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Good practice Imported

ARC Fund — Bulgaria's Innovation Policy and Technology-Transfer Institute

Bulgaria · Sofia · See the Bulgaria profile · See the Sofia profile

Evidence: Descriptive / self-reported Top 84% 52/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

Established in 1991, ARC Fund is Bulgaria's leading innovation-policy institute, pioneering its Regional Innovation Strategies and publishing the annual Innovation.bg report — recognised by the European Commission as a good national practice.

21st
National Innovation Forum edition (Dec 2025)
~18 companies/finalists
Companies/finalists recognised in Innovative Enterprise of the Year (2025)
30+ years
Years in continuous operation (1991–present)
ARC Fund — Bulgaria's Innovation Policy and Technology-Transfer Institute

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
Applied Research and Communications Fund (ARC Fund)
Period
1991–present
Region (NUTS)
BG41
Keywords
innovation policy, technology transfer, knowledge brokerage, regional innovation strategy

Context

ARC Fund was founded in Sofia in 1991 as a private, non-profit innovation-policy and research institute during Bulgaria's post-1989 transition. It pioneered Regional Innovation Strategies (RIS) in Bulgaria and produces the annual Innovation.bg report, which the European Commission has recognised as a good national practice for promoting innovation.

Activities

ARC Fund runs an annual National Innovation Forum (21st edition, December 2025) and an 'Excellence in Innovation' label recognising Bulgarian enterprises, and participates in EU-funded technology-transfer and innovation projects across the Danube region and beyond, including RTIT>>, SustainX, SYNCLUSIVE and INSPIRE.

Results

Its flagship Innovation.bg report has been formally recognised by the European Commission as a good national practice, and the organisation has operated continuously for over three decades. Available public sources describe ARC Fund's activities and recognitions rather than providing quantified, independent evaluation of technology-transfer outcomes directly attributable to it.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Medium (€50k–€500k)
Time to results
Long (> 3 years)
Staffing & skills
Policy analysts and researchers (private non-profit institute)

Conditions for success

  • Continuous operation since 1991 through consistent flagship outputs (Innovation.bg annual report, National Innovation Forum)
  • Diversified portfolio of EU-funded cross-border projects
  • European Commission recognition of Innovation.bg as a good national practice

Commonly funded by

National / regional programmes Horizon Europe Interreg (European Territorial Cooperation)

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

Attachments

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