prof. Antoaneta Kirova - Cluster Sofia Knowledge City
This article is a brief report on the participation of the Bulgarian partners in the INVETech - Project Ref nr. 101143958, ERASMUS-EDU-2023-PEX-COVE, in events in Piraeus, Greece on 18 - 20 November 2025, as a part of the implementation ot this project.
The events were organized by the project partner IDEC, a company specializing in business consulting, training services, and high-tech applications.
The November event marked the realization of the 1st CO.FUN LAB (Promoting European collaboration and making full use of European financial instruments).
The INVESTech project aims to develop national centres of vocational excellence (CoVEs) in five countries and to interconnect them in a functional network. This objective is based on the conclusion that CoVEs typically operate at two levels:
National level - a national or regional CoVE can be established in each country, based on a model that is closely embedded in the local innovation ecosystems and responds to the real needs for excellence in VET in a given sector or region. The national CoVEs in this project are not intended to build new VET institutions and infrastructure in their countries from scratch.
Launched by the European Commission in 2021, the New European Bauhaus (NEB) initiative is a financial instrument to transform the "built environment" in Europe through a holistic approach to the design of buildings, open spaces and neighbourhoods.
The initiative supports the implementation of solutions that are not only sustainable, but also inclusive and aesthetic, respecting diversity, traditions and culture. The built environment, as a major economic sector, has a strong impact on resources, the environment and climate change. Due to population growth and increasing urbanization, the built environment needs new and updated urban assets that directly impact individual well-being and societal functioning.
The EU Clusters Talk on 21.05.2025, in which representatives of the Cluster Sofia Knowledge City participated, was about “Smart Support: AI Tools for Effective Cluster Management”. Artificial Intelligence is changing the way we collaborate, plan, and innovate - and this webinar explored how these powerful technologies can be applied by cluster organisations across Europe to stay competitive and impactful.
The topics include the Use Cases for AI in Clusters, the European & Global AI Tools (SeTA, eTranslation, GPT@EC, and tools from OpenAI, Hugging Face, etc.), Regulatory Insights (The AI Act and practical guidance) and Funding Opportunities (New EU calls supporting AI-driven innovation).
