Applied Research and Communications Fund (ARC Fund) is a private non-profit organization established in Sofia in 1991. Today it is one of the a leading Bulgarian research and action think tank working to advance the development of a modern knowledge-based society in Bulgarian and Europe that harnesses the power of information technologies and innovations.

What we do…

ARC Fund is actively involved in shaping policies and developments towards information society and knowledge economy in the national and international contexts. We pursue this mission by:

• Conducting applied research and analyses that assist the development and implementation of public policies;
• Introducing new research and policy-making tools, such as foresight;
• Promoting public policy consensus by bringing together the key actors in government, industry and civil society in Bulgaria and Europe, and by forming coalitions and public-private partnerships;
• Building capacity for research, technological development and innovation in various professional groups by providing specialized training and facilitating the transfer of knowledge and best practice;
• Enhancing the capacity of companies to innovate by providing technology brokering and technology consulting services;
• Promoting innovative solutions to development problems by initiating pilot projects that demonstrate the value of technologies, including ICTs, in strengthening democratic governance, empowering civil society, and developing a competitive business environment.

ARC Fund's activities serve a wide community of regional, national and European policy-makers and practitioners, businesses and industry associations, NGOs and civil society actors. ARC Fund hosts the Innovation Relay Centre, Sofia, which is a member of the European network of Innovation Relay Centres/Innovating Regions in Europe. ARC Fund publishes two annual policy reviews, which inform the public and the government of the latest trends and policy developments in Europe on innovation and the information society: Innovation.bg and e-Bulgaria.

Who we are…

ARC Fund engages a team of young professionals with diverse backgrounds in engineering, economics, and business administration, IT and computer science. The organization engages a large pool of outside experts and consultants who add valuable expertise to our own intellectual capital. Two consulting bodies, which gather outstanding representatives of the Bulgarian academia and businesses aid the foundation in its research and innovation activities: the Expert Council on Innovation and the Innovation Business Club.

Country

 

Bulgaria