Over 120 representatives from the 9 partner universities of the European University of Technology (EUt+) gathered from 31st March to 4th April this year for discussions and decisions on key issues in the development of education, student mobility, and sustainable development. The members of the alliance share an ambitious vision of forming common educational programmes and a joint European degree.
The start of Sofia Week 2025 was given on 1st April, April Fools’ Day, and the guests at the opening ceremony were greeted in several languages by the small, charming robot Sudo, programmed by students from the Technical University of Sofia, which set the good mood for the entire event.
The Rector of the Technical University of Sofia, Prof. Georgi Venkov, wished that this friendly atmosphere be maintained and stressed the importance of joint efforts to build a more connected and sustainable academic environment in Europe. The first results of the initiative are already available, with a growing interest in engineering education among young people— a trend that testifies to the return of confidence in technical specialties and their significance in modern society.
A distinguished guest at the opening session was the Head of the European Commission Representation in Bulgaria, Yordanka Chobanova. She highlighted the growing role of science in the European context, as well as the commitment of EUt+ to research and innovation in the technological future of the continent. Chobanova cited a Eurobarometer study, which found that 83% of Europeans only trust science-based policies, and 87% of people on the continent believe that renewable energy sources will improve the quality of life over the next 20 years.
The Technical University of Sofia continues to consolidate its position as a dynamic and attractive academic institution with excellent opportunities for training and research. During the current academic year, the university has admitted 80 students under the Erasmus+ programme, 70% of whom come from partner universities within the EUt+ alliance.
The working groups at Sofia Week 2025 were organised in 4 main clusters: in Computer Sciences (headed by the Technical University of Sofia, in the person of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Eng. Georgi Tsochev); in Food Sciences and Technologies (with the participation of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gyore Nakov from the College of Sliven); in Microelectronics (with the participation of Prof. Dr. Eng. Georgi Angelov and the Vice-Rector for Research and Development, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Eng. Elitsa Gieva); and in Telecommunications (with the participation of the Dean of the Faculty of Telecommunications, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Eng. Agata Manolova, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kalin Dimitrov, Director of the Centre for Development and Qualification).
Prof. Dr. Eng. Pancho Tomov from the Technical University of Sofia summarised the work in the four clusters, stating that one of the important topics is the updating of the mobile maps with relevant courses and subjects and finding common points for creating master’s programmes. Such alignment of curricula and subjects between universities will encourage student mobility, expand the European perspective of the entire system, and enrich the scientific and cultural knowledge of the students. In this regard, much reliance is placed on the so-called ambassadors—students who have already participated in the programme and can recommend it to other colleagues.
The Student Board is the link between students, faculty members, and university administration. The young people meet four times a year at a pre-selected university from the Alliance, where they actively discuss important organisational topics as well as educational issues. Every two weeks, they collaborate operationally online.
Amanda Todorova and Blagovest Stankov are second-year students majoring in “Intelligent Systems and Artificial Intelligence” at the Technical University of Sofia. They are actively promoting the idea of EUt+ in their efforts to attract more colleagues. “We all welcome the opportunity for a joint degree,” says Blagovest, and Amanda sums up the sentiments: “EUt+ will give us freedom, security, exchange of experience, and a wide range of choices. It is especially important that, after the practical exchange, we will be much more competitive in the market.”
In this sense, the idea of creating a joint student Ombudsman Office is also well-received – establishing a students’ office in each university where students can raise their problems for resolution to the governing bodies, such as the Secretary General and the Rectors’ Board. This group is currently being formed, and will be operational in the coming months.
Sofia Week 2025 also included a particularly important meeting – the annual Council of Rectors of the nine partner universities in EUt+. During the meeting, various aspects of the Alliance’s activities were discussed.
Senior Lecturer Vesela Frengova, Deputy Director of the Department of Foreign Languages and Applied Linguistics, presented interesting information about the traditional online language courses for staff and faculty from EUt+ partner universities. She reported that at the Technical University of Sofia, the most wanted courses were those for English, Spanish, German, and French, and less so for Bulgarian, Romanian, Latvian, and Greek.
The Board of Rectors also decided on its next rotating chair. Germany currently holds the presidency to be followed by Cyprus, and then in 9 months – the Rector of the Technical University of Sofia will take over the rotating presidency. Among the topics discussed were: the annual report for the first year of the second phase of the project, European research institutes and projects, and the progress in the development and support of European alliances.
During Sofia Week 2025, as part of Package 3 Development of European Curricula, pedagogical training and improvement of faculty took place under the Training the Trainers Programme, within WP4, Task 4.2 of EUt+ Accelerate—a key initiative aimed at promoting a unified approach to teaching and learning across all partner universities in the Alliance. Two speakers delivered innovative and interesting presentations: Eirini Christou from the Cyprus University of Technology, and from Bulgaria, Kalina Belcheva, who delivered a lecture on consolidating knowledge in an interactive learning environment.
An important aspect of Sofia Week 2025 was the participation of Green Office Sofia as part of the Task 2.3 Working Group, in which two sub-groups were identified—Coordination and Planning and Curriculum and Sustainable Development. The Green Office aims to coordinate the initiatives of the “green offices” in the partner universities and share the best practices for sustainable development. Part of the mission is to develop a common methodology for measuring the impact and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (Environmental, Social, Governance – SDG), with a focus on environmental and social responsibility.
One of the upcoming short-term tasks is to organise a thematic event with specific topics by the end of the year, as reported by Maria Krusteva, Senior Expert for Sustainable Development. A key focus in the work of the Green Office group is the development of close partnerships with other working groups within EUt+. There is also a proposal to rename the Green Office to Sustainability Office, as the term “green office” imposes limitations and confines the activities solely to environmental topics, while the idea of sustainability is related to the ESG concept. A central theme in the activities and planned tasks of the Green Office structures at the universities within the Alliance is motivating students to be more active in initiatives related to sustainability, says Maria Krusteva. The Technical University of Sofia is one of the first in the Alliance with a Sustainable Development Strategy, sustainable policies on certain aspects of the university’s activities, a dedicated webpage, as well as a specially designed space with an atmosphere conducive to creativity and development.
In summary of this exciting and multifaceted meeting, we can conclude that Sofia Week 2025 has been a useful collaboration, a confirmation of the ambitious goals, and an affirmation of the vision for the future of European education. The Alliance continues to be a driving force in the development of the new generation of engineers and scientists who will shape the future of Europe.
