ARC's 1999 annual report is now available
Bulgaria's Applied Research and Communications Fund (ARC) has recently published its annual report for 1999. ARC is a private non-profit organisation founded in 1991 in Sofia, Bulgaria. The Fund aims to facilitate networking and collaboration across borders, particularly in the new media, information technologies and innovation, and to contribute to the development of the information society. The report outlines how the Fund continued to build expertise in the areas of information society and innovation during 1999 with the Internet Alliance for economic development identified as its most significant new initiative launched that year. This is a private-public coalition aimed to promote the use of the Internet and e-commerce to drive sustainable growth in Bulgaria. 'Its most important achievement to date has been the drafting of Bulgaria's e-commerce legislation,' announces the report. The ARC Fund also contributed to the development of an electronic document and electronic signature bill in1999, incorporating information from a broad network of local and international experts. In addition, the Fund partnered with the city of Sofia in 1999 to design a strategy for the modernisation of municipal government, based on information and communication technologies. FEMIRC-Bulgaria, the organisation's innovation and technology transfer unit, continued to operate successfully in 1999 and in July 2000 became a full member of the European Commission's extended network of Innovation Relay Centres (IRCs). This has led to FEMIRC-Bulgaria moulding its activities towards the provision of services and support mainly to small and medium sized enterprises and assistance to local businesses in matters of transnational innovation and technology transfer. 'The aim is to contribute to the advancement of innovation and technological development of the industrial small business sector in Bulgaria by fostering technological collaboration and networking with European industries and research and technology organisations,' says ARC.