SOFIA DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION was founded as non-profit organization with the decision 348
of the Sofia Municipal Council to work for the sustainable development of the capital.
Shortcuts
SOFIA DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION PUBLISHES A NATIONAL ACTION PLAN ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A NATIONAL COMPETENCE CENTRE FOR SOCIAL INNOVATION
Sofia Development Association has published its National Action Plan that maps out the establishment and development of a National Competence Centre for Social Innovation in Bulgaria under the “Social Innovation Plus – Competence Center” project. The project focuses on preparing the groundwork for national social innovation competence centers. These centers are strategically positioned to support Managing Authorities in planning and implementing subsidy programs aimed at boosting social innovation. Additionally, they provide valuable support to social innovators, enabling them to maximize the benefits derived from these programs. Moreover, through networking and knowledge exchange activities, the competence centers assist other centers in becoming more effective in their respective fields.
The establishment of national competence centers for social innovation has become a significant endeavor supported by the European Commission, aimed at fostering social innovation across the European Union. Among the six projects backed by the Commission, SI PLUS stands out as a pioneering initiative. Over a period of two years, from May 2021 to July 2023, SI PLUS brought together social innovation organizations, research centers, ESF managing authorities, and other partners to design and develop competence centers.
The full Action Plan can be found HERE.
The SI PLUS project is funded by the EUROPEAN COMMISSION, European Social Fund and European Programme for Employment and Social Innovation.
CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES AUGUST 2023 IN THE BUREAU FOR INFORMATION AND SERVICES FOR THIRD COUNTRY NATIONALS
During the month of July more than 110 people from different countries such as Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, and Albania have found help and support at the Bureau for Information and Services for Foreign Nationals, taking advantage of the services provided there. The most requested service for the month was assistance with protection procedures, followed by humanitarian, legal, and financial assistance.
The official website of the bureau offers a monthly program that describes the different activities by day and time. The content of this program is in several languages: Bulgarian, English, French, Ukrainian, Russian, Arabic, and Persian.
You can find the program for August in Bulgarian HERE
You can find the program for August in Ukrainian HERE
You can find the program for August in English HERE
You can find the program for August in French HERE
You can find the program for August in Russian HERE
You can find the program for August in Arabic HERE
You can find the program for August in Farsi HERE
The project Support for the Development of Integration Policy Framework and Service Provision for Refugees in Sofia is supported by UNHCR – Bulgaria.
CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES JULY 2023 IN THE BUREAU FOR INFORMATION AND SERVICES FOR THIRD COUNTRY NATIONALS
On 20 June, we celebrated World Refugee Day in an expression of empathy and solidarity with the plight of millions of people forced to flee their homelands due to conflict and persecution. The day was celebrated with various events in Sofia, with the National Palace of Culture lit up in blue to honour the strength and courage of people seeking peace and a normal life. Sofia Development Association, for its part, organized the Hackathon "Beyond Borders: breaking stereotypes, building bridges", funded by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency under the project "Support for the development of integration policies and services for refugees in Sofia" in which 4 teams participated and presented their projects to a jury. Their challenge was to create an online campaign that opposes the use of discriminatory language and hostile attitudes towards refugees and migrants.
In parallel with the celebration of Refugee Day, the Bureau of Information and Services for Foreign Nationals continued to provide assistance to those in need through a number of positive events. During the month of June, over 120 people benefited from the services provided at the Bureau. „Legal advice“ remained one of the top services requested, along with „accompaniment to various institutions“ and applications for „financial assistance“. A large number of visitors also benefited from humanitarian assistance.
The official website of the bureau offers a monthly programme which describes the different activities by day and time. The content of this programme is in several languages: Bulgarian, English, French, Ukrainian, Russian, Arabic and Persian.
You can find the program for June in Bulgarian HERE.
You can find the program for June in Ukrainian HERE.
You can find the program for June in English HERE.
You can find the program for June in French HERE.
You can find the program for June in Russian HERE.
You can find the program for June in Arabic HERE.
