President Plevneliev: Bulgaria will open the Sofia Tech Park by 2015

By the end of 2015, we should complete the first construction stage of the high-tech park in Sofia, which should act as a platform for the development of entrepreneurship and innovation in the field of information and communication technologies, stated the Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev during his visit to the U.S. on Thursday, reported Focus Agency.

The first groundbreaking for the construction of the Sofia Tech Park will take place in the second half of 2013, predicted the President. "I also hope that there will be also first groundbreakings for the construction of the first in Bulgaria three buildings including the John Atanasov Museum, as well as a technological centre and its office building. At the end of 2015, the park should become operative with offices, a technological centre, a museum and, until then, we should have completed the first construction stage of the project," added Plevneliev after his meetings with representatives of leading companies based in the Silicon Valley in San Jose. The President also proposed to corporations such as Google, HP and Cisco to participate in the development of the Sofia Tech Park. Professors from Stanford and managers from NASA expressed their interest in the idea. According to the President, Cisco has trained over 17,000 specialist in Bulgaria and the company can assist the technology park in the setting up of a forum of the world's leading universities.

The construction of the Sofia high-tech park will be funded with BGN 100 mln under Operational Programme Competitiveness, explained Plevneliev. Probably, the 2013-2020 fiscal framework will project double the amount of grants, highlighted the President. In order to launch the funding, the Ministry of Economy must set up a company that should act as a beneficiary under the OP, stated the Head of State.

"I expect that, within three months, we will draft a concept as to how - with the help of the European Investment Bank - we will set up funds for the development of entrepreneurship, of new companies and training. We should also have an idea as to how, with respect to our collaboration with one of these big companies and NASA, we will draw up the right concept. We should also be aware as to where to locate the universities and the museum, as well as how to draft an operative master plan and an effective concept," explained Plevneliev.

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