Scientific Practical Conference on the Smart Cities and Municipalities – Vision for the Future

Tuesday, 03 August 2021 19:40

Scientific Practical Conference on the Smart Cities and Municipalities – Vision for the Future was held on 30-31 July 2021 at the RIU Pravets Golf & SPA Resort Hotel. It was organized by the UNWE and the Association of Bulgarian Cities and Regions by the support of Vivacom company and Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

At the official opening of the Conference greetings were addressed by Ventsislav Karadzhov, Chairman of the Commission for Personal Data Protection, Prof. Dr Dimitar Dimitrov, Rector of UNWE, Atanas Dobrev, Chief Executive Director of Vivacom.

  Ventsislav Karadzhov
Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov
Atanas Dobrev

Assist. Dr. Petkan Iliev from the UNWE Economics Department was the moderator of the first Conference panel on the Modern Information Technologies - Tendencies to Their Development and Application for Forming Smart Cities and Regions. The reports delivered by the representatives of Vivacom featured the practice in development of concept for smart cities: Presentation of 5G Techologies – Georgy Hristov / Technological Transformation and Digitalization of Settlements in Bulgaria – Nikola Gechev and Kaloyan Borovinov / Opportunities to Small and Medium Municipalities for Participation in Digital Projects – Zhanet Zaharieva.

The Chief Executive Director of Vivacom Atanas Dobrev awarded the prize for Successful Management of Large Municipality – South Bulgaria 2021 to the representative of Plovdiv Municipality

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Georgy Nikolov, Head of the UNWE Regional Development Department was the moderator of the second Conference panel on the Transition from Traditional to Smart Management Methods in Cities and Regions. Major accents of the topic were pointed out in the following reports: The Fund of Funds – Instrument for Transformation of Bulgarian Economy and Regional Development – Mr. Vladimir Danailov, Executive Director and member of the Management Board of the Fund of Funds in Bulgaria / The Public Sector as Innovative Business. How to Make Smart Cities through Digitalization – Zornitsa Bachvarova, Scalefocus.

Two of the panel moderators – Ergin Emin, Chairman of the Association of Bulgarian Cities and Regions and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Georgy Nikolov

Ergin Emin was the moderator of the third Conference panel on the Creation of Smart Regions for Development – Theoretical Concepts, Practical Challenges and Good Practices. All the reports were delivered by the representatives of UNWE Regional Development Department: Presetation of Scientific and Practically Applied Aspects through the Master`s Degree Programme on Smart Cities Development – Assoc. Prof. Dr. Georgy Nikolov and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Elka Vasileva / The Smart City of the Smart Citizen – the Man in the Focus of Smart Future – Chief Assist. Dr. Desislava Botseva and Chief Assist. Dr. Nikola Tanakov / Digital Transformation of Regional Management in the Context of Building Up Smart Settlements – Chief Assist. Dr. Georgy Tsolov / Effectiveness of Resources in the Smart City – Mrs. Teodora Voykinska, Doctoral student / Models of Smart City Development – Opportunities and Practice – Assist. Dr. Veselina Lyubomirova.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Elka Vasileva

The Conference ended with an interesting discussion and closing remarks, conclusions and summaries on the work of participants. Future projects and activities with the leading role and initiative of UNWE and the Regional Development Department were planned. The event is provisioned to turn into annual conference organized by the Regional Development Department and the Association of Bulgarian Cities and Regions

At the end of the first day an official ceremony on awarding the Annual National Prizes of the Association of Bulgarian Cities and Regions was held with the assistance of Vivacom.

Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov, Rector of UNWE, awarded the prize for Successful Management of Small Municipality 2021 to Nina Petkova, Mayor of Georgy Damyanovo Municipality /in the picture below/.

Photo gallery from Scientific Practical Conference on the Smart Cities and Municipalities – Vision  ...