APPLIED RESERCH AND COMMUNICATIONS FUND

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APPLIED RESERCH AND COMMUNICATIONS FUND

Daniela Tchonkova Coordinator, ARC
Fund daniela.tchonkova_at_online.bg
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Applied Research and Communications Fund (ARC
Fund)

• private non-profit organisation
• leading Bulgarian non-government organization
  (NGO) working to advance the development of a
  modern knowledge-based society
• two main thematic areas
• Information Society, and
• Innovation and Technology Transfer.

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Levels of activities of ARC Fund

• Micro-level support to the technology
  development of individual companies through
  technology counselling and technology transfer
  (http//www.irc.bg).
• Through its Innovation Relay Center unit (IRC -
  Bulgaria) ARC Fund provides an array of services
  that assist Bulgarian companies in identifying
  their technology needs, finding new partners for
  technology cooperation, and applying new
  technologies in different industrial sectors.

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Levels of activities of ARC Fund

• Meso-level development of innovation strategies
  for Bulgarian regions (http//www.innovation.bg).
• Pilot Regional Innovation Strategy initiative for
  the South-Central Bulgaria (2002 - 2004).
• Regional Innovation Strategy for the South-West
  Region of Bulgaria RIS BRIDGE Bridging the
  Innovation Disparities Between the Capital Sofia
  and the Rest of the Region (2005 - 2008).
• The project envisages two individual approaches -
  one for Sofia and one for the Rest of the region,
  with synergetic application of RIS and Foresight
• The ultimate outcome - one Regional Innovation
  Strategy with two Action Plans for the two
  economic sub-regions. The strategy is aimed at
  improving the business climate in the region and
  making it more conducive to innovation by
  fostering the innovative capacity of regional
  companies, the human capital and regional
  institutions.

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Levels of activities of ARC Fund

• Macro-level policy development through
  technology foresight.
• (http//www.arcfund.net/artShow.php?id4447
  http//foretech.online.bg)
• Through its pilot FP5 foresight initiative
  ForeTech Technology and Innovation Foresight
  for Bulgaria and Romania (2002-2004), ARC Fund
  laid the ground for building a community of
  foresight practitioners in Bulgaria and Romania,
  and provided a bridge to the existing foresight
  expertise, knowledge and best practice
  accumulated in the EU member states.
• Pilot foresight exercises were implemented in
• (i) Biotechnologies in Agri-Food, and
• (ii) e-Government

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Levels of activities of ARC Fund

• Macro-level policy development through
  technology foresight.
• ARC Fund is on the verge of launching a
  National Foresight Programme (NFP) for setting
  research priorities, funded by the Ministry of
  Science and Education. The pilot focus areas are
  
• (i) new technologies and advanced materials, and
• (ii) agro- and bio-medical research and
  technologies.
• The NFP will be implemented as an action line of
  the National Strategy for Science and Research
  and in response to the business demand over the
  next 10-15 years for critical technologies.

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Levels of activities of ARC Fund

• Macro-level policy development through
  technology foresight.
• Currently negotiating the FP6 FOREINTEGRA project
  - Integrating Foresight in Research
  Infrastructure Policy Formulation.
• targets EU25 countries
• to pilot a foresight exercise including the
  organization of a Success Scenario Workshop in
  the pilot area of RIs and the development of
  several contrasting scenarios
• to elaborate policy recommendations for more
  extensive use of Foresight in RIs
• to develop guidelines for conducting further
  foresight initiatives for RIs.

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Levels of activities of ARC Fund

• On all three levels of actions ARC Fund
  collaborates with a large pool of organisations
  in Bulgaria and throughout Europe. The customer
  base for its innovation and technology transfer
  activities currently includes over 3,000
  companies, research organisations, NGOs,
  government bodies and local authorities to which
  ARC Fund offers a range of services related to EU
  innovation policies, technology transfer
  opportunities, or best practices in the field of
  innovation.

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------------------- Don't wait for the right
opportunity create it!(George Bernard Shaw)
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Ride the changes? or Ride after them?
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thank you!