Information Event on Widening the Participation and Spreading Excellence under Horizon Europe Programme Was Held at Our University

The Rector of UNWE Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov opened the information event on Widening Participation and Spreading Excellence under the Horizon Europe Programme organized by the Ministry of Education and Science /MES/ in cooperation with the European Commission's Directorate General for Research and Innovation and with the kind support of UNWE. In the event took also part Assoc. Prof. D.Sc./Econ./ Michail Musov, Vice Rector for Research and International Affairs, and Dr. Milena Damyanova, Director of the Science Directorate at the Ministry of Education and Science.

"I am glad to open this event because we all know that the information and informed choices for participation in the Horizon Europe Programme are very important for the successful application", pointed out Prof. Dimitar Dimitrov. "Our university is trying to keep up with this trend and apply for as many projects as possible. For this reason, we have established the Centre for Research and Education Projects, increased its capacity as a result and we hold several information days on various European projects, as we believe that this is the real way to improve the quality of education. Our university is also part of the ENGAGE.EU alliance which has allowed us to gain a lot of experience in the collaboration with other universities. As education managers, we believe that the good information in advance makes any project more successful. As the preparation of a project takes a lot of time, timely information is very important, so I am convinced of the usefulness of today's information event."

"The event will provide an overview of all upcoming contest in the field of Widening for 2024. The objective is for the European Commission experts to inform the Bulgarian applicants - institutes, universities, research centers - on how to better prepare their projects for contest in the field of Widening under the Horizon Europe Programme. The Bulgarian scientists will also share their experiences by presenting the projects they currently work on", explained Zornitsa Georgieva from the Science Directorate of the Ministry of Education and Science.

The moderator of the event was Assoc. Prof. Dr. Boyan Zhekov, National Coordinator of the Horizon Europe Programme at the Ministry of Education and Science. At the official presidium were the moderator Assoc. Prof. Dr. Boyan Zhekov, the Rector Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimtrov as well as the keynote speakers Adeline Krol and Stefan Weiers from the European Commission's Directorate General for Research and Innovation.

The ?National Coordinator Assoc. Prof. Dr. Boyan Zhekov presented the topic for discussion during the two-days information event, namely, widening the participation and promotion of Horizon Europe 2024 initiatives. He explained that it is the largest EU research programme for the period 2021-2027 and it is the EU's flagship initiative to support the research and innovation from the conception to the commercialization.

Adeline Kroll and Stefan Weiers from the EC's Directorate General for Research and Innovation informed the audience about the objective of the programme, which is to strengthen the EU's scientific and technological base, including by developing solutions to policy priorities such as the environmental and digital transformation. Horizon Europe programme is the continuation of the previous EU Horizon 2020 Programme and has a budget of €95.5 billion, including €5.4 billion from Next Generation EU. The programme complements the national and regional research and innovation funding. It contributes to the sustainable development and stimulates the competitiveness and growth.

Among the topics for discussion during the two-days forum was the impact of Horizon Europe's activities in sectors of science, innovation and technology in order to overcome the major global challenges of modern life.

In the two-days information event took part Bulgarian and European project specialists who examined some important questions related to the project preparation, evaluation and implementation, as well as the prerequisites for the project success.