DIALOGUE: Dialogue for Innovation and Better Governance

Innovation drives social progress, economic growth, and business success. It helps solve complex problems, increases productivity, and enhances adaptability to change, while creating competitive advantages and improving quality of life. Beyond business, innovation strengthens communities, promotes sustainable development, and builds societal resilience.

The countries of the Black Sea region have significant potential to create and implement innovations across various sectors. However, this potential remains largely untapped – according to the Global Innovation Index 2022, Bulgaria ranks 35th, Türkiye 37th, and Romania 49th out of 132 countries.

This situation is due to fragmented efforts, limited cooperation between public authorities, civil society, academia, and businesses, as well as uneven and insufficient capacities. Civil society organizations often lack the resources and expertise to influence policies, resulting in underdeveloped innovation ecosystems and missed opportunities for cross-border collaboration and joint innovations.

Strengthening dialogue and cooperation among all stakeholders is therefore essential. By building a stronger innovation ecosystem, the Black Sea region can unlock new opportunities for growth, resilience, and cross-border collaboration.

The “DIALOGUE FOR INNOVATION AND BETTER GOVERNANCE” project was developed to address these common challenges and support the creation of a more cohesive and sustainable innovation ecosystem in Bulgaria, Romania, and Türkiye, based on mutual trust, enhanced capacity, and effective dialogue.

Through a combination of needs assessments, capacity-building actions, policy recommendations, and transnational networking initiatives, the project aims to strengthen innovation and promote collaborative governance across the region.