Two innovative products developed by Bulgarian technology company Voltera

After decades of work in biotechnology, electrochemistry and innovation on three continents, scientist and entrepreneur Krasen Dimitrov chooses Bulgaria for the next stage of his career. His company, Voltera, is already among the leading technology projects in Europe, having won €3.2 million in funding from the European Innovation Council's (EIC) Pathfinder programme. BalkanEngineer.com learned this from a company announcement.

Volterra's focus is now on the development of two high-tech products - electrolyzers for hydrogen production and innovative heat pumps for electric vehicles. Electrolyzers have the potential to transform the clean energy sector by offering a more efficient method of producing hydrogen through the electrolysis of water. Hydrogen is seen as an increasingly important energy carrier for the future that can reduce dependence on fossil fuels and support the transition to a carbon neutral economy.

The second development - heat pumps - aims to optimise the energy efficiency of electric vehicles, reducing energy consumption and increasing their range.

The EIC funding will be distributed over three years, with part of the funds going to the partner institutions - the Universities of Hanover and Athens - as well as to the Bulgarian research team. CWP Global, an international energy company with a focus on renewables, is also involved in the project as an investor.

Krasen Dimitrov's path to founding Volterra passed through leading academic and business circles. After completing his studies in Bulgaria, he continued his career in the United States, where he worked with some of the greatest scientists in the field of biotechnology. Dimitrov then moved to Australia and Taiwan, where he established new companies in electrochemistry and diagnostics. It was there that the first concepts that Volterra builds on today came from.

Volterra's ambitions are not only to develop innovative technologies, but also to build a sustainable science and engineering community in Bulgaria. The company is already recruiting specialists from home and abroad, including experts from Taiwan, who are interested in working in the Bulgarian technology ecosystem.

Over the next three years, Volterra will focus on building working prototypes and protecting its intellectual property, which will enable a significant increase in its market value. In the long term, the company will make a strategic decision - whether to license its technology, seek large-scale production in Bulgaria or position itself for global expansion through new investments.

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