1. Entrepreneurship Development Centre University of National and World Economy Students Town ‘Hristo Botev’, Sofia 1710 phone/fax: +359 2 9625268 e-mail: uedc@unwe.acad.bg How to teach Entrepreneurship and prepare future entrepreneurs: The practice of

2. Statute Established in 1995 in the frames of international Phare Tempus Project Part of the UNWE, but having special statute – self-financing Pays to the university between 10 and 15% of its incomes Employs full-time and part-time experts (including Ph.D. students)

3. Historical development Introduction of Entrepreneurship as teaching discipline at the UNWE – in the spring of 1991 (25 students); first in Bulgaria ESBID project - Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development in Bulgaria - 1993-1996 (initial accumulation of data) Phare Tempus Project – 1994-1997 ‘Educational Programme and establishment of Centres for Entrepreneurship Development’ (University of Ulster, N. Ireland, Universita Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain, DeVlerick School voor Management, Belgium) Establishment of Centres in Bulgaria Technical University in Plovdiv D.A. Tsenov Academy of Economics in Svishtov St. st. Cyril and Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo

4. Training Programmes for University Students Foundations of Entrepreneurship – obligatory subject; modules: Small Business – Entrepreneurship Starting-Up Own Business Small Business Management and Growth; modules: Small Business Management Survival (crisis) Management Growth Management Approach: Every spring term the first subject ends with about 30 business plans and 10 case studies, as 7-8 students start-up own business (total about 120 starters up to now) In the autumn in the frames of the second subject students make project for management improvement for SMES as well as project for SMEs growth from the practice

5. Joint Programmes and Activities Seminar in Entrepreneurship with the Florida International University (FIU), Miami, USA, on global entrepreneurship and business 25 American and Bulgarian students make joint projects in selected Bulgarian companies (by teams) to be defended in English The American students receive credits and Bulgarian pass their exams by these projects The successfully completed this seminar receive certificates signed by the rectors of both universities Seminar with ISTUD (Milan) – “How to teach dynamic entrepreneurs?” Other seminars

6. Training for Entrepreneurs and Managers In-company training: SMEs and large companies Open courses (starting-up business, management) Regional development Gabrovo – training of export-oriented companies (preparation for establishing joint-ventures with Dutch companies Pernik – training of women ‘would-be’ entrepreneurs Growth management Specilised seminars (export, subcontracting, negotiation skills, etc.)

7. Training for Banks United Bulgarian Bank Diagnosis and change of organisational culture DSK Bank (branch Haskovo) Credit experts (business planning, entrepreneurs figures and behaviour) Managers (management of change: transition from savings bank to commercial oriented bank for SMEs)

8. Consulting Services For starting-up companies (entrepreneurs) For entrepreneurs and managers in existing companies For dynamic (growing) companies Consulting services for Encouragement Bank (the state bank for SMEs credits) Special subjects: subcontracting, entrepreneurial networks, joint- ventures

9. Some projects and conferences Dynamic Entrepreneurs – comparative study for Bulgaria and Poland (RSS project) Internationalisation, inter-firm linkages and SMEs development in Clothing and Food Industries (the United Kingdom, Greece, Poland, Estonia and Bulgaria) The Influence of National Business Culture on the Success of Joint-Ventures (the Netherlands, France, the Slovak Republic and Bulgaria) Internationalising Entrepreneurship Education and Training – IntEnt99 (annual world conference, organised for first time in Central and Eastern European country International Conference on Entrepreneurship and Industrial Organisation in transition, Albena 1995.

10. Preparing Ph.D. Students Themes (completed and under development) Management Consulting for SMEs Organisational Culture in Growing SMEs Subcontracting between SMEs Entrepreneurial Networking Management of Growth in the Firms from the New Economy Organisational Restructuring of Holding Companies Future Design and evaluation of supporting programmes for dynamic (growing) SMEs

11. Published books (some of them) 10+1 Business Plans for Starting Up Own Businesses, 1996 25 Case Studies for Entrepreneurs and Managers from the Practice, 1997 9 Business Plans for Starting Up Own Businesses under Conditions of Currency Board, 1998 Foundations of Small Business, 2000 Strategic Management in Small and Medium- sized Enterprises - Theory and Practice, 2001 Handbook for Starting-Up Own Business in the Service Sector. 2003 (ordered by the Ministry of Defence)

12. Some summarized results 2800 trained students in the two entrepreneurial subject (since 1991) 6 Ph.D. students (2 completed) Approximately 120 SMEs started-up since 1991 Completed 11 research and training projects of which: 4 national 7 international Trained 18 own experts (most of them occupied leading positions in Bulgarian and foreign companies) Organized 8 conferences and seminars of which 4 international 3 national 1 regional

13. Problems and Barriers In fact, EDC pays itself to create entrepreneurs (75% of the time is spent to prepare students and Ph.D. students who do not pay EDC) There is not, up to now, institutional and financial support by the interested institutions How to disseminate existing results and know-how in other universities and training organisations?

14. The Future Dissemination and diffusion of the available results and know-how in more Bulgarian universities, centres, and companies (needs institutional and financial help) The best way for dissemination: Upgrade of the existing 4 entrepreneurship centres at different universities and establishment of 6 more at others technical and classic universities in different regions. Utilisation of the existing know-how of EDC and the rest centres; preparation of intellectual entrepreneurs ready to meet the new challenges: EU membership, globalisation processes and the development of the new economy. (estimated high by the EU Phare expert)