Mariya Gabriel with international recognition in Paris: Europe is a place for investment and talent
07 December 2023 News
The Deputy Prime Minister was honoured for her outstanding contribution to fostering innovation ecosystems
A ceremony organised by the International Chamber of Commerce and the organisation Mind the Bridge took place in Paris to present the Start-up Ecosystem Stars and Corporate Start-up Stars innovation awards. The awards were established in 2016 to celebrate global best practice in open innovation.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mariya Gabriel was awarded for her outstanding contribution to fostering innovation ecosystems.
‘Europe is a place for investment and talent. Our strengths are the large number of engineering universities and research centres, well-developed infrastructure, talent and the great diversity of the regions. Collaboration between start-ups and large corporations opens up huge potential for innovation, competitiveness and a better business environment. The key is the cross-sectoral approach — between the private sector and academia, innovation and science’, the Deputy Prime Minister said.
The Deputy Prime Minister stressed that building a strong innovation ecosystem based on highly qualified staff, excellent research and close interconnection between universities and industry should be at the forefront of decision-making.
In her two mandates as Commissioner, Mariya Gabriel has actively engaged with the topic of innovation. An example is her work on developing the new European Innovation Agenda, presented in July 2022. In her current job as foreign minister, Gabriel emphasises the important role of innovation in foreign policy.
For the first time in Bulgaria's strategic partnerships with the US and the UK, cooperation in the field of innovation and breakthrough technologies is highlighted. The Deputy Prime Minister also emphasized the cooperation agreements of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with more and more higher education institutions in Bulgaria as a specific vision of the need to invest in the development of young people. She also highlighted the fact that Bulgaria is the first in Europe with a mobile application of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, developed on the basis of artificial intelligence and data exchange.
‘I would like to thank the International Chamber of Commerce and the organisation Mind the Bridge for the recognition. I believe that with cooperation at local, national and European level we can support the talents of Bulgaria and Europe’, Mariya Gabriel concluded.
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