News

On the 3th of July 2020, The Knowledge-Intensive Development Association and the Ministry of Economy signed a contract, No.BG16RFOP002-1.016-0006-C01, for the implementation of the project “Creation of a laboratory center for the collection and maintenance of global databases – LCD”.
The main objective of the project is to increase the innovation activity of the association and create conditions for its sustainable development by supporting the provision of resources, internationalization and development of shared infrastructure for common innovation cluster activities.
The total worth of the project amounts to BGN 350 042.00, of which BGN 250 693.30 are a grant. The funds will be used to implement hardware and software infrastructure, staff for innovative activities and participation in international conferences, trainings, fairs and other events.
The planned activities include providing resources for the activity and enhancing the capacity of the cluster’s innovative staff; exchange of good practices; establishment and promotion of transnational cooperation and internationalization connections (Component 1) and acquisition of tangible and intangible assets for the development of shared cluster infrastructure – Component 2. Their realization is expected to lead to the achievement of a couple of specific objectives of the project and the following results:
• New shared cluster infrastructure created – Global Data Collection Center
• Provided resource capacity for cluster innovation activity – appointed innovative and research staff;
• Increased capacity of the cluster and its members through participation in seminars, conferences and other events to share experience and good practices
• Strengthened ties and cooperation between cluster members and external partners;
• Facilitated access to cluster members’ technologies, resources and expertise.

The project will be completed within 14 months.

www.eufunds.bg

Project „Creation of a laboratory center for the collection and maintenance of global databases – LCD“, contract № BG16RFOP002-1.016-0006-C01 of for Knowledge-Intensive Development Association, funded by the Operational Program “Innovation and Competitiveness”, co-financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund.

We proudly joined the European Cluster Collaboration Platform (ECCP) – a European hub for cooperation, building cluster bridges between Europe and the world. ECCP provides networking support for clusters aiming to improve their performance and increase their competitiveness through the stimulation of trans-national and international cooperation.

Being part of such evolving ecosystem is a must for KIDA and an effort in the right direction to position Bulgaria as a top global destination for knowledge-intensive services. Our Executive Director Rayna Grigorova is eager to interact with other cluster managers, exchange good practices and find new partners. We already have experience working with organizations from US, UK, Canada, Iceland, Australia, China, etc.

Please feel free to contact us if you need strong capabilities across the entire content value-added chain. With over 200 separate services, 35+ languages, global coverage and expertise – we’re got you covered! Rely on us for data aggregation, dataset building and mapping, content indexing and filtering, abstracting, media monitoring and clipping, source processing, media analysis, research and surveying, business intelligence, risk & compliance services. In addition, we have dedicated teams that can provide bid/proposal writing, administrative support and consultancy, project management expertise, etc.

A Data Pro’s Business Development team is always on the lookout for new and exciting challenges that showcase the company’s capabilities. For that reason, we never miss to participate in various local, regional and pan-European CFBs, CFTs and ITTs.

Without further ado, we’re proud to announce that A Data Pro will provide media monitoring and analytics services to the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE). We will apply our expertise in media monitoring and analysis to help EIGE perform its communication and media related activities, as set out in the Institute’s Knowledge Management and Communication Strategy 2016-2018. The prestigious four-year framework contract, starting in 2017 will be focussed on monitoring EIGE’s media activities.

In general, European Institutions are among the most demanding clients and the contract awarded to A Data Pro by EIGE is a significant achievement, considering the fierce competition everyone is facing when participating in public procurement procedures.

Stay tuned for more news about EIGE’s project…

Identrics CEO Vladimir Petkov is speaking at TEDxNBU conference about AI. We at KIDA are very happy that our member companies support the next generation of innovators!

Identrics debuted at the Second International Conference on Computational Linguistics in Bulgaria both with a presentation and as its golden sponsor, thus supporting the meet-up of leading researchers from Bulgaria and abroad in all areas of computational linguistics and Natural Language Processing (NLP).

The CTO of Identrics, Deyan Peychev, was thrilled to see the intersection of purely scientific work with real business cases.

