site.btaSofia Tech Park to Apply for NATO's DIANA Accelerator Programme

During a meeting at the Ministry of Innovation and Growth, caretaker Innovation Minister Irena Mladenova and Sofia Tech Park Management Board members Todor Mladenov and Martin Danovski discussed the possibility of the Tech Park applying to join the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) challenge programme, the Ministry's press service reported on Friday.

Applying for the challenge programme will open new opportunities for Bulgarian investors, as well as expand their investment potential. It would also help start-up companies in Bulgaria to join the deep tech development sector, which will open new markets in return.

The agenda also covered the Defense Innovation Center within Sofia Tech Park, the Centre of Excellence in Kazanlak, DIANA's network comprised of established test centres that support innovation in key technology areas such as artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, quantum technologies, etc. The Minister emphasized that defence innovations are an important priority and that closer cooperation between industry and academic institutions is needed.

The meeting also focused on technology transfer and upgrading Bulgaria's supercomputer Discoverer with new systems to enhance its performance and AI capabilities.