Stanford Research Park, built in 1951 by Stanford University and the City of Palo Alto, was the first contemporary science park. The park was instrumental in creating the ecosystem that ultimately gave rise to Silicon Valley – the hub that transformed global entrepreneurship and technological advancement.
Science parks serve as a catalyst for economic transformation, acting as focal points for research, development and commercialization. They offer startups and research teams the infrastructure and network needed to scale ideas into businesses.
The growing number of science parks in SEE represents a significant opportunity to replicate this model. By uniting academia, industry, and governments, these parks aim to build a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem, much like Silicon Valley, to fuel innovation and economic growth across the region.
To advance this goal, the upcoming South East European Innovators Challenge (SEEIC), organized at Sofia Tech Park, is a pioneering effort to accelerate this vision, with tech parks uniting from Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Serbia, and Türkiye.
Introducing the South East European Innovators Challenge
The South East European Innovators Challenge is a newly launched regional tech startup competition, set to take place between October 27-28, 2024, at Sofia Tech Park.
Through this event, the SEE Science & Technology Parks Alliance aims to gather top startups from the region for a two-day forum in Sofia, where participants will have mentoring sessions, expert consultations, and finally pitch their projects to a jury comprising international experts, investors, and media representatives.
As part of the competition, three main awards will be presented by the SEE Science & Technology Parks Alliance for the best startups in Southeast Europe. Additionally, two special awards will be granted by Sofia Municipality and Sofia Tech Park. A media jury will select the Social Impact winner, recognizing the startup with the most innovative societal solutions.
The the competitors list includes 16 startups from Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Serbia, and Turkey. The competitors include Smartest (digital education, Bulgaria), Neuromorphica (AI neuromorphic systems, Bulgaria), Momfident (postpartum support, Bulgaria), Enthela (agriculture biostimulant, Bulgaria), FoodOxy (nutrition and testing, Greece), Upiria (tourism platform, Greece), Jobful (recruitment, Romania), Syndical (digital healthcare, Romania), Irisphera (personal stylist, Romania), City&Me (urban mobility, Serbia), Nais Robotics (AI for sports, Serbia), Dobbli (virtual real estate tours, Serbia), Vinaver Medical (cancer treatment planning, Serbia), Pavza (cloud and IoT, Türkiye), Afatek (fraud simulation, Türkiye), and Pure Solutions (analytics, Türkiye).
Regional Vision: A Hub for Innovation and Collaboration
The SEEIC marks the first initiative of the SEE Science & Technology Parks Alliance, a visionary platform committed to transforming Southeast Europe into a center for technological innovation.
Central to this vision, the SEE Science & Technology Parks Alliance is a coalition of 12 prominent technology parks and innovation zones from Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Serbia, and Turkey. Its mission is to strengthen regional collaboration, foster partnerships between academia, businesses, and governments, and promote technology transfer across Southeast Europe. By sharing knowledge and resources, the alliance aims to boost innovation ecosystems and position the region as a hub for entrepreneurship and investment.
Curently, the tech parks that form The Alliance include: Sofia Tech Park and Gabrovo Technology Park (🇧🇬 Bulgaria), JOIST Innovation Park, Thessaloniki Innovation and Technology Center (🇬🇷Greece), Magurele Science Park (🇷🇴Romania), Technology Park Novi Sad, Science Technology Park Nis (🇷🇸Serbia), Ostim Teknopark, Antalya OIZ Technopark, Bursa Technopark, BUDOTEK Teknopark, Namık Kemal University Technology Development Zone (🇹🇷Türkiye).
A Memorandum of Cooperation will be signed between to mark the Alliance members’ commitment to developing the SEE region.
After this formal agreement, event attendees will also have the chance to listen to the Leadership Panel, where the heads of Southeast Europe’s most influential technology parks and innovation zones will share their vision for the future of the region. Notably, key invited panelists include Sofia’s Mayor Vasil Terziev, Alexander Nutsov (BESCO), and Angel Georgiev (Sindeo Academy), along with tech park leaders like Derya Çağlar (Turkey) and Tasos Vasileiadis (Greece). Discussions will revolve around strategies for making Southeast Europe a global hub for innovation, drawing on the collective strength of cross-border partnerships.
Additionally, the forum will feature two dedicated expo areas: one for Southeast European companies to showcase their projects, products, and services, and another for regional scientific teams to present their research advancements and accomplishments.