“Being part of CLIB 2016 gave us an opportunity to keep up to date with the latest scientific achievements of research centres, bringing fresh ideas and innovation to everything we do. On the other hand, collaborating with Identrics they can get in touch with real business and see the practical application of their research. We have the know-how and the experience of working on large-scale projects. The event is a platform for building partnerships, which can grow into better and faster business solutions.”

The team strongly believes in the cooperation between science and business as a more meaningful, useful and productive way for innovating. Identrics is eager to take part in future partnerships and conferences and even co-organize an event, giving a 360-degree perspective on the latest advances in the worlds of semantics and technology.

The CEO of Identrics, Vladimir Petkov, was impressed by a number of innovative ideas. His top picks from the conference include a technology that enables the recognition of paid opinion manipulation trolls in news community forums, a tool that finds the quality answers in online forums and pushes them at the top and finally, an algorithm that recognises citations in traditional media publications.

Q: How does KIDA improves and supports the access to materials, equipment, new technologies, human and financial resources, markets and other cluster activities?

Studies and analyzes conducted by members of the association show that our country has a huge, but still underdeveloped potential to provide high value-added information services at a global scale. However, in comparison with the developed economies we have to overcome some challenges such as low labor productivity, poor innovation deployment, low levels of production automation (in terms of knowledge intensive services).

And the majority of companies, especially SMEs, could hardly provide on their own all the resources needed for automation and optimization.

When joining strengths, the companies have access to more resources and new market opportunities. Also, they start benefiting from shared investments in complex technologies and other supplies necessary for their market survival, growth and development. Such investments can be investments in the development of innovations for data collection & processing (platforms for processing and visualization of information, CRM, ERP and other systems, semantic technologies, artificial intelligence, etc.), investments in data, knowledge and information (e.g. databases, global or regional market research, complex marketing research and consultancy).

Sharing the cost of purchasing servers, their data center support or cloud space rental reduces the costs of each cluster member for equipment and maintenance.

One other objective of KIDA is sharing knowledge and conducting collaborative research that helps the implementation of innovative technologies for modernization, automation, optimization and improvement. To a great extent, the intensive knowledge is related to the creative industries – content creation, content analysis and extracting new knowledge from it, developing media, communication, marketing strategies, consulting services, developing innovative software technologies and so on.

Our members are and should be representatives of all segments of the supply chain. Thus we ensure the strategic development of the sector in the country and the synergy between business & higher education. For example, one of our new cluster members is a leading higher education institution (University of Veliko Tarnovo).

A lot of software companies are part of the cluster. They conduct research and develop innovative and scientifically proven, effective technologies for extracting, processing, and even predictive data analysis. Working closely with their users, these companies quickly and easily identify market niches and markets with great potential. On the other hand, the information providers and consultants have direct access to new technologies at preferential prices. The benefit for the higher education is by working closely with leading industry companies to modernize educational programs, prepare and organize training courses and internship programs.

By unifying efforts and forming a common industry strategy, the cluster members gain the opportunity to share markets using a number of market mechanisms, including chain sales and cross-selling. Additionally, the members support each other in identifying and participating in public procurement opportunities.

Last but not least, the intensive cooperation between cluster members supports staff exchanges and expertise, especially when you need temporary resources with specific skills. Members have access to a vast base of people with knowledge and skills across the full spectrum of the knowledge-intensive services.

The foundation of the KIDA cluster was announced at a press conference in Sofia, Bulgaria.

The non-governmental organization is a cluster, mainly aimed at promoting cooperation between business, education and research service providers. Through this collaboration, the KIDA association strives to further develop the regional market for knowledge-intensive services. Its long-term strategy is to establish Bulgaria as a global leader in the knowledge-intensive services market. The first step in this direction is the steady increase in members.

The current members of the cluster include a number of regional leaders in the sector, including A Data Pro, Semantic Interactive, Intelday Solutions. We have invited Veliko Tarnovo University “St. St. Cyril and Methodius” to join us. KIDA seeks to attract other universities as well, as they have a key role in the fulfilment of the strategy that envisions stronger relationships between higher education institutions and regional business leaders. The result of such cooperation will be more skilled and well educated people, ready to work in an actual business environment.

The ultimate goal of KIDA is to turn the market for knowledge-intensive services into a major driver for Bulgaria’s economic development.