Varna Free University has 66 partnerships with institutions from other countries, said the university's vice president, Yani Yanev, at a BTA forum.
Material by BTA's correspondent in Varna Mila Edreva
"Varna Free University has 66 partnerships with institutions from other countries", said the vice president of the university, Yani Yanev, during the BTA regional conference in Varna 'Europe in the Balkans: Together through Knowledge'. The forum is organized by the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency (BTA) under the project 'Europe in the Balkans: Together through Knowledge', which the Agency implements with the support of the European Commission (EC).
Yanev specified that in some of the projects on which the university has worked and is working, partners from countries outside the EU have been involved. They are countries, such as Turkey, Moldova, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The vice president of VFU emphasized that the university works very well with other universities in Varna. In addition, it also partners with the Plovdiv and South-West Universities.
The number of projects is just statistics, Yanev added. In his words, developing relationships, attracting foreign students, doctoral students, and lecturers is much more important. The development of partnerships is of great importance, and VFU is a desirable partner, because over the years we have proven that we are honest and that we can do it, added the vice president. As a contribution of the university to Europe, he emphasized the establishing of the first in Europe master's degree programme in circular economy. Yanev emphasized the need for more active advertising of Varna abroad, through the necropolis, in which the oldest processed gold in the world was discovered. It is of unique archaeological value, and there is no money for excavations, pointed out the vice president of VFU. He recalled that the Medical and Technical Universities in the city also contributed to the research conducted after the discovery of the gold. Tourists do not want to look only at objects in the museum, they want to see things on site, but it is difficult to access, commented Yanev. He called on the participants in the conference, including the Minister of Labor Borislav Gutsanov, the regional governor Andriyana Andreeva and the mayor Blagomir Kotsev, to work together to promote the necropolis. Yanev specified that VFU already has a conceptual design of how the place should look.
The Minister of Labor Borislav Gutsanov commented that both on the topic of the necropolis and on all others, we should work together. According to him, few funds are allocated for the scientific potential in the country. It is good when decisions are made to use the knowledge of the academic community, pointed out Gutsanov and summarized that without science and education, our country cannot have a serious economy.
