The ENGAGE.EU Expedition Week Began at the UNWE

The UNWE is the host of the consecutive Expedition Week within the frameworks of the university network ENGAGE.EU. From 16 to 20 October 2023, students from the nine partner universities will test ideas and look for solutions in the area of Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities.

"Welcome to the UNWE!", greeted the students at the opening of the event the Rector Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov and emphasized: "ENGAGE. EU is a unique project because it gives us the opportunity to be together in the common European Education Space. I see your enthusiasm and interest in working with your colleagues as part of the nine partner universities. The European University Alliances are an important part of the European Commission's priorities today as they aim to ensure you, the young people, with the skills and competences you need to meet the challenges of the future. Through ENGAGE.EU you have the opportunity to study at 9 leading European universities during your education. It is not a coincidence that the President Emmanuel Macron, presenting the idea of European University Alliances, said: "We want to see the European universities as the 'Airbus' of the European education. ENGAGE.EU has received funding from the European Commission for the second phase of the project so in the future you will have the opportunity to work together and visit the cities of the partner universities. I wish you success in your joint work during this expedition week".

Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov

"Dear students, it is my pleasure as the National Coordinator of ENGAGE.EU to welcome you to our university. Thank you for being here because the most important part in any university are you, the students. By coming to the UNWE, you help us to develop our university as part of the European Educational and Scientific Area. We hope you will be inspired by our learning environment and dedicated team and will enjoy your stay here which will be the greatest reward for us", said Assoc. Prof. D.Sc./Econ./ Michail Musov, Vice Rector for Research and International Affairs and Coordinator of the ENGAGE.EU initiatives for the UNWE.

Assoc. Prof. D.Sc./Econ./ Michail Musov

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Denitza Gorchilova, Head of the Public Administration Department and Chair of the organizing team, also greeted the students and added: "I would like to introduce you the mentors who will support your teams in their work, namely Dr. Francesco Leone from the University of Mannheim, Chief Assist. Dr. Christian Zhelev, lecturer at the International Economic Relations and Business Department of UNWE, and Chief Assist. Dr. Silvia Georgieva, lecturer at the Entrepreneurship Department of UNWE. Part of the organizing team are also Chief Assist. Dr. Violeta Toncheva-Zlatkova, lecturer at the Public Administration Department, who is a presenter and moderator of the Expedition Week, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kostadin Kolarov, Head of the Entrepreneurship Department and Director of the Entrepreneurship Institute of UNWE.

Prof. D.Sc./Econ./ Michail Musov, Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov, Dr. Francesco Leone, Chief Assist. Dr. Silvia Georgieva, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kostadin Kolarov, Chief Assist. Dr. Violeta Toncheva-Zlatkova, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Denitsa Gorchilova, Chief Assist. Dr. Kristian Zhelev /from the left to the right/

A total of 30 students took part in the ENGAGE.EU Expedition Week at the UNWE - 5 students from the University of Mannheim, 4 students from the WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, 5 students from Toulouse Capitole University, 3 students from LUISS Univesity, 5 students from the NHH Norwegian School of Economics (NHH), 5 students from Tilburg University and 3 students from the UNWE. The participants will be divided into 4 teams during the work.

The National Association of Municipalities in Bulgaria /NAMB/ and the Directorate of Sports and Youth Activities of Sofia Municipality provided the student teams with real-life case studies and tasks.

Yana Docheva, Head of the International Cooperation Division of NAMB, presented the association's case studies including the topics: Ideal Model for a Hospitable City for Citizens, Ideal Model for a Hospitable City for Tourists and Ideal Model for a Hospitable City for Businesses. Evgenia Nemska and Iva Ivanova attended the event on behalf of NSORB.

Maria Goncheva from the Directorate of Sports and Youth Activities of Sofia Municipality made a challenge to the students on the topic Sofia - a Hospitable City for Sports.

The objective of the event is for young people to think critically and creatively about the pressing issues facing urban areas and to explore how sustainable practices can be integrated into their design, planning and management. It also applies to the field of tourism as it plays a key role in the economic growth and cultural exchange of cities around the world. At the same time, it poses unique challenges for the environment, local communities and infrastructure.

Participants are encouraged to develop solutions that can be adapted and applied in other cities and communities, maximizing their impact and creating a ripple mechanism for positive change.

During the opening ceremony the students from the partner universities were symbolically welcomed by the UNWE representatives with bread (traditional Bulgarian pita), salt and honey. The young people also had the opportunity to enjoy the authentic Bulgarian folklore. Roza Nikolova and Ilka Petrova, members of the folklore ensemble Bistritsa Grannies, presented the Bulgarian folk song Sun on High.

About the ENGAGE.EU

The European University ENGAGE.EU, launched in 2020, has an objective to bring together the students, researchers and staff from the nine leading European universities - University of Mannheim, LUISS University, /Rome/, NHH Norwegian School of Economics /Bergen/, Tilburg University, UNWE /Sofia/, Université Toulouse Capitole, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, Ramon Llull University /Barcelona/ and Hanken School of Economics /Helsinki/.

The initiative aims to develop new models to promote the student, faculty and staff mobility in order to contribute to the quality, integration and sustainability of European higher education, innovation and research. Within the Alliance, the universities work on an interdisciplinary level to find sustainable solutions to societal problems, each university offering a programme focused on education, innovation and research. Students, researchers and staff can benefit from training, courses, expeditions, summer schools, laboratories and other initiatives both online and on-site.