A high-level French delegation with a technical and business focus, led by Jean-François Bénon, Director General of the Committee for Economic Development of the Val d'Oise Department (CEEVO), requested a meeting with the management of the Technical University regarding cooperation in personnel training and proposals for real investment projects and partnerships. The delegation included Michel Jonqueres, Joseph Heraief (TRJ Conversion Project), and Medeya Spasova (CEEVO). The delegation was accompanied by Miroslav Ivanov from the Executive Agency for Small and Medium Enterprises Support. Companies based in Val d'Oise, located in the Paris region, are interested in investing in Bulgaria. Educational, economic, and business structures from the department are uniting to face the challenges of globalization and through the internationalization of French companies. For the past year and a half, they have strategically oriented themselves towards Balkan countries, as they see potential for development.
The aim of the discussions was for the countries to mutually inform each other about their needs and opportunities and to encourage links between companies and academic circles.
French entrepreneurs also face difficulties in finding competent engineering specialists, so the guests proposed specific cooperation between the academic and economic spheres on the one hand, and a link between TU and French universities through scholarships and internships for students and doctoral candidates. Their interests in interaction were mainly directed towards the aviation industry, biotechnology, logistics, electrical engineering, electronics, and automation.
In response, Rector Prof. Georgi Mihov stated that the problems fall within the competence of the Technical University, as it possesses the necessary infrastructure and faculty to conduct training commissioned by business and funded by the end-users of personnel.
The guests provided materials to the Committee for Economic Development of the Val d'Oise Department and scheduled a new meeting in three weeks to clarify details and specifics regarding the future partnership.
Also participating in the discussions on behalf of TU were Vice-Rector Prof. Radi Romaniski, Prof. Ivan Yachev, Director of the Directorate for 'International Exchange and Integration', Dean of the Faculty for French-language Electrical Engineering Prof. Kiril Angelov, and Dean of the Faculty of Transport Assoc. Prof. Boyko Gigov.
