In April 1984, the Bulgarian Government expressed to the BIE its wish to organise an Expo in Plovdiv in 1985 on the occasion of the International Year of the Youth.

Two Specialised Expos had already been recognised: Tsukuba in 1985 and Vancouver in 1986. Bulgaria’s request thus came against the BIE’s regulatory framework of the time, which required a minimum of two years between different Expos and a delay of four years after the initial application for an Expo.

However, based on the interest of the theme, the short duration of the Expo and the fact that it was being organised under the auspices of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), a specialised UN agency, the 95th General Assembly of the BIE voted to accept the recognition of Expo 1985 Plovdiv on 30 May 1985.

The World Exhibition of Young Inventors thus took place in Plovdiv between 4 and 30 November 1985, under the auspices of the BIE. The Expo was organised by the State Committee for Science and technical and scientific progress of Bulgaria, the National Council of scientific and technical creation of youth, the International Foundation Ludmila Jivkova and the Institute of invention and rationalisation.

A platform for scientific exchange

Seventy-three countries and four international organisations were represented at the Expo, with a total of 18 pavilions.

Under the theme "The Achievements of Young Inventors”, Expo 1985 Plovdiv encouraged participants to present their scientific and technological developments, and to take part in conferences and symposiums. The latter included a seminar entitled “Inventions for Development”, which was jointly organised with WIPO.

Some 10,550 creations from young inventors were showcased at the Expo. An international jury awarded 198 gold medals and four special prizes, while Bulgarian organisations handed out 35 awards.

The Expo was a unique platform for scientific, technical and cultural exchange, having been visited by 684 official delegations from 86 countries throughout its duration.

Legacy

Expo 1985 was also the opportunity for meetings between a group of 16 African countries to discuss the creation of the Federation of Inventors’ Associations of Africa. The group agreed to create a temporary committee to prepare the constitution, with the Federation being founded on 8 November 1985.

The Expo was marked by a series of three postal stamps, as well as a commemorative five leva coin.

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