Lifelong learning and youth employment policyprimary
1 project
YOUNG_ADULLLT project examined policies supporting young people through lifelong learning, addressing youth unemployment and labour market transitions.
Organization
SOUTH-WEST UNIVERSITY NEOFIT RILSKI
Bulgarian university contributing social science expertise on education policy, youth employment, gender equality, and Black Sea regional humanities research.
University research groupsocietyBGNo active H2020 projectsThin data (2/5)
H2020 projects
3
As coordinator
0
Total EC funding
€559K
Unique partners
38
What they do
Their core work
South-West University Neofit Rilski is a Bulgarian public university based in Blagoevgrad with strengths in social sciences, humanities, and education policy research. Their H2020 work focuses on lifelong learning systems, youth employment challenges, gender equality in academic institutions, and cultural knowledge exchange between Europe and the Black Sea region. They bring regional expertise on Southeastern European education and labour markets to international research consortia.
Core expertise
What they specialise in
Gender equality implementation in academiasecondary
1 project
SPEAR project focused on designing and implementing gender equality plans in research-performing organizations.
Humanities and Black Sea regional studiessecondary
1 project
KEAC-BSR project (their largest at EUR 427,500) explored knowledge exchange and academic cultures between Europe and the Black Sea region from the 18th century onward.
Education and social policy analysisprimary
2 projects
Both YOUNG_ADULLLT and SPEAR address institutional change in education systems, spanning youth policy and academic organizational reform.
Evolution & trajectory
How they've shifted over time
Early focus
Youth employment and education policy
Recent focus
Gender equality and institutional change
Their early H2020 involvement (2016-2017) centred on education and labour market policy — specifically lifelong learning, youth unemployment, and skills supply-demand mismatches. By 2019, their focus shifted toward institutional change within academia itself, particularly gender equality plans, sustainability of organizational practices, and community-based learning processes. This evolution suggests a move from studying external policy effects to actively transforming research institutions from within.
They are moving toward institutional transformation and equality-driven research, making them a relevant partner for future Widening and ERA reform calls.
Collaboration profile
How they like to work
Role: active_partnerReach: European23 countries collaborated
South-West University participates exclusively as a partner, never as coordinator, across all three H2020 projects. With 38 unique consortium partners across 23 countries, they join large, geographically diverse consortia rather than leading small focused teams. This profile suggests a reliable contributing partner comfortable working within broad European networks, though their lack of coordination experience may limit their appetite for leading future proposals.
Despite only three projects, they have built a surprisingly wide network of 38 partners across 23 countries, indicating participation in large consortia with strong pan-European reach. Their Black Sea region project likely extends connections beyond standard EU member states.
Why partner with them
What sets them apart
As a Bulgarian university in Blagoevgrad, they offer a Southeastern European perspective that is underrepresented in many EU consortia — valuable for proposals requiring geographic balance and Widening country participation. Their combination of humanities scholarship (Black Sea cultural studies) with applied social policy work (youth employment, gender equality) is uncommon and bridges academic research with institutional reform. For consortium builders needing a credible Bulgarian HES partner in social sciences, they are a proven option with broad network experience.
Notable projects
Highlights from their portfolio
- KEAC-BSRTheir largest project by far (EUR 427,500 of EUR 559,312 total), an MSCA-RISE exchange focused on the culturally distinct Black Sea region — a rare thematic niche in H2020.
- SPEARA Coordination and Support Action on gender equality implementation in research organizations, showing their commitment to institutional transformation beyond pure research.
Cross-sector capabilities
Education and training systemsSocial inclusion and equality policyCultural heritage and regional studiesInstitutional governance and organizational change
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