BG41 - Bulgaria Югозападен (Yugozapaden)

Regional website

Yugozapaden Planning Region (Southwest Planning Region) is a planning region in Bulgaria. It is the biggest and best performing region in Bulgaria in terms of GDP and innovation. The region also has the highest intensity of R&D expenditures in the country. The region hosts almost half of the universities in the country, as well as the two biggest public R&D performers – the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the Agricultural Academy.

Is the region looking for international/European/interregional collaboration opportunities? 

Yes, Horizon 2020 - Work Program 2018-2020 Spreading Excellence and Widening Participation.

Total population (2019) 2,102,205

Population per km²  104

Proportion population older 65 year % 19,39%

Innovation Performance group (2019) Moderate -

Member ICPerMed? no 

Mountain ? > 50 % of population live & > 50 % of surface in mountains

Member Euregha? no 

Adriatic-Ionian MacroRegion? no

InnoStars Region? no 

Northern Sparsely Populated Area (NSPA)? no

PM region according EC? no 

Baltic Sea MacroRegion? no

S3MedTech region? no 

Danube MacroRegion? yes

S3P4PM region? no 

Alpine MacroRegion? no

Regions4PM region? no

ERAPerMed?  no 

Central Europe? no

MedTech4Europe? no

Council of European BioRegions (CEBR)? no

1M+Genome initiative? country level member

European Regions Research & Innovation Network (ERRIN)?  no

Vanguard Initiative? no

S3ClusSport member?  no

Policy documents

1. Bulgarian National Health Strategy (2014 -2020) implementation towards achieving WHO Policy Framework for Health and Wellbeing – Health 2020 indicators and Sustainable Development Goals and Targets 

2. National Health Strategy 2020 

3. National ACTION PLAN for implementation ПЛАН ЗА ДЕЙСТВИЕ за изпълнение 

4. NATIONAL PROGRAM FOR RARE DISEASES 2009 – 2013 НАЦИОНАЛНА ПРОГРАМА ЗА РЕДКИ БОЛЕСТИ 2009 – 2013 (генетични, вродени малформации и ненаследствени заболявания)

Topics covered by policies: Population genomics initiative (cfr 1 million genomes participation); Medical research and innovation (-omics, biomarkers, diagnostics, etc.); Specific disease related research: oncology and rare diseases; Education, training and skill development; Prediction and prevention; Value based healthcare; Public awareness, patient participation with respect to Personalised Medicine/Personalised Health

Policy document (RIS3): Yes

Policy document PM@RIS3: No

Major Initiatives

1. Center of Competence Personalized Innovative Medicine perimed 

2. Bulgarian Alliance for Precision and Personalized Medicine“/BAPPM//

3. Country Member European '1+ Million Genomes' Initiative

4. Biobanking and BioMolecular resources Research Infrastructure Bulgaria BBMRI.bg 

5. Integration of European healthcare standards and innovations on the way for development of cross-border health cluster

6. BEtter HEALTH care in the Bulgarian – Greek cross border area

7. Investment in the health and the prosperity of youth in the Bulgarian – Serbian region

8. Joint information system for process optimization "One Health” in the CBC area

Self evaluation

General perception of the implementation level of PM in the region - Low

Rate of the need for developing and implementing PM in the region - Very High

Rate of the need for increasing support/funding for PM activities in the region - Very High

Rate of the need for increasing the capacity of PM skills in the region - Very High

Rate of the genomics literacy of the citizens in the region - Low

Rate of the need for increasing interregional collaboration in PM - Very High

Memberships

• European Alliance for Personalised Medicine (EAPM)

Image attribution

By Nikki080 - Self made, based on File:Bulgaria location map.svg., CC BY-SA 4.0,