CARE-GET Project Brings Together the Local Community in Haskovo in Its First “Support Group” Meeting

On 20 February at 11:00 a.m., the Bulgarian Economic Forum, with the support of the Haskovo Branch of Trakia University, organised a communication event in the format of a “support group” under the CARE-GET project. The meeting brought together more than 25 participants – individuals living with various health conditions, their relatives and caregivers, as well as representatives of project partners, local health and social institutions, and civil society organisations. Among them were representatives of the Union of the Deaf, associations of people with diabetes, oncology and rare diseases organisations, the Day Care Centre for Children with Disabilities and Their Families, healthcare professionals, and other engaged experts.

The event opened with a presentation outlining its objectives: creating a safe space for sharing experiences, reducing stigma, encouraging social interaction and mutual support, and gathering concrete needs and ideas to be integrated into the future activities of the MedTech Hub in Haskovo.

In his introductory remarks, Project Manager Valentin Spendjarov presented the philosophy of the CARE-GET project and its vision of establishing an integrated centre combining healthcare services, education, innovation and social support. The importance of civic dialogue and active community participation in building a sustainable service model was strongly emphasised.

Radostina Medvedeva from the Bulgarian Economic Forum introduced the participants to the upcoming training opportunities. Six-month training programmes in entrepreneurship and innovation in healthcare are scheduled to begin in the autumn of this year, covering topics such as entrepreneurship, medical digitalisation, development of new healthcare services, telemedicine, and more.

Between February and March 2027, a nine-month mentoring and accelerator programme is expected to launch, targeting both general-profile companies and firms specialising in healthcare, medical technologies and wellness. Some participants will have the opportunity to receive non-repayable funding to develop their business ideas. The selection methodology, as well as the funding scheme and award rules, are currently being finalised. These will be published for public consultation before being submitted for approval to the Haskovo Municipal Council.

The discussion clearly demonstrated the need for regular meetings among the various groups affected by health and social challenges. Participants shared experiences regarding existing support structures, their practical benefits, as well as missing services and concrete difficulties. It became evident that such gatherings strengthen the sense of belonging and integration of different groups within the project’s activities. Specific needs of individual communities were identified – needs that might not have been adequately captured without this direct dialogue in planning future services.

As discussions progressed, concrete ideas began to emerge – both for incorporating targeted training and specialised activities within the future MedTech Hub, and for developing project proposals and active participation in the forthcoming training, mentoring and acceleration programmes.

In conclusion, the meeting was recognised as a first step towards building a sustainable support model and co-creating services with the community. The information collected will be analysed and used in designing the functional model of the future MedTech Hub in Haskovo. The event concluded with gratitude to the participants and an invitation to continue the dialogue through regular meetings and joint initiatives.

CARE-GET is laying the foundations for a new type of partnership between institutions, experts and citizens – a model in which the community’s voice plays a leading role in shaping sustainable and innovative solutions in the health and social sectors.