NATSIONALNA SPORTNA AKADEMIYA VASSIL LEVSKI

Their core work

The National Sports Academy Vassil Levski is Bulgaria's leading higher education institution in sports science, physical education, and kinesiology. Within H2020, they contributed expertise on the links between physical activity, mental health, and urban well-being, while also participating in national science outreach events (European Researchers' Night). Their practical contribution lies at the intersection of exercise science and public health, particularly understanding how physical activity builds resilience in urban populations.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their early H2020 involvement (2018-2020) centered on science communication and public engagement through European Researchers' Night events, with keywords like heritage, culture, entrepreneurship, and hands-on science. From 2020 onward, they shifted toward substantive research topics — mental health, physical activity, resilience, and sustainability — reflecting a move from outreach-only roles to contributing domain expertise. Their largest and most recent project (GO GREEN ROUTES) signals a pivot toward applied urban health research.

Moving from science communication roles toward contributing sports science and physical activity expertise in urban health and environmental projects.

How they like to work

Exclusively a participant — they have never coordinated an H2020 project, joining larger consortia led by others. With 61 unique partners across 18 countries from just 3 projects, they work in broad, multi-partner consortia (typical of CSA and large Innovation Actions). This suggests they are easy to onboard as a contributing partner but unlikely to take a project leadership role.

Despite only 3 projects, they have touched 61 partners across 18 countries, reflecting the large consortium sizes of their projects rather than deep bilateral ties. Their network is broad but shallow, largely built through pan-European coordination and support actions.

What sets them apart

As a dedicated sports academy, they bring a rare combination of exercise science and kinesiology expertise to EU projects — a perspective most university partners cannot offer. For consortia addressing urban well-being, active lifestyles, or the mental health benefits of physical activity, they fill a specific niche. Their Bulgarian location also supports widening participation requirements in Horizon proposals.

Highlights from their portfolio

• GO GREEN ROUTES
  Their largest project (EUR 13,746) and most substantive research involvement, connecting physical activity and mental health to urban green infrastructure over a 4-year period.
• REFRESH
  Their entry point into H2020, participating in European Researchers' Night with a focus on hands-on science, entrepreneurship, and cultural heritage engagement in Bulgaria.