Presentation of Project Entitled Digitalization of Economy in a Big Data Environment

Welcome to the introduction of the Centre for Competence under the title Digitalization of Economy in a Big Data Environment. It is a project on the Operational Programme Science and Education for Smart Growth 2014 – 2020 and two centres in the field of IT technologies implement projects in relation to it. These were the words Prof. D.Sc.(Econ.) Valentin Kisimov, Director of the Centre for Computer Innovative Systems, Deputy Project Head of the research team and Chief Project Coordinator greeted the attendees at the opening of the event.

The opening of the event in the Small Conference Hall

It is the first project of UNWE in this field. Its Head is the Rector of UNWE Prof. D.Sc.(Econ.) Statty Stattev. The project partners are the UNWE, Economic University of Varna, Technical University of Gabrovo, Paisii Hilendarsky University of Plovdiv, Angel Kanchev University of Ruse and the Institute of Information and Communication Technologies - Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS).

Prof. Statty Stattev and Prof. Valentin Kisimov (from the right to the left)

Participants in the project

We are obliged being friends because we have worked and will continue working together with our partners on the project, pointed out Prof. Stattev and expressed his thankfulness to his colleagues for their responsiveness and the work on the project they had done so far.

Prof. Stattev is greeting the attendees

In spite of all the challenges we succeeded. Our ambition is high because our aim is not only to implement the project. We have an objective to collect the Big Data and use them for creating comparative and reliable information. It is a problem that has deepened over the years, said Prof. Stattev. He explained that many institutions had provided statistical data in Bulgaria: National Statistical Institute (NSI), Bulgarian National Bank (BNB), commercial banks, Ministry of Finance, etc. After comparing the data it has become clear that there are huge differences between them and it is almost impossible to work with them. So the challenge to us is very great. We should provide the necessary equipment, collect the information and try to make it attractive enough to use it. Our objective is to create a unique national infrastructure where information is provided by lots of sources. We should create it so the analysis about it to be requested by scientific and production organizations, pointed the Rector.

In the Small Conference Hall

Prof. Stattev spoke about the necessity to develop the project in the future. There`s a lot of information on the Balkans which is not processed. We have the opportunity to direct the project to the future and to continue developing it not only in Bulgaria but also in the Balkan countries. Then its contribution will be much greater and it will have higher value.

I hope the expertise and good work of all participants in the project will contribute for its conclusion after 6 years and it will become a market working product with a role for the government, business, research, etc.

Prof. Stattev wished all the participants success and opened symbolically the event together with Prof. Dr. Kamelia Stefanova, Dean of the Applied Informatics and Statistics Faculty and Head of the project research team as well with Prof. Kisimov (in the picture below).  

Prof. Stefanova determined the obtaining of the project as a huge achievement – a result of lots of efforts and preliminary work that would also continue in the future. The project ambition is high. It includes lots of technological services in 8 fields of economics. I am glad that so many people are here because every idea and help is in the name of the common success, added Prof. Stefanova.

Prof. Kamelia Stefanova

The major project concept was presented by Prof. Kisimov who provided more information about the functional architecture of the Centre for Competence, for the conceptual ICT architecture and network architecture. He presented  also the resources for an individual partner, application of the data base principle in the disc storage, conceptual scheme of processing the Big Data, creation of digital process with Big Data, virtual structure of the Centre for Competence (in the picture below).

The project No.BG05M2OP001-1.002-0002 - Digitalization of Economy in a Big Data Environment – is at the amount of 13 333 868,86 BGN, 11 333 788,53 BNG of them European and 2 000 080,33 BGN national co-funding. The period of project implementation is March 2018 – December 2023.

The project target objectives are representatives of the scientific community in Bulgaria in the field of ICT and Big Data, business, scientific research organizations, universities, young scientists, Doctoral students, undergraduates of Master`s and Bachelor`s degree programmes, general public and the media.