Google, Cisco and Hewlett Packard will support the Bulgarian government at the development of the concept and execution of the project for construction of a Technological Park in Sofia. President Rossen Plevneliev himself invited the IT giants during his visit to the USA. The park will provide a platform for development of innovations and entrepreneurship in the area of information technologies. The Bulgarian Silicon Valley is scheduled to open doors in 2015, when the first stage of its building will end up.
The techno park will have office areas, trainings will take place there and technological projects will be developed, i.e. science and business will gather at one place. Funding to the tune of EUR 50 mln. is provided for the building of the whole facility. The project will develop gradually and in the course of 20 years. An incubator will be built up first, where companies, related to information and communication technologies will develop their activities. The so-called accelerator on the other hand will provide space for top companies with latest innovative technologies. A museum, named after the father of computer John Atanasoff will be built up next to the Silicon Valley. The access to it will be free and citizens will have the chance to test in real time all modern technical wonders. The techno park will take an area of 270 daa.
President Plevneliev reminded that the situation with California’s Silicon Valley 10-15 years ago was similar to the current one in Bulgaria. The institutions worked at a piece, business didn’t consider state support necessary. At the same time universities made experts that went to work somewhere else. However, the concept, created there raised them to the sky in the area of IT technologies. Bulgaria’s ambition is the new Technological Park to attract not only regional experts, but also their colleagues from all over the world.
Text and photo: bnr.bg
(25.06.2012)