EDIH Trakia welcomes young researchers, entrepreneurs and activists from five countries in Plovdiv

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The European Digital Innovation Hub “Trakia” (EDIH Trakia), which is coordinated by the Union for Private Economic Enterprise (UPEE) and brings together in its structure the Institute of Information and Communication Technologies at BAS, the Municipality of Plovdiv, the Bulgarian Cybersecurity Association (BCA) and other public sector partners working on cybersecurity and digitalization issues, will host in September two major Erasmus+ projects at its training centre in Plovdiv on Drava street.

Together with the members of the innovation ecosystem of EDIH Trakia from the Research and Reform Institute Association, the Digital Hub will host workshops in the framework of the youth exchange project “Habits for a Better Future”, funded by the EU Erasmus+ programme, in the period 20-28 September. The organisers aim to increase knowledge on addressing climate change and improve the skills of youth leaders aged between 16 and 30 from Bulgaria, Georgia, Italy, Greece, and Turkey on how they can contribute by changing the habits of youth to reduce the negative impact on the environment and how their daily choices influence the future we will live in.

“Green Transformation” is a horizontal component of EDIH Trakia’s activities under the Cyber4AllSTAR project, funded by the Digital Europe Programme of the European Commission and the Ministry of Innovation and Growth’s PNIIDIT 2021-2027. As part of its innovation ecosystem, the Digital Hub seeks to promote technology solutions with a minimal carbon footprint – such solutions will be brought to the attention of eco-activists participating in the youth exchange.

On the initiative of another member of the innovation ecosystem of EDIH Trakia – Association of Young Scientists, in the framework of the project “Incubator for Young Talents”, funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the EU, on 29 September (Sunday) 2024 from 12:00 to 18:00 at the Digital Hub on 2 Drava Str. in Plovdiv, will bring together leaders from business, education and administration, scientific organizations and the NGO sector to meet young talents from the district and the region, the winners of conceptual projects in various fields of science and technology.

The main objective of the Young Talent Incubator project is to support young talents between 16 and 30 years of age, who are part of the local community and participants in the project, to propose their innovative solutions to real problems and challenges identified by the municipalities, by receiving funding to develop their prototypes and ideas that can contribute to successfully tackling these challenges at local level. To this end, the project team has already sent a request to all municipalities in the Plovdiv region asking them to identify up to 5 main problems and challenges they need to deal with in the next 3-5 years. The next step is for the selected young people to propose innovative ideas to deal with these challenges by combining science and business. The Trakia Digital Innovation Hub is committed to providing comprehensive mentoring and logistical support to those developments that address the challenges facing the municipalities of the South Central Region in the area of cybersecurity – the protection of critical infrastructure, the digitization of services for businesses and citizens, access to digital education, healthcare, social services and other digital innovations.

Young talents will have the opportunity to use their scientific knowledge and entrepreneurial skills to develop sustainable solutions that can contribute to real improvements in the local and regional environment.

What skills will participants in the Young Talent Incubator acquire?

  • Generating and developing innovative ideas and solutions;
  • Practical presentation to investors and local administration to attract funding;
  • Development of entrepreneurial skills, technical and communication skills;
  • Acquisition of skills for active civic participation in the social, political life and democratic processes of the country, etc.;
  • Strategic planning and thinking;
  • Dialogue skills with decision makers;
  • Collaboration and teamwork;
  • Working with AI.

All participants in the activities of both projects will receive a European Youthpass certificate. This certificate is the recognition tool developed for projects implemented in the European Youth Programmes. Through it, participation in such initiatives can be recognised as an educational experience and a period of informal learning and self-learning.

If you are interested in participating in the activities of the project “Habits for a Better Future”:

If you are interested in participating in the activities of the project “Incubator for Young Talents”:

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