EBN Congress 2025 – the largest event bringing together European incubators, accelerators and business innovation centres from across Europe and the world – took place in Baracaldo, Spain, from 18 to 20 June 2025. The event attracted over 300 participants from more than 175 innovation organisations, including 96 officially accredited EU|BIC centres from 37 countries.

Among the participants was the Chairman of the Business Innovation Center (BIC) Innobridge – Milen Dobrev. BIC Innobridge, the first and only officially accredited EU|BIC center in Bulgaria, plays a leading role in supporting start-ups and innovative businesses at the local, regional and national levels, applying the methodology and collective experience of the European Business Innovation Centers Network (EBN).

This year's congress was held under the motto of sustainable development and the transition to a green economy, with the main topics being the green energy revolution, the circular economy, green hydrogen, the blue economy, and renewable energy sources.

The three-day program included keynote sessions, panel discussions, practical workshops and pitching sessions, showcasing innovative startups and successful collaborations between corporations and emerging companies in the field of green transition.

Of particular interest were:

Keynote lectures on the industrial green energy revolution, digital innovation and the role of artificial intelligence for a sustainable energy transition;
Panel discussions on sustainable mobility and the prospects for green technologies such as green hydrogen and electric vehicles;
Workshops dedicated to the circular economy, recycling and management of marine resources.

One of the highlights of the event was the EU|BIC Excellence Awards 2025, which recognize the most effective programs to support entrepreneurship in the field of green transition. Incubators and accelerators with initiatives from Belgium, the United Kingdom, Italy, Latvia, Turkey and Greece competed in this prestigious competition.

Milen Dobrev, who has been a member of the EBN Board of Directors since 2013, had the opportunity to establish new contacts and discuss future partnerships with representatives of leading European innovation centers. He emphasized the importance of international collaborations for increasing the competitiveness of Bulgarian startups and the need for knowledge and experience transfer in the field of sustainable business models and green innovations.

EBN Congress 2025 provided valuable opportunities to exchange good practices, strategies, and new collaboration models to help companies overcome contemporary challenges and turn crises into opportunities for sustainable growth.

The participation of BIC Innobridge in the event reinforces the organization's commitment to playing an active role in the development of the innovation ecosystem not only in Bulgaria, but also at the European level, while simultaneously supporting global efforts for the transition to a more ecological and sustainable future.