A student team from the Technical University – Sofia won third prize in the "STUDENT INNOVISION" category at the Innovision Awards 2026. The "Solar Blinds" project is an intelligent IoT platform for solar exterior blinds, developed within the Student Innovation Hub of the Research Sector of TU-Sofia.
The interdisciplinary team behind the innovative system combines the knowledge and efforts of graduates from three different faculties of the university: Denis Ismetov – Master's graduate in "Technological Entrepreneurship" at the Faculty of Economics, Alexander Kolchev – Master's graduate in "Electronics" at the Faculty of Electronic Engineering and Technologies, Ivian Stoyanov – second-year student at the Faculty of Automation. The team's scientific supervisor is Assoc. Prof. Georgi Tsochev from the Faculty of Computer Systems and Technologies.
The Innovision Awards competition is organized for the second consecutive year by the creative space Planet Schwarz, part of the digital division Schwarz Digits Bulgaria. The initiative aims to transform the country into a hub for creativity and sustainable growth by recognizing projects that drive the future forward through technological advancement. This year's edition featured over 50 nominations across a total of 8 categories.
The award for the TU-Sofia team comes in the entirely new "STUDENT INNOVISION" category, which recognizes student initiatives developed within academic training that demonstrate pronounced entrepreneurial thinking and applicability to real societal challenges.
The award is proof of the potential of the Student Innovation Hub to generate and support student innovations that offer real technological solutions in the field of green energy and energy efficiency.
