projects for grants from the National Innovation Fund.
Applications may be made for funding for research and development projects and for feasibility studies.
The fund has five million leva (about 2.5 million euro) available and research development projects, if approved, may get grants of a maximum of 500 000 leva for a duration of 12 to 36 months implementation. Feasibility study projects can get subsidies of up to 50 000 leva for a period of one year.
The agency said that the ceilings could be increased depending on the category and the presence of effective collaboration with a research organisation or enterprise.
Those eligible to apply for the subsidies include all persons registered under the Commerce Act implementing projects in Bulgaria, alone or jointly with other persons registered under the Commerce Act, universities, the Bulgarian Academy of Science and other scientific organisations or groups, the agency said.
The agency said that priorities areas for funding in this round of grants were information and communication technology; instrumentation; biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, chemistry; new materials and nanotechnology; environmental technologies and waste treatment; energy-saving technologies and innovative technologies for urban management.
The strategic objective of the Fund is to increase the competitiveness of the Bulgarian economy by stimulating market-oriented applied research for industry and creating conditions for attracting private capital to finance innovation, in line with the Innovation Strategy of theRepublicofBulgariaand measures to implement it, the BSMEPA said.
The deadline for the acceptance of tender documents is October 31 2012 at 5.30pm. Further details are available (in Bulgarian) on the BSMEPA website.
(Photo: Eugene Z/sxc.hu)
