On 3 November 2026, the two-day youth hackathon “Idea for the Future” officially kicked off in Veliko Tarnovo, bringing together 30 students from 10 schools across the region who share an interest in innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship.

At the opening ceremony, participants were welcomed by Prof. Stefanov, a representative of the Veliko Tarnovo Regional Administration, and Eng. Emanuil Manolov, Mayor of Pavlikeni Municipality.

The students were randomly divided into six teams, which will work on three real-world business challenges provided by Esri Bulgaria, AK Plastronik, and KBC Group Bulgaria. Their main task is to develop innovative and practical solutions by exploring the potential of artificial intelligence.

Throughout the two-day event, the teams will receive guidance and support from experienced mentors representing the fields of business, technology, finance, and education.

On 4 November, the teams will present their solutions to an expert jury, which will evaluate the projects based on their innovation, practical applicability, and development potential. The best project will receive the grand prize of EUR 500, provided by the Regional Innovation Centre “Ambitious Gabrovo”.

The hackathon offers young people an opportunity to apply their knowledge to real business challenges, strengthen their teamwork skills, and explore new ways of using emerging technologies.

We wish all participants success and look forward to discovering the innovative solutions they will present!

The event is organised under Project BG16RFPR002-1.002-0001 “Accelerated Digitalisation for SMEs in the North Central Region through the Establishment and Development of a European Digital Innovation Hub”, in partnership with the Regional Department of Education – Veliko Tarnovo and the Veliko Tarnovo Regional Administration.

The project is implemented with financial support from the Research, Innovation and Digitalisation for Smart Transformation Programme 2021–2027, co-funded by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund.

This news item has been created with the financial support of the Research, Innovation and Digitalization for Smart Transformation Program 2021-2027, co-financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund under project BG16RFPR002-1.002-0001 -C01 “Accelerated digitalization for SMEs in the Central Region through the creation and development of EDIH.” The Regional Innovation Center “Ambitious Gabrovo” bears full responsibility for the content of the document and under no circumstances can it be assumed that this document reflects the official position of the European Union and the managing authority.