Cooperation between business and science is important for the development of the country's scientific sector. Businesses regularly invest in and sponsor various universities, grants, research, etc.
Cooperation between business and science contributes to the introduction of the latest technologies, development of innovations and increase of the country's competitiveness in the international arena. Interaction between business and scientific institutions provides funding for research, creates opportunities for practical application of scientific developments and facilitates the training of highly qualified specialists. Today we have prepared several examples of business and science cooperation in Bulgaria in 2024.
1. Amazon's support for the Institute of Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Technology.
At the end of 2023, Amazon announced that it would support the Bulgarian Institute of Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Technology (INSAIT) with USD 1 million to develop its research programme. In the same year, INSAIT became the only institution in Eastern Europe to join the Artificial Intelligence Alliance as a cornerstone research institute. The Artificial Intelligence Alliance brings together leading organisations from industry, start-ups, academia, research and government to jointly support open innovation and open science in the field of AI.
INSAIT has demonstrated high performance and potential for growth, which is why it has been awarded the funding. The money will be used to support formal methods research. The collaboration also fosters a strategic partnership between INSAIT researchers and engineers and Amazon Web Services.
According to Martin Večev, the founder of the Institute of Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Technology, such support is an important step, because formal methods are a fundamental part of computer science and are becoming increasingly important in various fields, such as information security, reliable artificial intelligence, robotics, and many others. The financial support will allow the institute to expand our research in this area. Amazon Web Services' support will help INSAIT attract leading researchers in the field of artificial intelligence and formal methods.
2. Google is providing money for a PhD scholarship in artificial intelligence at INSAIT in Bulgaria.
In May 2024, Google announced a US$1 million donation for PhD scholarships in artificial intelligence to the Institute of Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Technology (INSAIT) to raise the level of AI research in Eastern Europe. This contribution will provide INSAIT doctoral students with the opportunity to receive mentorship from Google DeepMind researchers, in addition to support from their local advisors in Sofia.
As part of the scholarships awarded, the accepted doctoral students will have the opportunity to collaborate in Bulgaria with supervisors from INSAIT and Google Research on topics of mutual interest. The funding will be used to strengthen the Bulgarian institute's focus on key areas of AI, such as large language models, computer vision, natural language processing, machine learning, and others. In addition to the funding, Google is also providing INSAIT with exclusive and free access to its powerful computing resources, including the latest generation of tensor processors.
Collaboration between science and business plays an important role in the process of economic growth and innovation. Such cooperation, in addition to economic development, contributes to increased competitiveness, international cooperation, improved quality of life, etc. The Bulgarian government, in turn, also supports and promotes interaction and cooperation between business and science.
Bulgaria introduces grant funding to support cooperation between science and business.
In June 2024, it became known that Bulgaria is launching two grant funding programmes with a total budget of USD 47.3 million. The money will be used to promote cooperation between business and science.
The first programme, with funding of USD 13.6 million, aims to support micro, small and medium-sized enterprises by facilitating their access to research organisations and centres of excellence and competence. This initiative will include funding to provide access to scientific laboratory services, testing, analysis and expertise.
The second programme aims to support sustainable solutions through the use of green digital services and environmental innovation. This will help to increase the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises by turning environmental challenges into opportunities for innovation and economic growth, which will improve the quality of life and reduce the negative impact on the environment. The second programme has a budget of USD 33.1 million.
Cooperation between business and science is important for developing the country's scientific potential, improving the quality of life and strengthening the economy. Such interaction between science and business allows for the effective use of scientific achievements to solve the problems of society, which contributes to the overall progress of the country and its international competitiveness.
