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THE STATE WILL FINANCE TRAINING FOR DIGITAL SKILLS

By For all, For the workforce, For public administration, Opportunities, Audience, For ICT professionals, Form of the funding, EU Institutional initiative, Grant, Bulgaria, OPPORTUNITIES: Funding, Country suitable for the funding, Type of funding initiative, OPPORTUNITIES
THE STATE WILL FINANCE TRAINING FOR DIGITAL SKILLS

dd.mm.2023

Against the backdrop of signals from the business community in Bulgaria regarding the critically low level of digital skills among Bulgarians and the dramatic mismatch with the labor market needs, the caretaker government has approved the possibility of funding digital and other key competencies. For the first time, training for acquiring a specific level of digital competence will be funded.

Employed individuals, unemployed individuals, and economically inactive individuals will be eligible to receive training vouchers for acquiring first, second, and third levels of professional qualification, digital skills, and other key competencies.

This is outlined in a draft resolution by the Council of Ministers, which was approved by the government today. The document sets out the conditions and procedures for providing training vouchers under the Human Resources Development Program (HRDP) 2021-2027, the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), and the Just Transition Fund (JTF).

The resolution further develops and expands the accumulated experience with voucher-based training for employed and unemployed individuals under projects funded by the Human Resources Development Operational Program during the period 2009-2020, as clarified by the cabinet’s press center.

For the first time, training for acquiring basic, intermediate, advanced, and highly specialized levels of digital competence will be funded. The training vouchers will be provided by the Employment Agency to unemployed, inactive, and employed individuals who represent the target groups under the HRDP, NRRP, and JTF. They will be able to apply for the vouchers through the agency’s electronic platform.

The voucher will be a digital document with a unique identification code that allows for individualization and tracking. The Employment Agency will continue to maintain a public register of the issued vouchers on its website.

Individuals who receive vouchers will have the right to choose the type and provider of the training. The value of the vouchers depends on the type and duration of the courses. For example, for acquiring the first level of professional qualification, it will be 660 BGN for training of no less than 300 instructional hours. For the second level of professional qualification, the voucher will be worth 1320 BGN for no less than 660 instructional hours, and for the third level, it will be 1980 BGN for 960 instructional hours.

Details

Website

Target audience

Digital skills for all

Digital skills for the workforce

Digital skills for ICT professionals

Digital skills for public administration

Digital technology 

Digital skills

Form of the funding

Country suitable for the funding

Bulgaria

Financial intermediate 

The Employment Agency

Benefitials 

Natural persons

Requirements

Unemployed, inactive, and employed individuals who are representatives of the target groups.

SCIENCE WITH A FUTURE III BIOTECHNOLOGY, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) AND SMART TECHNOLOGIES

By Technology, Computing, 5G & WiFi, IoT, AI & ML, Robotics, Software engineering, Microelectronics, For ICT professionals, Audience, Form of the funding, Grant, Bulgaria, OPPORTUNITIES: Funding, Country suitable for the funding, International initiative, Type of funding initiative
SCIENCE WITH A FUTURE III BIOTECHNOLOGY, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) AND SMART TECHNOLOGIES

21.04.2023 |

Call for projects

With the third edition of the “Science with a Future” contest, the America for Bulgaria Foundation is looking for project proposals from researchers, scientists and engineers between the ages of 16 and 40 with applied ideas in the field of biotechnology, artificial intelligence and smart technologies that solve existing problems and have the potential to be implemented in practice. The main aim of the competition is to encourage and stimulate early stage development of their developments and products.

Who can apply?

The call is open to applicants from across the country with an interest and experience in biotechnology, artificial intelligence and smart technologies, aged 16 to 40 at the time of application. Individuals meeting these conditions, teams of individuals, or already registered companies or non-profit legal entities operating in Bulgaria for no more than 5 years, where at least one of the founders of the company/legal entity is under the age of 40 at the time of application, can apply.

It is a prerequisite that the projects applied for are not only at the idea level, but have successfully passed at least the second stage of technology readiness (formulated technical concept) according to the internationally accepted scale for assessing the maturity of newly created technology (Technology Readiness Levels) and that work has begun on the third stage – proof of concept in an experimental environment.

Project Requirements

Projects developing innovative technology solutions with an applied focus in biotechnology, artificial intelligence and smart technologies will be funded, including Internet of Things and smart devices, smart wearable electronics for monitoring health indicators, smart home and smart city systems, smart solutions and technologies for healthcare, environment and accessibility for people with disabilities, smart solutions for agriculture, etc.

Projects should have a high potential to find business application in the medium term (up to 3 years) and have a real and measurable impact on business, industry and/or improving the quality of life of particular groups of people and communities.

Deadline for applications: 15 May 2023.
For more information click here.

Details

Website

Target audience

Digital skills for ICT professionals

Digital technology 

Artificial intelligence

IoT

Software engineering

Robotics

Form of the funding

Country suitable for the funding

Bulgaria

Financial intermediate 

America for Bulgaria Foundation

Benefitials 

Startups

Requirements

EIT DIGITAL VENTURE PROGRAMME TO SUPPORT EARLY STAGE ENTREPRENEURS

By 5G & WiFi, Cybersecurity, IoT, AI & ML, AR & VR, Robotics, Software engineering, Audience, Web development, Technology, Mobile apps, Computing, For all, Telecommunications, For ICT professionals, EU Institutional initiative, Grant, Bulgaria, OPPORTUNITIES: Funding, Other
EIT DIGITAL VENTURE PROGRAMME TO SUPPORT EARLY STAGE ENTREPRENEURS

19.04.2023 |

EIT Digital is the Digital Business Unit of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). Through its Venture Programme, which has launched its sixth edition, early-stage entrepreneurs will be able to get support.

The program is open to teams of at least two people who have an innovative business idea, concept or prototype in the fields of digital technology, finance, cities, health. Companies from Eastern Europe, including Bulgaria, are welcome to apply. At the same time, the application process is open for the EIT Digital Challenge programme, which aims to attract more experienced start-ups dealing with deep technologies, according to an interview conducted by the newspaper Capital.

The aim of Venture Capital is to support entrepreneurs from 22 countries – the Baltics, Southern and Eastern Europe. The pre-accelerator program should provide the basic necessities to turn a business idea into a startup, which can easily reach the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) phase. The idea is then for companies to raise capital from an investor for further development.

All teams will receive an initial €5,000 support, then a further €10,000 for those who complete the programme and set up their own company. In addition, the top ten companies in the programme that manage to raise at least €50k in private funding by the end of November will also receive an additional €10k from EIT Digital, meaning that a company can receive up to €25k in total.

The EIT Digital Venture Program reminds that there are a number of successful companies that have gone through the program, including from Bulgaria.

Details

Target audience

Digital skills for all

Digital skills for ICT professionals

Digital technology 

Artificial intelligence
Cybersecurity
5G
Virtual Reality
Robotics

Form of the funding

Country suitable for the funding

Bulgaria

Other

Financial intermediate 

EIT Digital Venture Program

Benefitials 

Startups