Collaboration with an university
Date: (14-09-2023)
Today, 14 September 2023, at the premises of the Crisis Management and Disaster Response Centre of Excellence (CMDR COE) in Sofia, Bulgaria, a Framework Collaboration Agreement has been signed between the CMDR COE and the University of National and World Economy (UNWE).
The Agreement stipulates the objectives and principles of future collaboration between the two Organisations whereas the main goal is to benefit from the academic knowledge in synergy with military expertise in order to promote, facilitate, and cooperate in the fields of emergency/crisis management, resilience, and disaster response. This includes, but it is not limited to education and training opportunities, research and development, and provision of subject matter expertise, based on the principles of reciprocity and mutual benefit.
The Agreement has been signed by the Director of the CMDR COE, Colonel Orlin Nikolov, on one side, and by the Rector of UNWE and Head of "National and Regional Security" Department, Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov. The official ceremony has been attended also by the commanding staff from the CMDR COE, as well as by the Vice Rector of UNWE for Research and International Affairs, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Michael Musov; the Head of "International Affairs" Department, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Plamen Ralchev; Assist. Prof. Monika Panayotova, PhD; and Chief Assist. Ekaterina Bogomilova, PhD.
In his opening speech, Colonel Nikolov expressed his satisfaction with the possibility to expand the cooperation with UNWE to higher levels, building on the already existing interactions with the "International Affairs" Department. He underlined the potential opportunities for joint undertakings such as exchange of information and project development as well as participation of UNWE students in CMDR COE courses and Internship Programme.
On his turn, Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov underlined that: “The implementation of the university’s mission depends heavily on the development of our partner network. The activities under this collaboration agreement – joint educational programs, joint research projects, and internships for learners, etc. – will help fulfil our promise to society.”
In addition, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Michael Musov emphasized on the fact that: “This partnership is a great opportunity to showcase the formative role of universities and strengthen UNWE’s commitment to being a responsible university with high impact on the economy and society”.
During the following discussion Assoc. Prof. Dr. Plamen Ralchev outlined that: “The increasingly complex security and defence challenges we face require a multidisciplinary approach and close cooperation between military and civilian expertise. That is why the Department of International Relations of the UNWE initiated today's cooperation agreement with the NATO Center for Crisis Management (CMDR) and will work together with the Department of National and Regional Security for its implementation”.
The participants of the ceremony have also discussed current projects and other education and training activities conducted in the CMDR COE, as well as potential opportunities for cooperation with the UNWE, including the exchange of students for the existing internship programmes.
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