Today, September 29, 2023, at the University of Veliko Tarnovo “St. St. Cyril and Methodius” in Bulgaria, a Founding Assembly was held, during which it was unanimously decided to establish the Balkan University Center, based in Veliko Tarnovo.

Professor Hristo Bondjolov, Phd,  was elected as President, who is the Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs at the University of Veliko Tarnovo “St. St. Cyril and Methodius.” The Governing Board of the Balkan University Center will include Professor Jordan Gjorchev, Phd, President of the Governing Board of the International Slavic University, and Engineer Dimitris Stefanidis, President of the European Polytechnic University.

The Balkan University Center aims to promote cooperation among universities from different Balkan countries, improve the quality of education and research in the region by pooling resources and sharing knowledge. This joint effort will create opportunities for students and professors to engage in cross-border collaboration and exchange programs, providing them access to a wider range of academic and research resources. The center will also promote joint research projects, encouraging the development of new ideas and solutions to address regional and global challenges.

Members of the Balkan University Center include:

– University of Veliko Tarnovo “St. St. Cyril and Methodius”, Bulgaria
– International Slavic University, Republic of North Macedonia
– University of Nish, Serbia
– University of Craiova, Romania
– Namik Kemal University, Turkey
– European Polytechnic University, Bulgaria
– High School of Civil Engineering “Lyuben Karavelov”, Bulgaria
– University of Western Macedonia, Greece
– Fan S. Noli University, Albania

The meeting was attended by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ana Ivanova, Vice-Rector for International Cooperation at the University of Veliko Tarnovo “St. St. Cyril and Methodius”.