Design Thinking Gathers Young Innovators at Burgas Free University

On October 3, 2026, Burgas Free University (BFU) once again transformed into a space for ideas, creativity, and entrepreneurial mindsets, gathering students from grades 1 to 12 from schools in Burgas and the surrounding region for the traditional Design Thinking Workshop.

The event was hosted by the Center for Economic and Management Sciences (CEMS) at BFU, in partnership with Foundation "Education 5.0" and Samsung Bulgaria. The workshop was organized on behalf of BFU by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vilyana Ruseva.

BFU is one of the four regional partners in Bulgaria implementing this initiative, and this marks the third consecutive year that the university has hosted the Design Thinking workshop. Establishing this event as a tradition is part of the university's continuous efforts to foster an entrepreneurial culture, creativity, and innovative thinking among young people even before they enter higher education.

Official guests at the event included the Rector of Burgas Free University Prof. Dr. Milen Baltov, the Dean of the Faculty of Legal Sciences Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hristo Pavlov, and the Vice-Dean of CEMS Assoc. Prof. Dr. Atanas Luizov. They expressed their support for the young participants and their drive to seek new solutions to real-world problems.

Students from grades 1 to 12 from schools across the Burgas region participated in the workshop. Working in teams, they navigated the core stages of Design Thinking—from understanding a specific problem and human needs to brainstorming ideas, developing solutions, and presenting them.

The winner of this year's edition was the team from "P. R. Slaveykov" Primary School, who impressed everyone with their creativity, teamwork, and ability to turn an idea into a well-reasoned, applicable solution.

For Burgas Free University, Design Thinking is much more than a problem-solving method. It is a tool for building an entrepreneurial mindset that teaches young people to observe, ask questions, experiment, embrace different perspectives, and turn challenges into opportunities.

The partnership between Burgas Free University, Foundation "Education 5.0", and Samsung Bulgaria demonstrates the powerful results achieved when education, business, and the civil sector unite to support young talent.

BFU continues to be a place where ideas are given the chance to become reality.