Bulgaria invests in Industry 4.0: 286 companies to receive support for AI and cloud technologies

The Ministry of Innovation and Digital Transformation has announced an expansion of funding opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Bulgaria. Through the procedure for implementing Industry 4.0 technologies, an additional 286 companies will be supported.

To this end, a decision has been made to further increase the budget of the 'Competitiveness and Innovation in Enterprises' (CIE) program by slightly over 71 million euros. With this step, the total financial resource under the measure will grow to over 125 million euros, allowing a total of 512 companies to implement their digital projects.

The support is aimed at modernizing production processes through the implementation of high-tech solutions, including:

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cloud technologies;
• Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and cyber-physical systems;
• Digital twins and Big Data analytics;
• Virtual and augmented reality, as well as 3D printing.

Among the main goals of the investments is the purchase of new equipment with sensors for real-time data analysis, process automation, and increasing production quality. The high interest in the initiative is confirmed by the fact that a total of 742 enterprises initially applied.

According to the Ministry, the budget expansion is key to stimulating digital transformation in Bulgarian business and increasing its competitiveness on the international stage.