Applied Research and Communications Fund (ARC Fund) is a private non-profit organization established in Sofia in 1991. Today it is one of the leading Bulgarian non-government organizations (NGOs) working to advance the development of a modern knowledge-based society that harnesses the power of information technologies and innovations.

Activities

ARC Fund is actively involved in the efforts to shape policies and developments towards information society and knowledge economy in the national and international contexts. We pursue this mission by:

Conducting applied research and analyses that assist the development and implementation of public policies;

Introducing new policy-making tools, such as foresight;

Promoting public policy consensus by bringing together the key actors in government, industry and civil society, and by forming coalitions and public-private partnerships;

Building capacity in various professional groups by providing specialized training and facilitating the transfer of knowledge and best practice;

Enhancing the capacity of companies to innovate by providing technology brokering and technology consulting services;

Promoting innovative solutions to development problems by initiating pilot projects that demonstrate the value of technologies, including ICTs, in strengthening democratic governance, empowering civil society, and developing a competitive business environment.

ARC Fund's activities serve a wide community of policy-makers and practitioners in central and local governments, businesses and industry associations, NGOs and civil society actors.
ARC Fund is a recognized and respected player in bringing about the innovating knowledge society on a national, regional (e.g. Southeast Europe), and sub-regional levels.

Staff

ARC Fund engages a team of young professionals with diverse backgrounds in IT, computer science, engineering, economics, and business administration. We also work with a large pool of outside experts and consultants who add valuable expertise to our own intellectual capital.

Programs

ARC Fund specializes in two main thematic areas which constitute important pillars of a knowledge society: Information Society, and Innovation and Technology Transfer. In both fields ARC Fund is trying to influence the adoption of innovative concepts and policies by government, businesses, academic institutions and NGOs. It facilitates various coalition-building efforts and supports the formulation of public policies by supplying policy-oriented research and analyses on subjects ranging from innovation systems to e-government and the role of media in anticorruption. ARC Fund also acts as a watch-dog for the implementation of public policies.

Partners and Supporters

External links

==Official website==

Publications