The agreement situates Sofia University on the world map as one of the few universities with which the company has signed a partnership for the next few years.
The contract was signed in the Meeting Hall of the Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy.
The meeting was attended by Dr Roger Leech, Unilever's open innovation scouting director, Dr Eddie Pilan, coordinator of the Unilever international collaboration in the field of new materials, Sofia University Vice-Rector Prof. Roumen Pankov, Bojil Dobrev, Director of Sofia University Scientific Research Department, Prof. Toni Spasov, Dean of the Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Prof. Nikolay Denkov, Head of Chemical Engineering Department (who leads a number of joint projects with Unilever), Acad. Peter Kralchevsky and other researchers. Dr Simeon Stoyanov and Dr Yordan Perkov, alumni PhD students of the Department, who currently work for Unilever, also were among the guests of the event.
Dr Leech shared that the idea for such collaboration is scientific findings and innovation to be implemented in the business. Sofia University is among the leading scientific centres in partnership with Unilever, such as the University of Manchester, the University of Liverpool, Jaipur Institute of Engineering and Technology, etc.
Unilever has started developing a network of partner laboratories, with specific types of expertise in different scientific fields, around the world. The Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy has been successfully collaborating with the company for years, that is why it has been chosen as a strategic partner. The Department scientists are renowned for their work in the field of surface active substances, foams and emulsions, which have significant application in pharmacy, cosmetics, food and chemistry technologies.