site.btaBulgaria Was Removed from EU DeepTechValleys Programme - Varna University of Economics Rector

Bulgaria has been removed from the innovation map of Europe, Varna University of Economics Rector Prof Evgeni Stanimirov said here on Monday. He was speaking during the opening of the 13th edition of the Careers Forum at the university. Stanimirov specified that Bulgaria has been removed from the DeepTechValleys Interreg Programme (Deep Tech Ecosystem Empowerment for Regional Transformation), which was among the three best programmes approved by the European Commission. The programme envisaged the valley in Varna to be closer to those in Munich, Cluj-Napoca, Salamanca and Tuzla, the rector recalled, adding that the idea found serious support in the Innovation and Growth Ministry, but was withdrawn at the last moment due to budget constraints. 

"Everything that is happening at the moment in business and administration clearly shows that there must be interaction. Universities must stop perceiving themselves as institutions in which all knowledge is generated, and business must step out of the role of a client and user of a (finished) product and become an active participant in its creation and development," Stanimirov emphasized regarding the connection of business and high education. He emphasized that modern youth rely too much on technology, which creates unrealistic expectations for them, including for high starting salaries.

Stanimirov pointed out that over the past 35 years, the state thought that it needed personnel trained in a foreign language, so the education system became export-oriented and mathematics and natural sciences were seriously underestimated. He also emphasized the focus in producing highly skilled programmers, who nowadays, however, can be successfully replaced by AI. "The future will show whether and in what we were wrong, but it is clear that extremes are not the best solutions," Stanimirov stressed.

He also presented data from the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training from 2024, which shows that almost half of all jobs in developed economies are expected to become automated. Against this background, only 31% of adults in Bulgaria have basic digital skills, while the average in the EU is 54%, the rector emphasized. Due to all these factors, the university's strategy is focused on several main directions, including to build entrepreneurial thinking in young people, pragmatic training, internationalization and digitalization, Stanimirov said, adding that it is not in vain that the Varna University of Economics has been designated as a hub and training centre for the European Institute of Innovation and Technology.

Stanimirov also pointed out the need to introduce a 3-year training course for certain professional fields, including Economics, Administration, Management and Tourism. He argued that this would provide faster access for young people to the labor market and encourage mobility abroad, adding that it is mandatory that training in these specialties be tied to practical internships after each course, and not only after the third year.  He also specified that he has already made a proposal to introduce a single entrance exam in all universities of economics, which would be held on the same day, and their teams would develop the exam tasks together.