Health Technologies - Norway and Bulgaria

Innovation Norway, together with the Digital Health Innovation Cluster and the Ministry of Health in Bulgaria, invites the Norwegian health industry to Bulgaria for a study visit on health technologies.

Participation is open to companies/institutions working on health technology in Norway or in Bulgaria with an interest for cooperation. Register in this platform and the the other participants. Innovation Norway provides travel grants to Norwegian participants.

Bulgaria and Norway cooperate on business and innovation, including health technologies. Bulgaria and Norway share a common aim to strengthen the healthcare industry, attract investments and export solutions. For both countries, internationalisation of the health industry will help develop new and sustainable solutions, boost innovation and contribute to growth of the sector

Bulgaria is implementing changes to increase e-health, including the development of telemedicine, big information arrays, innovative solutions and new health technologies. Norway has launched a Roadmap for the Health Industry outlining 12 focus areas for developing healthcare, and the healthcare industry is declared as an important strategic export industry for Norway. Both countries share challenges and aims for the health sector. The study visit aims to increase cooperation that contributes to the digital, sustainable and adaptive health industries needed for the future.

See this event in Norwegian on Innovation Norway's website: Norsk helseindustri til Bulgaria - studietur om helseteknologi og europeisk samarbeid | Innovasjon Norge.

The programme includes meetings with the main representatives of the health sector in Bulgaria, including the authorities, innovative companies and medical institutions.

Bulgaria is currently working on a new legal framework for telemedicine. A strategy and an action plan were developed in 2023, and the framework is now in process of adoption by the Bulgarian parliament. The plans include Strategic Objective 7 “Development of telemedicine, big information arrays, innovative solutions and new health technologies”.

Ministry of Health

The Ministry of Health developed a National Health Strategy 2030 (Ministry of Health 2022) and a National Plan for Recovery and Sustainability 2021–2027 (Council of Ministers 2020), in which one of the main priorities is the digital transformation of the health sector to improve the quality of life and change radically the way of providing healthcare services. Key priority of the National Healthcare Strategy (2021–2030) is Priority 4 “Electronic Healthcare”. It should be developed as a “Sector strategy for digital transformation of healthcare”. This sector strategy includes certain elements: strategic framework; national health information system; approved nomenclatures; workforce capacity building; cyber security and data privacy; primary and secondary use of health data. Among the main goals of the digital health strategy are the establishment of unified digital platform and digital services for improvement of diagnostics and treatment of socially important diseases. This platform is expected also to facilitate the communication between the healthcare professionals and other relevant stakeholders.

Healthcare Committee to the Bulgarian Parliament

The Healthcare Committee examines bills and acts, the annual program, draft decisions, declarations and other proposals allocated to it by the President of the National Assembly, as well as discusses the bills allocated to it. On bills and other legislative acts of the National Assembly, the Commission prepares reports, proposals and written statements, which are presented to the President of the National Assembly.

The Committee evaluates the implementation and effectiveness of the laws. It carries out periodic control of the degree of absorption and the appropriate and lawful spending of funds from the different EU funding programmes.

National Council for Pricing and Reimbursement

The National Council on Prices and Reimbursement of Medicinal Products (NCPRMP) in Bulgaria is ranked among the few EU countries that collect and analyze data from real-world practice. NCPRMP is leading the country on the path of evidence-based medicine by embracing digital solutions, including AI, to integrate and process real-world data (RWD) from electronic health records. The software extracts medical statistical data from hospital information systems with the aim of aggregating and harmonizing it, and analyzing clinical treatment outcomes and clinical survival rates, comparing them with clinical trials. These analyses help health authorities understand how patients respond in real-world practice and, therefore, facilitate efficiency in public spending. This could empower value-based payment models for better use of government spending while improving patient healthcare quality and outcomes.

Digital Health and Innovation Cluster

The main idea behind Digital Health and Innovation (DHI) Cluster is to support innovative companies and organizations in the field of digital healthcare solutions to build an expert digital health community and establish a sustainable and efficient healthcare environment for patients, medical professionals, society and institutions. The DHI Cluster started a specific initiative to support the digital transformation of the healthcare in the country by developing a framework of a sectoral strategy for digital health transformation of the Bulgarian health system. The document is based on a methodological and organizational foundation in the form of a National Health Architecture, which should become the basis for consensus on the direction of development of digital health topics at national level. The goal is to use transformation models successfully introduced by European partners.

Information Services JSC

Information Services is a national system integrator and a trusted partner of the public administration in Bulgaria. The company works on key projects of strategic importance for the country and develops, implements, and maintains new technology solutions for central and local administration.

The company offers a wide range of services, such as system integration, information systems development, administration and maintenance, communication and network solutions, cyber security, infrastructure, training, consulting, and more. The company is specialised in SOC-as-a-Service and has a 24/7 security monitoring center. Information Services is also the first certified authentication service provider in Bulgaria.

The company operates nationwide with branches in all regional cities and employs more than 640 highly qualified experts in different areas of the ICT sector. The company invests in its employees and their professional development by providing a high-tech environment, relevant certification trainings, and hands-on professional realisation.

Norway has a competitive health industry with outstanding research environments and unique health data. The government invests heavily in world-class infrastructure and health is a priority export industry. Universal healthcare and a highly digitalised society enable state-of-the-art digital health solutions and clinical trials. Norway offers a strong ecosystem of clusters and incubators and a pool of promising early-stage companies. Eco-friendly production, with renewable energy, circular processes and automation, make sustainable health solutions possible.

In autumn 2023, Norway launched a Roadmap for the Health Industry outlining 12 focus areas for developing healthcare.

In February 2024, the Norwegian Minister of Trade declared the healthcare industry as a national export initiative.

Explore the activities of Norwegian companies on Business Norway - the official portal to green and sustainable solutions from Norway: Health and life science.

See a video on the Norwegian industry: Let's Talk Health and Life Science.

Norway finances a Business Innovation Programme in Bulgaria that supports cooperation and the development of solutions on welfare technology in Bulgaria. Innovation Norway, with its office in Sofia, operates the programme. Read more on our website.