site.btaEconomy Minister: 127 Bulgarian Companies Have Received Funding from European Space Agency

Over a period of 6 years, 127 Bulgarian companies have received funding from the European Space Agency, said Minister of Economy and Industry Nikola Stoyanov on Wednesday during a ceremony marking Bulgaria's 50 years as a space-faring nation, organized by the Space Research and Technology Institute (SRTI-BAS) at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. The event was opened by President Rumen Radev.

Bulgaria signed an agreement with the European Space Agency in 2015. By the end of 2021, some 127 companies have participated in the Agency's tenders and 39 projects worth more than BGN 12 million are being implemented. The projects are related to Earth observation, space science and technology, telecommunications, etc., Stoyanov said.

"Bulgaria can boast many successes in various areas of science. However, space research is certainly at the top of this list, and it has on several occasions drawn international attention to Bulgaria and Bulgarian scientists," Minister Stoyanov said.