site.btaBulgarian, Bavarian Universities Sign New Partnerships in Munich

Bulgarian and Bavarian universities signed new academic cooperation agreements at the Consulate General of the Republic of Bulgaria in Munich on Tuesday.

The deals linked Angel Kanchev University of Ruse with OTH Regensburg (Regensburg University of Applied Sciences), Technische Hochschule Nurnberg Georg Simon Ohm (Nuremberg Institute of Technology) with University of National and World Economy (UNWE), and renewed and expanded the Erasmus+ programme partnership between Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and UNWE.

Bulgarian Consul General Stefan Ionkov told guests the agreements went beyond paperwork. "On paper these are agreements, but in reality they are relationships," Ionkov said.

He added that Bulgaria and Bavaria had close ties through investment and through Bulgarian students and workers in the region. "Bavarian companies invest in Bulgaria. They create jobs and bring technologies. At the same time, thousands of Bulgarian students study and work here in Bavaria. They contribute every day to German society and trust," Ionkov said.

Ionkov also shared that he grew up in an academic family and learned that teaching was not only about knowledge but also about people and character.

The ceremony included presentations about the universities and an exchange of electronically pre-signed documents to broaden existing cooperation under the Erasmus+ programme.

Among those attending were Deputy Mayor Zlatomira Stefanova and senior expert Vasilena Dimova from Ruse Municipality, Vice Rector Galina Ivanova and Research Director Aleksandar Ivanov from Angel Kanchev University of Ruse, Rector Ralph Schneider from OTH Regensburg, Dean Svetla Bogdanova Boneva from UNWE, Vice Rector Uwe Mummert from Technische Hochschule Nurnberg Georg Simon Ohm, and BAYHOST head Nikolas Djukic.

Metropolitan Anthony of Western and Central Europe also attended, along with parish priest Nedyalko Kalinov from the Bulgarian Orthodox Church community St Clement of Ohrid in Munich and priest Yulian Angelov from the Bulgarian Orthodox Parish St. Boris – Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria in Berlin.

Data from the Bavarian State Office for Statistics put the number of Bulgarian citizens in Bavaria at 53,891 as of December 31, 2024, or 2.6% of all foreign nationals in the State. The Statistical Office Munich listed 14,561 Bulgarian citizens in the city. The State Statistical Office of Baden-Wurttemberg listed 51,145 Bulgarian citizens in the State as of the same date.