Bulgarian universities and the EIT initiative for higher education institutions

25.05.2021 

Will Bulgarian universities join the initiative for higher education institutions of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), which provides an opportunity to improve the entrepreneurial and innovative potential of higher education institutions, as well as their better integration into the European innovation system? The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is a body established by the European Union in 2008 with the aim of increasing Europe's capabilities in the field of innovation. EIT is part of Horizon 2020, the EU's framework programme for research and innovation. EIT helps businesses, educational and research institutions to work together to create an innovation- and entrepreneurship-friendly environment in Europe. Why is this important and how are Bulgarian universities progressing on the path of change and modernizing education? What is the initiative and are there other similar ones that provide an opportunity for modernizing the higher education system? The topic is discussed in “Our Day” by Assoc. Prof. Lidia Galabova, Deputy Rector of the Technical University of Sofia. “Certainly, the Technical University shows interest in the European Commission's initiative for the modernization of higher education towards the development of entrepreneurship, innovation and high technologies. This is not a new initiative and the measures taken in this direction are not new. This is an important factor for building a stable national innovation system. Which practically represents a network of organizations and institutions in the public and private sector, whose activities and interaction initiate, implement and disseminate new technologies and innovations. Through such activities – such as the initiative of the European Commission and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology – conditions are actually created to support this process, which is a long-term one. Bulgaria has had positive development in recent years in this direction, as the strategy for smart specialization was adopted, the innovation strategy of Bulgaria was changed, and recently it was updated. In our country, things happen too slowly. The role of the University is more in the development of new technologies. We have an extremely well-developed research base – over 40 laboratories, where our teachers and researchers work. The training is based on the development of new technologies. What is new and is being strengthened is entrepreneurship training among students. Not only in managerial specialties, but also among specialties and students who have an extremely engineering orientation. The topic was also discussed by Assoc. Prof. Todor Yalumov, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at Sofia University, on "Our Day." "Sofia University participates in various networks of European universities in support of entrepreneurship. Whether this particular application will be successful is too early to say. This is a program aimed at expanding the existing networks of the European Institute of Technology with other universities. Entrepreneurship is becoming increasingly important in the coming years, as it is necessary not only for the creation of new companies but also for the development of existing ones. More and more large companies are supporting internal entrepreneurship within their organizations. Therefore, it is important for universities to prepare students for these challenges – to create their own companies and to be innovative in existing ones. We have many entrepreneurs among our students, including among our faculty. We work in partnership with various companies that share their experience, involve our students in the design of new products and services. So, we have many things to be proud of.

See the interview here

BNS, 25.05.2021.