The Second International Conference on the Evolution of Innovations brought together leading thinkers, researchers, and practitioners to explore how innovations emerge and transform societies. Approximately 270 participants attended. This event served as a dynamic platform for sharing cutting-edge ideas, interdisciplinary perspectives, and practical insights into the forces shaping technological, social, and economic evolution.
Ekaterina Zaharieva, EU Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation said in her video message to the participants that “at the European Commission, we have a clear ambition –to preserve Europe’s leading role. To make our continent the best place for creating and growing technology companies. We want European and global talents alike to choose Europe for their next project. That is why this year we presented the first European Strategy for Startups and Scale-ups. It sets out concrete actions to improve the investment environment, to ease access to talent, and to ensure more flexible regulations and simplified procedures. We are already working on the European Innovation Act, which we will present next year. In short – it will give innovators the freedom and confidence to succeed in the Single Market.
Of course, every idea needs both trust and investment Zaharieva explained. That is why we will soon launch the Scaleup Europe Fund – a multibillion-euro instrument created jointly with private and public investors. It will support Europe’s deep-tech companies, especially in the later stages of growth, when access to capital is most difficult. This new fund will complement the EUR 10 billion support of the European Innovation Council, which is already financing bold ideas: from the laboratory to the market. Because when we invest in innovation, we invest in Europe’s future“.
Deputy Minister of Innovation and Growth Martin Danovsky said in his keynote speech that now Bulgaria must decide what kind of economic growth it wants to achieve. Innovation is key not only to competitiveness, but also to strategic positioning and technological sovereignty. The startup ecosystem in Central & Eastern Europe is demonstrating resilience and growth. Our country has made significant progress, but we are even more ambitious in this direction. Deputy Minister Danovsky identified several main options in relation to Bulgaria becoming an innovation center in the region of Southeastern Europe: creation of the concept of “regulatory sandboxes” as a fundamental change in the way the state and innovation interact; technology transfer and AI integration; opportunities in the defense sector.
In his speech, Andras Havas, Partner at McKinsey & Company focused on the role of the so called “standout” firms (usually 0.4-5% of the firms with approximately 45-80% of national positive productivity growth. Standouts are largely established incumbents – more than disruptors or superstar scalers. They usually use a combination of 5 moves, mostly about strategy rather than efficiency. These are scaling more productive business models; shifting regional and product portfolios; reshaping customer value propositions; building scale, network and platform economies.
Stay tuned for more insights from the moderators and panelists of the conference.
