02.04.2021
The key word is solidarity so that the entire European Union may show strength, unity and cohesion to pull out of the pandemic, said Prime Minister Boyko Borissov who visited Sofia Tech Park, the site of one of the eight European supercomputers. Prime Minister Borissov was there in the company of Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner in charge of innovation, research, culture, education and youth, and Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev. “I thank the European Commission and its President Ursula von der Leyen for, among other things, the extra amount of vaccines that was provided to Bulgaria,” Prime Minister Borissov said further in recognition of the surplus of 1,259,728 Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine doses that Bulgaria will receive from the EU within the next three months as part of an EU-wide solidarity mechanism.
Also, Prime Minister Borissov stressed the importance of the European Commission’s initiative to establish exascale computing centers within the EU. “This is the third deployed supercomputer in Europe and as such is evidence of recognition for the Bulgarians and for our IT experts,” the Prime Minister said categorically. In his words, this offers a great opportunity to Bulgaria and to the region alike. “We build supercomputers, motorways and waste treatment plants and demonstrate the output,” Prime Minister Boyko Borissov stressed.
In October 2020, the Bulgarian Government allocated over BGN 20 million for the acquisition and operating costs of the supercomputer. This investment is of great importance to improve the competitiveness and to make progress in research and innovation. The eight supercomputing centers within the EU will operate to facilitate European researchers, industries and businesses and will develop new applications in a number of areas, ranging from the synthesis of new medicines and new substances to the fight against environmental change.
