The Faculty of Economics and Business Administration’s partnership initiative "Symbiosis for the Future" has been honored with the Educational Award at the BAIT Awards 2024.

"On behalf of this distinguished group, I would like to express my gratitude to all participants in the initiative. First and foremost, to Mrs. Dimitrina Todorova, the teachers, and students from Coding Burgas – an affiliated school of Sofia University. I would also like to thank Mr. Mihail Petrov, Mr. Pencho Dobrev, and the entire team of Schwarz IT Bulgaria—not only for our successful collaboration in secondary education but also in our long-standing partnership at the master’s level.

Special thanks go to the Municipality of Burgas and Mr. Dimitar Nikolov for supporting Sofia University’s educational initiatives in Burgas, to our colleagues at Sofia University’s Burgas branch—Prof. Sedlarski and his team, and to the entire team at Sofia University and the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration who make these initiatives possible.

Lastly, but by no means least—on the contrary, the person who makes all of this possible—Assoc. Prof. Dr. Boryana Pelova, director of our master’s program Artificial Intelligence for Business and Finance, developed together with Schwarz IT Bulgaria, and the coordinator of our partnerships between the University and the School, as well as between the University and the Company.

Congratulations to all students! I hope they are inspired by the fact that they can continue their education in Bulgaria—this is our primary mission. We are not only working in education, but education and science are our mission.

To continue this discussion, I would like to say that our strategy for getting more people to choose these fields is by bringing the best companies, the top experts, and the strongest brands into the classroom, so they can inspire students to pursue these specializations. We have seen that education is increasingly intertwined with IT applications in various fields of life—economics, business, finance, film, and more. Thank you!".

With these words, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Atanas Georgiev, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, addressed Bulgaria’s IT community during the prestigious BAIT Annual Awards 2024 ceremony.

"Symbiosis for the Future" Wins the BAIT Educational Award

The Faculty of Economics and Business Administration received the award in the "Educational Award" category for the project "Symbiosis for the Future: Science, Business, and Vocational Education for Technological Advancement" at the BAIT Annual Awards 2024.

The category featured 12 educational institutions, including Sofia University’s Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, along with project partners:

• Sofia University’s Burgas Branch
• Coding Burgas (Vocational High School for Computer Programming and Innovations - VHCPI)
• Schwarz IT Bulgaria (Schwarz Global Service Bulgaria)
• The Municipality of Burgas

A Model for Science, Business, and Professional Education

The award-winning project is a joint initiative between the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Sofia University’s Burgas Branch, and VHCPI Burgas, supported by the Municipality of Burgas and the Faculty’s key partner in artificial intelligence—Schwarz Global Service Bulgaria.

In November 2024, the initiative was also honored with a "Quality Mark" by Sofia University’s administration. As part of the project, an educational model was developed focusing on the synergy between science, business, and vocational education to support the advancement of technological innovations.

Recognition for Special Contribution in the IT Sector

Alongside receiving the Educational Award, the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration had another reason to celebrate. During the ceremony, an award for Special Contribution to the IT Sector in Bulgaria was presented to Mrs. Dimitrina Todorova, Director of the Vocational High School for Computer Programming and Innovations - Coding Burgas, for her outstanding achievements.

We are proud to have inspirational partners like Mrs. Todorova. Beyond her professional contributions, she nurtures a love for knowledge, hard work, and the courage to achieve even the boldest dreams.