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Visual for the Digital Skills Overview - Available funding in Bulgaria

Background information 

Funding opportunities for upskilling and reskilling to support the digital competences of individuals and organizations are available in form of loans, grants and financial instruments. For the period 2021 – 2026 most of the activities in digital transformation are financed through Recovery and Resilience facility but also as activities in Horizon, Erasmus+, ESIF and EEA grant schemes. You may find more on the page of Bulgaria's Digital National Coalition

Recovery and Resilience Plan 

The Bulgarian Recovery and Resilience Plan includes measures that are entirely or partially linked to digital skills, with a budget of about EUR 245 million. The measures mainly address challenges linked to education and digital skills training for adults and including: national online platform for adult learning, promotion of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, setting up of more than 2,200 STEM laboratories in schools to promote interest and skills in subjects related to natural and engineering sciences, artificial intelligence, robotics, and natural sciences. Additional investments in youth centres (EUR 32 million) enhance the employability and social inclusion of young people, including from vulnerable groups. These centres will provide a number of activities, also promoting digital equality through access to education and training. 

The plan includes a number of measures aimed at assisting businesses to adapt their operations to the digital environment, including: Improving the quality of research and innovation through investments in digital technologies at research institutions, and supporting the digitalisation of business, a grant programme for information and communications technology solutions and cybersecurity in SMEs (15 million euros). Investments in the deployment of sophisticated technologies, including the development of a quantum platform (EUR 0.5 million) and the Euro Quantum Communication Infrastructure (QCI) network at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (EUR 0.5 million). 

Provision of digital skills trainings and set-up of a platform for adult learning will be financed with close to €165 million from the Recovery and Resilience Facility. Employed, unemployed and economically inactive people will be able to receive training vouchers for first, second and third degree vocational qualifications, digital and other key competences. Furthermore, a network of 760 digital clubs will be set up nationwide, offering free access to the training platform. This investment aims to provide basic and intermediate digital skills training to approximately 500,000 unemployed and employed individuals, while also enabling 100,000 unemployed and employed people to validate their knowledge at these levels. Vouchers for training will be provided by the Employment Agency to unemployed, inactive and employed people who are representatives of the target groups. Individuals who have received vouchers will be able to select their own training category and provider. The value of the vouchers depends on the course's category and length. For the attainment of a first-year professional degree, for instance, the fee will be BGN 660 for a minimum of 300 study hours. The voucher will be worth BGN 1,320 for a minimum of 660 study hours for the second level of professional qualification, and BGN 1,980 for a minimum of 960 study hours for the third level. 

National Funding 

Measures for youth employment, entrepreneurship and social inclusion of the vulnerable groups are in the focus of the Bulgarian Human Resources Development Program 2021-2027. The Program has two main areas of impact – support for the labour market and skills development and social inclusion. Over BGN 2.365 billion will be directed to measures to promote employment, of which over BGN 662 million is earmarked for reforming the system for lifelong learning, acquisition of digital competences, development of skills, including "green", adapting to changes, improving working conditions, work-life balance of the workforce. The measures are expected to reach 818 thousand people. Opportunities for qualification, training, subsidized employment, validation of skills, etc. will be available to 258,000 unemployed. 

The programs and training methods are being developed, based on the results of the projects implemented by the social partners under the Development of Digital Skills operation. It is expected that over 700,000 Bulgarian citizens will undergo digital skills training in the next few years. 

Different funding options are also available on the Digital Skills and Jobs platform, you may find a listing for Bulgaria on this link

Briefs details

Digital technology / specialisation
Geographic scope - Country
Bulgaria
Geographical sphere
National initiative