Bulgaria Should Not Just Rely on Foreign Technologies but Also Create Its Own, President Says

Dimitrina Solakova, Liliya Yordanova

President Iliana Iotova at the opening of the 6th Science for Business forum in Sofia, June 16, 2026 (BTA Photo/Nikola Uzunov)

Sofia,

16.06.2026 12:04

(BTA)

Bulgaria should not merely be a market for foreign technologies; it has all the potential and advantages to develop high technologies, President Iliana Iotova said at the opening of the 6th Science for Business forum in Sofia on Tuesday. The event was organized by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency (BSMEPA)

According to Iotova, the forum is proof that the State, science, and business can speak the same language. In a world of rapid technological change and growing global competition, such a partnership is vital, she noted.

In her words, the wealth of modern societies is created where knowledge meets the entrepreneurial spirit, the laboratory becomes a production facility, and discovery turns into a concrete advantage. "Bulgaria has everything necessary for this - talented scientists, critical engineers, an enterprising business sector, and deep traditions in science," the President argued.

"Our country owes a huge debt to its scientists. This sector has been underfunded for decades, yet modern applied science requires laboratories, high-tech equipment, and good working conditions." Iotova noted. Tuesday's forum has an important mission - to make scientific achievements more visible to the business community, she argued. "Science is not an expense, but an investment that shapes our society," noted Iotova.

"The time has come to start talking about attracting talent and creating conditions that will allow young scientists to stay in Bulgaria and develop their ideas here, because no strategy can succeed if our young talents end up pursuing their careers abroad," the President said.

/RY/