Head of BTA Presents Goals of Final Hackathon, Part of "Europe on Balkans" Project

Nikolay Zabov, BTA correspondent Marina Petrova

From left: Armenpress CEO Narine Nazaryan, University of Veliko Tarnovo Vice-Rector Boriana Zdravkova, BTA Director General Kiril Valchev (BTA Photo/Biser Todorov)

Veliko Tarnovo, North Central Bulgaria,

23.09.2025 15:40

(BTA)

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BTA Director General Kiril Valchev presented on Monday the goals of the seventh and final hackathon of the BTA project "Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills" with the support of the European Commission. The project aims to inspire participants to use their skills to improve systems, correct errors, and for protection, as is the case with white-hat hackers, rather than for malicious purposes, as is the case with black-hat hackers.

Valchev added that "Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills" aims to facilitate exchanging knowledge between people in Bulgaria and the Balkans and people from the rest of the European Union.

The seventh hackathon, hosted by the St. Cyril and St. Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo, has seven teams of students compete. The competition's topic is "Promoting EU Cohesion Policy". The previous editions of the event were held at South-West University Neofit Rilski in Blagoevgrad, Burgas Free University, University of Economics – Varna, Technical University of Gabrovo, University of Food Technologies in Plovdiv, Angel Kanchev University of Ruse, where the topics were respectively "New skills of the future", "How to make Burgas greener", "The challenges facing managers in the new era, related to digitization and the green transition", "Artificial intelligence and smart cities", "Entrepreneur of the future", and "Intelligent mobility".

Valchev spoke to students from the University of Veliko Tarnovo about the meaning of the word hackathon – a portmanteaux of the words hack and marathon. According to the head of the BTA, the idea first came about at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the 60s, when the term hack was used to describe a smart trick that required thinking outside the box.

Valchev said: "We often hear that Bulgaria receives money from the EU, and this leaves us with the impression that Bulgarians are the only ones who benefit from their participation in the union, but the truth is that the EU also benefits from Bulgarians, just as it benefits from other European nations. The purpose of these meetings is to highlight the contribution today."

Valchev stated that Bulgaria is Europe, meaning that young Bulgarians need not travel to other parts of the continent to make their ideas come to life, because "It is absolutely possible to bring your ideas to life in Bulgaria – as long as you have them."

The head of BTA reported that the ultimate goal is to make Bulgarian universities more visible, both in Bulgaria and abroad, including their scientific activities and the career prospects of their graduates. He added: "In this way, BTA helps young people to stay in Bulgaria and attracts students from other countries, because Bulgaria offers a European education at a much lower cost than universities elsewhere in the European Union and in a pleasant social environment such as that in Veliko Tarnovo, where they can not only study but also enjoy a wonderful student life."

Between November 2024 and September 2025, BTA has organized 47 events at universities across Bulgaria; 32 discussions in BTA's press clubs in Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Varna, Veliko Tarnovo, Vidin, Vratsa, Gabrovo, Dobrich, Kazanlak, Kardzhali, Kyustendil, Lovech, Montana, Pazardzhik, Pernik, Petrich, Pleven, Plovdiv, Razgrad, Ruse, Samokov, Svishtov, Silistra, Sliven, Smolyan, Sofia, Stara Zagora, Troyan, Targovishte, Haskovo, Shumen, and Yambol; as well as six cross-border conferences in Belgrade, Bosilegrad, Bucharest, Edirne, Skopje, and Thessaloniki. More than 500 news items and 19 infographics have been published on the project.

/PP/