The Chair of Entrepreneurship and the Institute for Entrepreneurship Development (IED) at the UNWE have organized together with the Bulgarian Association for Management Development and Entrepreneurship (BAMDE) and the European Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ECSB) the Seventh International Conference on ‘Entrepreneurship Teaching, Research and Practice in Global Environment – Building Bridges’ (one of the sixth in the world recommended by the International Council for Small Business (ICSB).

The conference was held from 8 to 10 June 2016 in the town of Pomorie (Via Pontica Resort).

The Conference’s mission is to get together professionals in the field and to discuss and ex-change ideas, problems, solutions, and best practice in competitive and practical oriented entrepreneurship education, training and consulting.

Keynote speakers at the conference were:       

• Prof. David Smallbone, Small Business Research Centre, Kingston University, London, UK, Past President of the International Council for Small Business (ICSB);
• Prof. Marc Cowling, Director of Research, Brighton Business School, University of Brighton, England, UK, one of the most quoted researchers in Europe;
• Prof. Rodrigo Varela, Director, Centro de Desarrollo del Espíritu Empresarial (Center for Entrepreneurship Development), Universidad Icesi, Cali, Colombia. (The Center is certified as one of the best in Latin America).
• Dr. Paolo Zaramella, CMC, senior consultant, Studio Centro Veneto, Italy, holders of Brand No 1 in Family Business Transfer recognition by the European Commission;
• Prof. Herbert Chen, COO, Tsinghua University Science Park (TusPark), Board Member, UNESCO Regional Center for Technology Incubators and Science Parks Development (IRIS), Director of China Office ,  Board member, President of Asian Pacific Division, International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation (IASP);
• Prof. Andrew Burke, Dean & Chair of Business Studies, Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, Ireland, Founding Editor of the International Review of Entrepreneurship (IRE);
• Mrs. Madi Sharma, Founder "Madi Group" – Make A Difference Ideas group of International Private and Social Enterprises. UK Member, Employers Group, European Economic and Social Committee.

Part of the conference were:

• Round table "Science – Practice" with participation of entrepreneurs from several countries – chaired by Prof. Ken O’Neill, University of Ulster, Norther Ireland, Past President of the International Council for Small Business (ICSB), Doctor Honoris Causa of the UNWE.
• Workshop for PhD students: how to prepare a solid dissertation work?
• Workshop: how to publish in prestigious international journals?

Both workshops were led by Prof. David Smallbone, Kingston University, UK, Past President of the International Council for Small Business (ICSB).

• Seminar on management and development of science / technology parks, incubators, innovative clusters. The moderator was Prof. Herbert Chen – COO, TUSPark (China). The seminar was attended by representatives of other scientific and technological parks from different countries. TUSPark (Tsinghua University Science Park, Beijing) is the largest in the world with a turnover of 5.5 billion USD, and has prepared 50 Chinese billionaires. His graduate is the current President of China Xi Jinping.

Scholars, consultants, entrepreneurs and policy-makers from Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Colombia, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Pakistan, Poland, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Sweden, Ukraine and USA took active participation in the conference.