site.btaTechnical University of Sofia Celebrates 80th Anniversary

The Technical University of Sofia celebrated its 80th anniversary with a ceremony at the Ivan Vazov National Theatre on Monday. 

Rector Professor Georgi Venkov said the university takes pride in its more than 170,000 alumni - engineers, managers, and scientists who have contributed to global progress. He recalled that the university was founded as the State Polytechnic on October 24, 1945, evolved into the Higher Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering in 1965, and adopted its current name in 1995.

Today, over 11,000 students, including nearly 1,000 international ones, study in 14 faculties in Sofia, as well as branches in Plovdiv and Sliven. The university also oversees two secondary technical schools in Sofia and Pravets, and offers programmes in German, English, and French.

Venkov described the institution as a leading research university and a member of the European University of Technology (EUT+), which unites eight established European technical universities. He said the university works closely with business and government to drive innovation, technology transfer, and digital transformation.

Among the attendees at the anniversary celebration were Vice President Iliana Iotova, Professor Lilyana Valcheva, Chair of the National Sectoral Trade Union for Higher Education and Science with the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB), as well as lecturers, PhD students, students, and staff of the Technical University of Sofia.

“You are educating intelligent people, and the more students you have, the better it is for Bulgaria and its future,” Vice President Iliana Iotova said in her address to the ceremony.