The UK Government’s Science and Technology Network (STN) has facilitated the development of a €350m investment Green SiC wafer factory in Bulgaria, delivering £10.5m UK export wins and advancing next-generation materials.
Scottish SiC specialist Clas-SiC has signed an early engagement with the project (click here).
This announcement follows discussions over the last two years to link UK semiconductor expertise with Bulgaria’s ambitions under the EU Chips Act 2023 and its fast-growing auto electronics sector.
Bulgaria is a gateway to Eastern markets and key manufacturing hub in Southeast Europe. The country now produces about 80 percent of sensors used in European cars and hosts state-of-the-art R&D centres and smart factories (for example, Melexis in Sofia, Sensata and Schneider Electric in Plovdiv).
In 2024, a roundtable in Sofia in 2024 hosted by British Embassy Sofia brought together UK and Bulgarian government, academia, and industry leaders to discuss opportunities. STN followed this up by organising a study visit to Scotland in March 2025, where Bulgarian stakeholders experienced the UK’s world-class factories and training models first-hand.
Finally, a UK trade mission to Bulgaria in November 2025 showcased the country’s growing semiconductor ecosystem including both Bulgarian innovators and global players investing in the Bulgarian market, attracting UK innovators to explore partnerships.
The launch of the Green Silicon Carbide factory in Bulgaria, aims to deepen R&D partnerships, and expand skills initiatives by linking UK compound semiconductor expertise with Bulgaria’s manufacturing capacity.
The UK-Bulgaria Strategic Partnership has resulted in a series of other activities including a research MoU between Glasgow and Sofia Universities, enabling joint projects and talent exchange; and an industry MoU between TechWorks UK and Bulgaria’s BASEL.
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