10.07.2025
Between June 29 and July 2, 2025, representatives of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration (FEBA) at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” conducted a scientific visit to the partner institution – the University of Groningen, the Netherlands – within the framework of project No. BG-RRP-2.005-0001 “Twinning for Excellence: Stimulating the Sustainable Energy Economy and Promoting Research in the Field of Innovation Management in Bulgaria” (TWIN4ECO), funded through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
The project aims to foster collaboration and build research capacity in the areas of sustainable energy economy and innovation management in response to national and regional needs, while also aligning with EU priority areas. This is achieved through the exchange of best practices, joint research, and collaborative initiatives between partner academic institutions.
The delegation from Sofia University included Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ivan Angelov – Vice-Dean responsible for MBA programs and Executive Education, Prof. Dr. Albena Vutsova – R4 researcher and project coordinator on behalf of Sofia University, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Iya Petkova – faculty member at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration.
During the visit, a series of discussions were held with researchers from the University of Groningen. Prof. Pedro de Faria presented a vision for developing a research portfolio and managing research activities; Dr. Florian Noseleit discussed "IP and Funding Strategy"; Dr. Thijs Broekhuizen shared good practices derived from the Interreg Europe project “PASSPARTOOL”; and Dr. Michael Wyrwich provided an in-depth analysis of economic development in the eastern regions of Germany in the post-reunification period.
The program also included a seminar on qualitative and quantitative data collection methods, delivered by Dr. Jitse Doijsters.
The participants were introduced to the scientific infrastructure of the Zernike Campus, and discussions were held regarding future opportunities for joint publications, new collaborative research projects, and academic mobility initiatives within the framework of the TWIN4ECO project.
The Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” expresses its sincere gratitude to the University of Groningen for the excellent organization and academic engagement, and looks forward to the next steps in this valuable partnership.