04.09.2025 / APACCCEEC held a promotional event for the Academy for Entrepreneurship in Agriculture in Vratsa

On September 3, 2025, in the Chamber of Commerce and Industry – Vratsa, the APACCCEEC team organized a promotional event to present the upcoming fourth edition of the Academy for Entrepreneurship in Agriculture, which will take place from September 23 to 26, 2025, in the city.

The event was attended by Dr. Momchil Stanishev, Director of APACCCEEC, Ms. Maya Milova, Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry – Vratsa, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kostadin Kolarov, Director of the Institute of Entrepreneurship at UNWE and lecturer at the university. Twenty-seven participants from the Vratsa region were present and learned why it is worthwhile to take part in the local edition of the Academy for Entrepreneurship in Agriculture

Dr. Momchil Stanishev, Director of APACCCEEC, thanked the attendees for their interest and opened the event by presenting the Association’s current projects and initiatives, in particular the participation with Pavilions at international exhibitions in CEE countries and China, the Accelerator Program for start-ups in the field of agriculture between China and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, held in 2023, the recently opened Liaison Office and Permanent Pavilion in the Chinese city of Ningbo, as well as the Association’s exhibition spaces in the city of Plovdiv.

Of course, the focus of the presentation was on the Academy for Entrepreneurship in Agriculture. Dr. Stanishev outlined the Academy’s objectives and its role as the successor of the Accelerator Program, highlighting success stories—the winners of the three editions held so far in the cities of Varna, Burgas, and Plovdiv. The Director of APACCCEEC emphasized that the aim of the initiative is not merely to identify the best project in each edition, but to strengthen the local ecosystem, build a community of young entrepreneurs, and encourage communication and collaboration among them.

The participants in the promotional event were introduced to the general rules and regulations for joining the Academy, the criteria for evaluating project proposals, the application forms, the preliminary program, as well as the project presentations required to compete for the financial award of 5,000 BGN granted to the winner of each edition.

Dr. Stanishev emphasized that the winners of the editions held so far are already successfully implementing and completing their projects.

Ms. Maya Milova, Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry – Vratsa, outlined the key opportunities and challenges in promoting entrepreneurship in Vratsa and highlighted the importance of innovative concepts for the prosperity of the region. She gave as examples a number of successful entrepreneurs from the area (from the renowned Mito Orozov to several modern developing companies) and encouraged the attendees of the promotional event to participate in the upcoming Academy, stating that the Northwestern region of Bulgaria needs more entrepreneurs.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kostadin Kolarov introduced the attendees to the world of entrepreneurship, presenting essential information needed to build any successful business. He will also participate as a lecturer in the Academy, where he will explore this important topic in detail and provide guidance on effective business planning and modeling.

The promotional event concluded with an opportunity for participants to ask questions about applying to and participating in the Academy, as well as to discuss the possible implementation of their project ideas.

The Academy for Entrepreneurship in Agriculture aims to promote youth entrepreneurship and support innovative concepts and ideas that develop the potential of the agricultural sector. The winner of each edition receives a financial award of 5,000 BGN to implement their project idea.

Detailed information about the Academy is available here: https://china2ceec.org/academy2025/

The application forms for the upcoming edition in the city of Vratsa are open at the following links until September 17, 2025.

Application form for individuals

https://show.forms.app/apaccceec/academy-bg-individual

 

Application form for Legal entities:

https://show.forms.app/apaccceec/academy-bg-individual-1-1