SOFIA, DECEMBER 13 (ONASA) – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) announced the winners of the regional Butterfly Innovation Award 2023 at a ceremony organized by the Council with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, which was held today in Sofia. “Congratulations.
We hope this innovation award will help you find your way in challenging markets. Several of last year’s award winners have improved their solutions and are considering expanding to new markets, so I hope that this award will also be an incentive for your innovative products and bring them success,” said the General Secretary of the Council for Regional Cooperation Majlinda Bregu on this occasion.
The winners in six categories are:
In the award category for industrial innovations: Team AgAR, from Serbia, for an autonomous agricultural, robotic, unmanned, land vehicle that brings a new concept of land cultivation.
In the Women’s Innovation Award category: Tim Kungul, from Albania, for a mobile phone application that provides key information about potential carcinogens, allergens and harmful chemicals in cosmetics and offers healthy alternatives.
In the Green Innovation Award category: Team PowerWheel, from North Macedonia, for drive wheels that use the circular motion of suitcases, shopping trolleys, hospital beds and baby carriages to power electronic devices.
In the award category for innovation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics: Montenegrin team Flourish, for a digital instructor that enables accessible development of emotional intelligence and uses interactive, personalized and game-based exercises to improve emotional intelligence.
In the award category for university innovations: the Kosovar Robotic Hand team for a robotic hand of crucial importance for functional prosthetics.
In the Youth Innovation Award category: Team QManager from Bosnia and Herzegovina for a queue management system designed to increase the efficiency of various administrative services including banks, city administration centers and public service centers.
“Investments in research and development in our region are still at a low level, less than 1% of GDP, while in the EU this figure is 2.3%. In order to fulfill the promise of today’s smart machines, policies themselves need to be smart. As part of the new Growth Plan for the Western Balkans of the European Union, a regional pre-accelerator intended for sophisticated technologies will soon be launched. We are overjoyed to see that our efforts have borne fruit. Our goal is that part of this initiative supports teams with innovations in the early stages of development and not only sophisticated technologies,” added Bregu.
The Western Balkans have changed a lot in recent decades. Global competition in the domain of innovation and digital transformation is a new market niche, but the success rate of the Western Balkans in the field of innovation is, unfortunately, below 70% of the success rate of the European Union. In the global innovation index for 2023, our economies rank between 53rd and 84th.
“On the other hand, the region achieves good results when we talk about science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The share of women in professions in these fields is over 40% and this is another reason, dear to me, why innovations are so important for our societies. They realize the advantages that women have. The use of innovation will enable women to participate in the digital economy and gain access to digital services, which is of crucial importance for economic empowerment. We have just finished the annual campaign of 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. There is one real truth in this story, and that is that economically independent women can escape from the circle of violence,” concluded Bregu.
The Council for Regional Cooperation will soon present an online platform with the aim of connecting accomplished women in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics with ambitious young experts, which is a key step within the Regional Network of Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics of the Council for Regional Cooperation.
“The Butterfly Innovation Awards celebrate creativity, ingenuity and commitment to innovation. They show how we can build an ecosystem in which innovators, researchers, entrepreneurs, young people and women innovators work together for the benefit of the region. I invite all participants to identify the strengths of the region so that we can show that the Western Balkans can turn regional challenges into opportunities. Talents, investments, turning ideas into reality – that’s Europe,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria Mariya Gabriel.
Gabriel thanked Breg for the commitment and dedication that led to the extraordinary achievements that we are celebrating today.
The regional Butterfly Innovation Award began to be awarded last year on the sidelines of the European Union and Western Balkans ministerial meeting on research, innovation, education and skills hosted by Gabriel, at that time in her capacity as European Commissioner.
This year we received 87 outstanding applications in all six categories. The category of industrial innovation led the way with almost one third of the applications, followed closely by the categories of green innovation and women’s innovation. In addition, an extraordinary diversity of ideas was noticeable, from food technology to circular economy, and innovations in molecular modeling and educational technologies. A striking fact is that almost half of all applications dealt with digital solutions, which indicates a promising path towards the digital transition.
Earlier today, Bregu and Gabriel held a bilateral meeting where they discussed future cooperation not only in the field of innovation but also in the field of other regional cooperation agendas, given that Bulgaria is an unwavering supporter of cooperation in Southeastern Europe and one of the most active participants of the Council for Regional Cooperation .
The Butterfly Innovation Award is part of the activities within the “regional innovation space” of the Action Plan for the Common Regional Market (2021-2024). The initiative came to life in 2021 with the aim of encouraging and promoting innovative, adaptable and market-based solutions from the Western Balkans.
The purpose of this award is to promote innovation culture in the Western Balkans by showcasing successful innovative achievements and empowering sensitive groups such as young people and women.
By accepting digital transformation and encouraging environmental sustainability, the prize aims to support the economic development of the Western Balkans, RCC announced.