A new joint research institute will be set up between Japan's Meiji and the state-owned company LB Bulgaricum. The research and development centre will focus on research and innovation in the dairy sector. The aim is to launch the joint institute as early as 2024. This became clear during a meeting of the Minister of Economy and Industry Bogdan Bogdanov and H.E. Amb. Hiroshi Narahira, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Republic of Bulgaria. The two noted that the end of this year marks the 50th anniversary of the successful partnership between the two companies.
"Through the establishment of the research and development centre, we will take the cooperation between LB Bulgaricum and Meiji Japan to the next level - we will create new products and have the opportunity to open new markets," Minister Bogdanov said. He said this will provide the basis for a solid partnership in the next 50 years.
It was pointed out at the meeting that the project was proposed two years ago by the Japanese side, but there has been a delay in its implementation on the Bulgarian side, especially this year.
Minister Bogdanov stressed that the delay of the project and the lack of a clear strategy and vision of the old management - how LB Bulgaricum should be developed - is one of the main reasons for its replacement. "I guarantee you that everything possible will be done by the new management of the state-owned company to make up for the delay and make the new centre operational in 2024 - on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the cooperation between the companies," he stressed.
Minister Bogdanov said that the main task he has set for the new management of LB Bulgaricum is to prepare a strategy and business program for the period 2024-2026. "The main focus of the new strategy is for the company to focus on research and development, as well as the development of innovations, new products and strains," the Minister of Economy and Industry added.
He pointed out that trade and economic relations with Japan are extremely important for our country, and the partnership between Meiji and LB Bulgaricum is significant for the development of Bulgarian-Japanese cooperation.
Minister Bogdanov and the Ambassador of Japan to Bulgaria also discussed the great potential between the two countries in the automotive sector, energy and future partnership in the construction of new types of industrial zones in Bulgaria. Minister Bogdanov pointed out that cooperation with Japanese companies could be sought in the production of energy storage systems as well as in the construction of industrial zones related to specific industries.
