First ENGAGE.EU Annual Conference

On 21-22 October of the current year the First Annual Conference of the European University ENGAGE.EU was held. It was hosted by the University of Mannheim - the Alliance coordinator. The event aimed to mark one year since the start of the joint project /ENGAGE.EU funded by Erasmus+/ and to launch the new project initiative /ENGAGE.EU Research & Innovation funded by Horizon 2020/. The Forum brought together the Rectors of the partner universities, the members of the Advisory Board, the Heads of the working packages and project tasks as well as students. For two days more than 150 participants in the project have discussed the results achieved so far and the possibilities to optimize the work and improve the communication and interconnections between the individual working packages and tasks.

The Bulgarian delegation was led by the Rector of UNWE Prof. Dimitar Dimitrov. Members of the delegation were: Mr. Maxim Behar and Mr. Yovko Atanasov - members of the ENGAGE.EU Advisory Board and the UNWE Trustees Council, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mihail Musov - Vice-Rector for Research and International Affairs, coordinator of ENGAGE.EU for UNWE; Prof. Dr. Dimitar Nenkov, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Venelin Boshnakov, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Svetla Boneva, Secretary General for Scientific Research Projects, Chief Assist. Dr. Yuri Tsenkov, Chief Assist. Dr. Ivan Valchanov and the students Alexander Dorohin and Martina Demirova.

The Bulgarian delegation in Mannheim

The first Conference day: opening and numerous meetings in various formats

"It's a great happiness to meet - finally lively. Today is a day for celebration - the first anniversary of our alliance ENGAGE.EU but it is also a day to remember what brought us together a year ago. I would like to express thankulness to all colleagues for their energy and contribution. ENGAGE.EU is lucky to rely on you - we expect the new horizons coming forward"- these were the words Prof. Thomas Puhl, Rector of the University of Mannheim, opened the Conference. Mrs. Tine Delva, Deputy Head of Higher Education Unit at the European Commission also took part in the official opening.

The Rector of the University of Mannheim is opening the Conference

In the subsequent panel discussions took part Lars Henrik Paarup Michelsen - Director of the Norwegian Climate Foundation, Theo Weterings - Mayor of Tilburg, Prof. Clémentine Bories - Vice-Rector of the University of Toulouse and Sandro Mochan - student.

During the panel discussions

At the end of the official part the Rector of UNWE Prof. Dimitar Dimitrov awarded to Vienna University of Economics and Business the distinctions that our partner won in May of the current year during the First Online International Chess Tournament of the European University - ENGAGE.EU Cup`21.

The Rector of UNWE is awarding the prizes to the Vienna University

During the Conference workshops in various formats were held, the results achieved in the individual working packages were presented and the possibilities for future development and expansion of ENGAGE.EU were discussed.

During the joint session of ENGAGE.EU Management Board and Advisory Board

The Rectors of the partner universities and the members of the ENGAGE.EU Advisory Board

The second Conference day: group work and opening meeting of the new project ENGAGE.EU Research & Innovation

The second day of the Conference began with joint work in groups dedicated to deepening the interrelations between the individual working packages. Assoc. Prof. Mihail Musov and the other heads of working packages presented the achieved results and the identified problems and outlined the possible solutions for them.

Presentation and work in groups "Reactivating & Building Links"

The Conference ended setting a new beginning - the launch of the second key project about the development of the alliance - ENGAGE.EU R&I which is entirely in the field of research and innovation. Moderators for the opening meeting were Assoc. Prof. Mihail Musov and Prof. Boudewijn Haverkort from the University of Tilburg (online).

The opening meeting of the project ENGAGE.EU Research & Innovation (H2020)

The next ENGAGE.EU Conference: May 26-27, 2022, Sofia

The high activity of the Bulgarian delegation and the results achieved so far won for the UNWE to be the host of the next ENGAGE.EU Annual Conference. It will take place on 26-27 May 2022 with the participation of Mrs. Maria Gabriel - EU Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth. "My special thankfulness is to you, Dimitar, for taking the baton and that our next meeting will be in Sofia", wrote Prof. Puhl in a message to all Rectors in the Alliance.

 

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