Bulgaria to invest six million euro in IT future
IT (information technology) projects in Bulgaria will benefit from six million euro of investment over the coming year, thanks to funding set aside by the Bulgarian Information and communications technology development agency and the Transport and communications Ministry of Bulgaria. Orlin Kouzov, who is head of the development agency, said the plans include the launch of research and development (R&D) laboratories in five Bulgarian universities. Funds have also been earmarked for small and medium-sized IT and software firms to take part in international exhibitions and fairs. The Commissions says this will help raise awareness of the Bulgarian government's efforts to align itself with the EU's information society programme, as well as giving Bulgarian companies valuable international exposure. Speaking at a conference on the 'Internet in the 21st century' last year, former Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov said IT offers a unique opportunity to bridge the gap with developed nations. He added that Bulgaria's success in this century would be directly related to its ability to rise to the challenges of the IT revolution. The Bulgarian Association of software companies says the software industry could expect to grow by between 20 and 30 per cent per year up to 2010, and see a turnover of more than 1 billion euro.