The academic year 2024/2025 was officially opened at Sofia University. At the Faculty of Biology, the opening was accompanied by the annual Freshers 2024 event, aimed at introducing new first-year students from all programs to the various departments, laboratories, and units of the faculty.

At the event, two stands featured the Clean & Circle Competence Center and the Department of General and Applied Hydrobiology. During the event, lecturers and young researchers, who have already successfully defended theses related to Clean & Circle, introduced first-year students to the world of clean technologies. The various opportunities offered by Clean & Circle in relation to dual education—learning by doing—as well as innovation activities based on cutting-edge research and technologies, were presented.

An important focus for students and future researchers is that the specialists’ qualifications will be characterized by two types of interdisciplinarity, which are crucial for the EU scientific roadmap: integration between natural and technical sciences to create fully functional clean technologies, and training in technological entrepreneurship, development of soft skills, and the ability to see a technological process through to completion, considering economic models for implementation and commercialization through the creation of start-up and spin-off companies.

Photo 1. Lecturers and young researchers/masters in front of the Clean & Circle and Department of General and Applied Hydrobiology stand. From left to right: Lyubomira Gelanova /Master in Environmental Biotechnology/, Atanas Kiselov /student in Bio-management and Sustainable Development/, Yoana Petrova /Master in Bio-business and Biopreneurship/, Assoc. Prof. Irina Schneider /Operational Manager of Clean & Circle/, Assoc. Prof. Yovana Todorova /Lead Researcher at Sofia University in Clean & Circle and Head of the Department of General and Applied Hydrobiology/, Asst. Prof. Nora Dinova /researcher at Clean & Circle/, Assoc. Prof. Ivaylo Yotinov /researcher at Clean & Circle/, with special greetings from the absent coordinator of Clean & Circle Prof. Yana Topalova.

Photo 2. First-year students from Bio-management and Sustainable Development with masters from Environmental Biotechnology and Bio-business and Biopreneurship programs.

Photo 3. In front of the Clean & Circle stand

Photo 4. Young researchers explaining clean technologies at Clean & Circle

Photo 5. From the Clean & Circle and General and Applied Hydrobiology stand

Photo 6. Students and lecturers

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