Learning Together, Leading Change: CEI Study Visit 2026 Explores the Twin Transition in Sofia

📍 6–7 July 2026 | New Bulgarian University, Sofia, Bulgaria

The first CEI Study Visit of 2026 brought together 14 higher education professionals from across Europe at New Bulgarian University (NBU) in Sofia for two days of knowledge exchange, peer learning and practical reflection on one of higher education's most pressing challenges: advancing the twin (green and digital) transition through education.

Hosted by NBU and organised by the Community for Educational Innovation (CEI), the visit combined expert keynotes, peer-led Spotlight Sessions and a campus tour, creating a rich environment for participants to share practices, challenge assumptions and leave with fresh perspectives to bring back to their institutions.

Day 1: Green and Digital Innovation in Action

The first day opened with welcome remarks from Georgi Gochev, Vice-Rector of International Affairs at NBU, before participants introduced themselves and their institutional contexts in a roundtable session, setting the tone for the collaborative spirit that ran through the visit.

The morning and afternoon featured two Spotlight Sessions in which participants shared concrete practices from their own institutions. Presentations spanned sustainable mobility at Central European University, project-based frameworks for teaching twin transformation at Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, HOGENT's integration of sustainability into research policy, a students' agency framework from the Polytechnic University of Lisbon, and Atlantic Technological University's Sustainathon: a challenge-based initiative combining digital marketing and sustainable consumption. Each presentation was followed by a World Café discussion, with participants rotating between tables to exchange ideas and capture insights.

The afternoon keynote on Digital Transformation in Higher Education featured three NBU speakers addressing AI, skills and institutional change. Vice-Rector Emilia Dimitrova presented NBU's risk-based approach to AI in teaching, grounded in the EU's Artificial Intelligence Act. Associate Professor Juliana Vassileva showcased the "Learning by Doing: From Challenge to Impact" model, illustrated through CITEUROPASS, an Erasmus+ initiative in which multicultural student teams developed eco-solutions using AI-supported learning. Professor Yasen Gorbunov rounded off the keynote with NBU's Robotics, AI and Embedded Systems Laboratory, presenting a cyber-physical learning ecosystem built around remote laboratories, digital twins and green-energy research.

The day closed with a campus tour of NBU's specialised teaching facilities, including digital media and creative technology spaces, before participants gathered for a networking dinner at Moma Restaurant in central Sofia.

Day 2: The Twin Transition in Practice

The second day opened with a third Spotlight Session, featuring five further institutional practices. Highlights included ESSCA School of Management's immersive approach to sustainability in a luxury-management master's programme, the Green Tech Challenge from NTI Gymnasiet in which students develop solutions to real environmental problems, and the Sutton Decision Lab's use of scenarios and stakeholder mapping to train students in responsible decision-making under complexity.

A keynote on Advancing the Green Transition in Higher Education then brought together three NBU voices. Ralitza Berberova outlined NBU's environmental policy and Green Committee, in place since the university's founding in 1991. Mina Karpuzova presented a three-level model of sustainability impact  (institutional, educational and experiential) tracing NBU's curriculum from its first ecology programmes in 1996 through to current master's degrees in green economy and corporate sustainability. Mariana Dimitrova closed with NBU's KPI-driven sustainability framework, noting that in 2025 the university improved 64% of its indicators, with Water and Waste reaching 100% and Education and Research approaching 85%.

A visit that delivered, and a community that continues

The diversity of institutional approaches, concrete and transferable practices on show, and informal networking opportunities ensured that impact extended well beyond the scheduled sessions.

The visit concluded with an invitation to participants to stay connected through the CEI community and to engage with the next thematic strand on lifelong learning for an innovative workforce.

📸 Explore a selection of photos from the visit.

➡️ Stay tuned for upcoming CEI Study Visit opportunities.

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