20.01.2021
Google funds digital inclusion projects in Bulgaria and Romania
Google today launched the first initiative of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe, the Google.org Impact Challenge. A session for applying for funding for projects to help bridge the digital divide and promote inclusive economic growth has been launched. Google will distribute 2 million euros in grants to selected organizations from Bulgaria and ten other countries in the region in support of their charity projects.
Technology has been the lifeline for European business and communities throughout the pandemic, from helping people find accurate health information and buy groceries online, to finding new ways to learn and connect with loved ones. This underlined the need to create an accessible digital future for all, especially as economies embark on the road to recovery.
That's why Google is committed to helping achieve that goal. Last year, Google pledged to help 10 million people and companies across Europe, the Middle East and Africa digitize, grow and build new careers. Specifically in the CEE region, we have already helped 250,000 people develop their digital skills or move to a digital career in 2020 alone. In Bulgaria, more than 20,000 companies and individual participants took a digital skills course under the Grow with Google Digital Garage program, for the entire period of the program.
Google is now looking for initiatives aimed at rebuilding the socially inclusive economy. All non-profit organizations, companies and academic institutions from Bulgaria can apply until March 1, 2021, at g.co/ceechallenge. Projects must be charitable and can be large or small and at any level of preparation - whether it is a new idea or an established project ready to scale. Applicants must be established in one of the following countries: Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia, the Czech Republic.
"Nowadays, the economic effects and acceleration of technology due to the Covid-19 pandemic put a lot of pressure on us. It can be difficult to adapt if we lack the resources or skills to respond to change. That is why it is more important than ever to bridge the digital divide and support inclusion. I am confident that the Google.org Impact Challenge will help organizations in Bulgaria meet these challenges and I look forward to helping you choose the most effective offerings. I share the goal of the initiative to build digitally sustainable and prosperous societies," said Gergana Passy, President of the Digital National Alliance, Bulgaria.
The Impact Challenge initiative is another proof of Google's commitment to Bulgaria and CEE in support of charity and projects aimed at improving education and economic opportunities by enhancing digital skills. Last year alone, Google.org provided more than 1.5 million euros in individual grants to several charities in the region in support of the cause. In 2018, Google.Org provided grant funding for a project conducted jointly with the Ministry of Education and Science in Bulgaria to increase the digital skills of teachers in the basic course of study in Bulgarian schools.
The supported projects will be selected by Google with the help of a panel of respected experts from the INCO group, which includes people of science, leaders and civil society activists from across the region.
