Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications

One hundred and fifteen millions € is the budget of the fifth competition of the program “Support for ICT policies” under the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme of the European Community. The Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications in collaboration with the foundation “The Applied Investigations and Communications” organized an information day for science organizations and companies, which will apply for financing.

Since 2007 up to now four annual events have been held under the program “Support for ICT policies”. In 2010 the Bulgarian organizations received financing in amount of 651 530 thousands €, that was indicated in the greeting of the Deputy Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Parvan Rusinov. Among 33 government institutions, companies, universities and NGOs that applied, six projects with Bulgarian participants were successful.

The fifth competition is declared on March 1, 2011. The dead-line for passing of the offers is June 1, 2011. The valuation of the projects is expected in June-July 2011. The projects will start in the end of 2011.

For projects devoted to the issue “Information and Communication Technology for low carbon economy and smart mobility” are provided 24 millions €. The offers have to be oriented to energy saving in the buildings at least 15 % annually, as well as low-energy and more efficient transport systems. The candidates for financing have to attract participants of the whole circuit of supply – from the industry, to architects, the construction contractors and the final consumers.

The electro-mobiles are one of the most effective possibilities for radical change of the current transport system. For that reason the fifth competition will support up to 3 pilot projects that amount to the total value of 7 millions €. These resources are for testing the urban and interurban transport information services which facilitate and help the consumers in the use of the electro-mobiles. These are for example the planning of routes, optimization of the used energy and the recharge, technology decisions for sharing the automobiles in urban conditions and connected with this business models.

The largest amount of resources – 38 millions € are provided for enriching of the digital library “Europeana” and for modernizing the educational systems in Europe through integration of the e-education in the programs.

The section “Information and Communication Technologies for innovative government and public services” has budget of 21,5 millions €. The candidates have to make an offer for an uniform European platform for e-Identification of physical and legal persons. The pilot project has to provide the use of the digital identification for e-services in different applied sectors like transport, health services, social and pension insurance, employment, public and business registrations, banking, telecommunications.

18 millions € are provided for technological resolutions for health services and adult care. The projects have to support the Common European aim – the citizens of the Old continent to have online access to their health data till 2015 and till 2020 – to use widespread services through telemedicine.