L. Ikonomov and G. Kaprelyan: City of Varna and ULSG

Specific features of the City of Varna
and main problems of City - University
interaction as seen by the URBACT
Local Support Group
Garo Kaprelyan – Local Project Coordinator,
City of Varna
Lyudmil Ikonomov – ULSG Coordinator,
Institute for Ecological Modernisation
Specific features of the City of Varna
Tour Guide-books about Varna:
Third largest city in Bulgaria (334 000 ÷ 474 000)
A key archaeological site in world prehistory
Unique geological landscape
Cluster of industries
Centre of the Bulgarian maritime business
Arts and culture
Politics
What is so special about Varna?
Important place of the
ancient Thracian
civilisation
Hosting the oldest
processed gold in the
world, ever found so far
Candidate for the
European Capital of
Culture in 2019
What is so special about Varna?
Unique geological
formations
The “Petrified
Forest”
“Aladja Monastery”
Arts and Culture
“Varna Summer”
International festivals
of arts
Theatre
Film
Music
Jazz
Ballet Competition
Folk Dance Competition
May Choir Festival
Centre of Maritime Business
Biggest Bulgarian port
Several other ports in
the Lake of Varna
Used to be…
Centre of the Bulgarian
Ship Building Industry
Varna alone used to
build between five and
seven ships per year
The Bulgarian ship
building “cluster”
consisted of 35
companies
Used to be…
Biggest Bulgarian
manufacturer of car
diesel engines
Biggest Bulgarian
manufacturer of home
electrical appliances
The only manufacturer
of ship electronic
equipment
One of the biggest
Bulgarian wineries
And still is…
Famous seaside
resort area
Golden Sands
St. St. Constantine
& Helena
Sunny Day
Riviera Beach
And still is…
Summer Government
Residence
EUXINOGRAD – former
King’s Palace
Higher education in Varna
Five universities
Naval Academy – established in 1881
Economic University – established in 1914
Technical University
Medical University
Varna Free University – established in 1991
Three Colleges
35 000 students
We wanted to make this meeting in early
May…
SCF Black Sea Tall Ships
Regatta 2014
k
URBACT Local Support Group of Varna
The Tall Ships Regatta was a perfect example of cityuniversity collaboration
(…although the ULSG forgot to mention it as such)
What did the ULSG mention ?…
URBACT Local Support Group of Varna
Consist of 20 members
Chairman: Deputy Mayor
Deputy Chair: Director from the city administration
Members:
Two officials from the city administration
Six representatives of local universities
Three representatives from research institutes
Two representatives of business associations
Three directors of NGOs
One student
The Ex-Chairman of the ULSG
The ULSG in Varna in 2013
In 2013 the ULSG had four meetings and did the
following:
1.
Identified the main stakeholders who have a special
interest in city-university collaboration
2.
Defined the problems in city-university collaboration
and the interests of each stakeholder
3.
Outlined the motivation for change of each
stakeholder and its powers and capacity for change
4.
Set the principle directions of future actions for
solving the problems and for achieving a balance of
interests
Main Stakeholders having interest
in City-University collaboration
1. Municipality of Varna
2. District Administration
3. Universities
4. Research Institutes
5. Students
6. Professors, scientists,
researchers
7. Employers, small and
medium enterprises
8. Citizens of Varna
9. Entertainment businesses
10. Cultural institutions
11. NGOs
Main Challenges and Problems
In 2013 the LSG in Varna identified 35 main challenges
and problems in City-University collaboration
As many of them were just different aspects of similar
problems they were consolidated in the following 10
groups:
1.
The municipal economy is in stagnation and is currently
oriented to low-profit and low-qualified types of
businesses
2.
The universities are isolated from the local authorities.
The city administration does not have clear feeling of the
benefit from working with them
Main Challenges and Problems
3.
There is no administrative unit in the city of Varna to act
as mediator between science and businesses. Today
there almost no joint projects between firms and
institutes and the practical use of scientific and research
products in solving municipal problems is unsatisfactory
4.
The motivation of the students and their professional skills
have a direct impact on the businesses of their future
employers. The problem is that their knowledge and their
skills rarely meet the demands of the labour market
5.
In Varna there are almost no cases of students and
young people having established new small companies
(start-ups) for high-tech products
Main Challenges and Problems
6.
Varna doesn’t offer enough specialised working places
for professional internship of students
7.
In Varna there are not enough suitable working places for
part-time jobs for students during their studies
8.
There is no municipal policy aimed at keeping highly
qualified young people who could help boost the local
economy and improve the demographic conditions in the
City and in the region. As a result, many young people,
including students with good attestations are just leaving
Varna
Main Challenges and Problems
9.
Quality of city life is the 2nd most important factor after
their professional interest which determines the choice of
the students where to study. Presently, the functional
environment in the City of Varna, its technical
infrastructure, the access to medical health care, the
public transport and the conditions for working and
entertainment are not entirely attractive for students,
scientists and professors
10.
The students who are not from Varna are having
problems with finding lodgings with good living
conditions, with internet and TV
Main challenges and problems
as seen by the students
An opinion poll carried out among over a 100 students from
all universities gave similar results, though with a bit
different ranking of priorities
The top three problems for the students turned out to be
the lack of opportunities for professional internship; the
lack of part-time jobs and the unsatisfactory quality of life
Both, the ULSG and the students ranked second highest
the lack of administrative department in the City to act
as an intermediary link between businesses and
science & research
The top three challenges of city-university
collaboration
On 31st October 2013, shortly before the forthcoming
Political Meeting in Aveiro, the ULSG met to discuss
two things:
The “students’ perspective” of the problems and
challenges of city-university collaboration
The three most important aspects of this
collaboration
The results were meant to help the local politician from
Varna who would be representing the City at the
meeting in Aveiro
The top three challenges of city-university
collaboration in Varna, as seen by the ULSG
1.
The municipal economy is in a period of stagnation and is oriented
mainly to low profit and low qualified types of businesses. We
need to reconsider the municipal economic priorities and to
increase the profitability of the local economy;
2.
There are insufficient opportunities for professional internships
and for part-time jobs for students in Varna. This is a repelling
factor for the Bulgarian and foreign students who might be willing to
study in this city;
3.
There is no municipal department in Varna to mediate and
coordinate the connections between science and business;
there are few joint projects between companies and research
organisations; the practical use of applied science and research
activities in Varna (including for solving problems of the City, itself)
is below satisfaction
Local Action Plan for improving the cityuniversity collaboration in Varna
At its last meeting for 2013 (on 20.12.2013) the ULSG
discussed the type of Action Plan which should be
prepared for intensifying the city-university interaction
It was decided to start in 2014 the development of a
“Municipal Strategy for Strengthening the Position of
Varna as an International Students City”
The measures and the activities which will compose
the future Students City Strategy will be grouped in
five strategic directions
Strategic Directions for deepening the cityuniversity interaction
1)
Re-orientation of the local economy to “knowledge
economy” – principal economic priority of the City of
Varna
2)
Internationalisation of Varna and of its students’
environment
3)
Solving the professional, cultural and daily problems of
the students and including them in City’s political life
4)
Increasing the attractiveness of the City of Varna and
promoting its universities;
5)
Integrating science in the public life of the City
Looking forward to your
Peer Review results…
Thank you for the attention!