Medical University-Sofia was officially awarded for its leading position in the 5 professional areas of study according to the Ranking of Universities in Bulgaria for 2024. The Rector Prof. Boycho Landzhov, MD, PhD received the first place prize during the 9th annual “Academic Oscars” ceremony, held on 17.01.2025.
The event was honored by EU Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva, Deputy Prime Minister Grozdan Karadjov, Minister of Education and Science Krasimir Valchev, Mayor of Sofia Vasil Terziev, Chairperson of the Council of Rectors Prof. Miglena Temelkova, Chairperson of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Corresponding Member Evelina Slavcheva, ministers of education in previous governments, rectors, and business leaders.
At the beginning of the meeting, a discussion was held on the topic of the competitiveness and prospects of Bulgarian universities in the European educational area.
During the discussion, EU Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, Ms. Ekaterina Zaharieva, shared about the European Commission priorities in this area:
“The topic of science and innovation is leading, it is related to European competitiveness and is the first pillar of this competitiveness. And I very much rely on you not to miss this chance. Let’s improve the system, let’s turn Europe back to the leading positions in innovation and research.” “Europe’s strength is education,” she emphasized in her presentation.
In his welcome to the rectors and guests at the ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Grozdan Karadjov won ovations with his statement that “if one priority in the work of the new government has to be chosen, I will not insist that it be transport or communications, quite the opposite. And I am sure, without asking my other colleagues, that it will be education.”
Prof. Landzhov received a plaque for the first place of the Medical University-Sofia in the fields of “Medicine”, “Dentistry”, “Pharmacy”, “Public Health” and “Healthcare” from Ms. Maya Taseva, Group Director “Human Resources” at SoPharma.
In his acceptance speech, the Rector compared the results of the university with those of the previous year. “In one year, we managed to reformat and restart the education system at the Medical University-Sofia and the results are obvious”. He shared that this is achieved with highly qualified staff, with improved infrastructure and, last but not least, with good goal-setting and prioritization of activities.
The Rector thanked the “academic family” at MU-Sofia “for the perseverance, the work, the tenacity and the empathy with which our colleagues work together to achieve our main goals”.
The awards presented at the ceremony are based on the Bulgarian Higher Education Institutions Ranking System – the annual ranking conducted by the Ministry of Education and Science for over a decade. The awards ceremony, organized by the newspaper “24 Chasa”, promotes the Ranking System, which is a key reference point for prospective students in their choice of higher education institution.