You can find the program for June in Farsi HERE.
The project Support for the Development of Integration Policy Framework and Service Provision for Refugees in Sofia is supported by UNHCR – Bulgaria.
RESPONSIBLE TERRITORIAL POLICYMAKING IN THE FOCUS OF THE RRI-LEADERS THIRD POLICY LEARNING WORKSHOP
The 3rd policy learning workshop of the RRI-LEADERS project took place on 29-30 June 2023 in Sofia, gathering over 30 stakeholders from the four partner countries, Bulgaria, Greece, Spain, and Switzerland. Gencho Kerezov, deputy mayor and head of InnovativeSofia, welcomed the participants and spoke eloquently about the implementation of the city’s digital transformation strategy and the ways in which digital technologies are changing the policymaking process. At the heart of the workshop discussions were questions related to responsible territorial policymaking. Urban development policies in the past several years have focused on new urban transitions towards sustainability in areas like digital transformation, entrepreneurship, new skills, green innovation. They all require translation of research and innovation into policy priorities, as well as developing workable principles for cooperation and support from key local stakeholders. To implement societal transition pathways with positive impact on citizens makes co-creation approaches inevitable, as a way to meet the enhanced need for consensus building in the context of such transitions. In this context, the project RRI-LEADERS was a welcome opportunity for city officials from the partner countries to gain access to new tools for policy experimentation, rethinking and reconfiguration of the policymaking process.
RRI Leaders is funded by Horizon2020.
INNOAIR at Webit 2023
The achievements of the INNOAIR project were a key topic at the international event Webit 2023 - AI: A FUTURE TO SHARE. Innovative and green urban transport on demand was the topic of the panel “Digital Sofia 2023 - Smart City: Responsible and sustainable solutions for smart growth”.
The two applications BUSSINN and SOFIACOIN found even more partners and users. They were presentet as the new services introduced by the Sofia Municipality with the financial support of the Inoair project, financed by the UIA program of the European Commission. "The co-creation and design process of the new service was at the center of the achieved success. This new service and the process of its implementation is already attracting interest from both our neighboring countries and the geographically distant city Semarang, Indonesia," said Svetlana Lomeva, director of the Sofia Development Association. Dimitar Dilchev, director of the Center for Urban Mobility, also a partner of the INOAIR project, took part at the "Digital Sofia" panel. The discussion was moderated by the Deputy Mayor for "Digitalization, Innovations and Economic Development". Gencho Kerezov, who shared "The digital revolution in urban transport has been successfully completed - millions of citizens and guests travel annually with electronic tickets purchased through an application, directly with a bank card or online. Flexible technology was applied to meet the innovative pricing policy adopted by the Sofia Municipal Council. It generates a huge amount of data that serves to optimize transport lines. Project INNOAIR contributed significantly to the already prepared ecosystem of innovative urban transport and gave us the opportunity to test solutions that do not yet exist in other European countries." The topic of digital services of the Sofia Municipality was continued by arch. Zdravko Zdravkov, Chief Architect of Sofia, Maria Hristova, director of the Sofia Agency for Privatization and Investments, as well as Georgi Todorov in connection with the introduced throughout Sofia platform for electronic change of address registration.
INNOAIR project is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund through the Urban Innovative Actions Initiative. This is the first Bulgarian project selected for funding by UIA.
SOFIA IS HOSTING THE THIRD POLICY LEARNING WORKSHOP OF THE RRI-LEADERS PROJECT
From June 28-30, 2023, SDA and Sofia Municipality are hosting the 3rd policy learning workshop of the RRI-LEADERS project. We are excited to have experts from the partner countries – Greece, Bulgaria, Spain, and Switzerland, discuss critical questions for the integration of responsible research and innovation in policymaking. The workshop will take a hands-on-perspective to various aspects of territorial governance and leadership practices that aim to aid urban planners and policymakers in designing forward-looking policies fit for the twin digital and green transitions. See the event program HERE.
RRI Leaders is funded by Horizon2020.