The Forum is organized by the Department of Regional Development and the Student Council (left)
Vice-Rector for Scientific Research Activity, Prof. Dr. Valentin Dimitrov Goev congratulates the students (right)

A Student Scientific Conference organized by the Department of Regional Development and the Students Council of the University for National and World Economy was held on February 28th at the university's large conference hall. The forum was on the topic Contemporary Smart City Development Concepts and is under the patronage of the Prof. D.Sc.(Econ.) Statty Vasilev Stattev Rector of the University of National and World Economy. The conference is part of the annual calendar and is already recognizable among the students of the department.

          

 Full Hall of Students at the Conference                            V. Danailov and A. Yolovski from the expert jury 

The prestigious jury, which evaluated the reports, included Alexander Yolovski, Deputy Chairman of the State Agency for Electronic Governance, Vladimir Danailov, Executive Director of Sofia Municipality Privatization and Investment Agency, Hristina Semerdzhieva, Mayor of Ovcha Kupel Municipality, Dimitar Uzunov, Deputy Mayor of Ovcha Kupel Municipality, Irena Sokolova - Regional Governor of Pernik, Prof. Dr. Lino Bianco, Specialist in Intelligent Cities and Urban Studies, lecturer at the University of Malta and Assoc. Prof. Georgi Nikolov, Head of the Department of Regional Development. The chairman of the jury is Prof. Dr. Kostadin Kostadinov, adviser to the Minister of Education and Science in the field of research and innovation and coordinator of the Science, Technology and Innovation Expert Council of the Mayor of Sofia.

    

Regional development students keen to see the presentation of their colleagues

Part of the Students 'Council policy is together with different departments to organize opportunities for students for scientific appearances, said Student Council chairman Angel Stoykov at the opening of the event. He urged students to use such forums to learn to create their own scientific texts and develop in the academic community, including PhD programs.

Vice-Rector for Scientific Research Activity, Prof. Dr. Valentin Dimitrov Goev congratulated the students on behalf of the Rector's Office. He encouraged students to create and achieve, as economists tend to say, the added value that science and society need. There is nothing better than your first attempts at the creative part of education when you not only learn and recreate what you have learned, but build yourself on the basis of the accumulated knowledge and your research, Professor Goev said.

      

  Participants and sponsors together                      Certificates and badges of the department for the participants

Head of the Department of Regional Development Assoc. Prof. Dr. Georgi Nikolov congratulated the students who participated in the conference. In his speech he emphasized the relevance and importance of the chosen conference topic. He highlighted the technological challenges and related issues for the society, science and young people who will work and live in these fast approaching future conditions of intelligent cities and new urban spaces.He noted that the subject of intelligent cities has been also developed in a new masters program of the department "Smart City Development".

The members of the expert jury Valentin Danailov and Alexander Yolovski also greeted the students. The conference consisted of a number of interesting reports and beautiful presentations, which proved the serious preparation on the field. Students addressed the subject of intelligent cities through various good practices, concepts and own ideas. Presented were projects of innovative farms for urban agriculture, the role of block technology, the application of cybernetics, artificial intelligence and quantum computers, neighborhoods in the future intelligent city, e-services and transport. Another reading was given - for intelligent, not just smart cities, for socially responsible, including sustainable urban territories.

      

The Forum brought together bachelor and master students as well as PhD students in regional development

The vision for intelligent cities and opportunities for their development in Bulgaria presented by Stefan Lyutskanov third course "Regional Development" won the first prize.

Daniel Stoyanov from the Master's program "Regional Business and Management" deserved second place with his idea of vertical farms and their applicability today. Esen Chavdarova from the English Language Teaching Economics grabbed the audience and the jury with her Art Square and won a third prize.

 

Stefan Lyutskanov, the best performance, student in 3th course "Regional Development" (pictured right) togeher with Juries and sponsors.