In the period 12-14 February 2018 guest-lecturer of Varna Medical University was Prof. Luciano Saso from University "Sapienza" in Rome, Italy. The world renowned scientist is Vice Rector for European University Networking and institutional coordinator for "Erasmus+" Programme as well as professor at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Medicine of the Italian university. For the period 2016-2019 he has been President of the Network of Universities from Capitals of Europe (UNICA).
His lecture entitled "Strategies for internationalization", which was delivered on 12 February 2018, was focused on various strategies used by the universities for their internationalization. These strategies include the enhancement of the reputation through international cooperation, improvement of the quality of the students' mobilities, increasing of the quality of academic faculty and development of the administrative staff through mobilities and different schemes of internationalization, especially through the key actions of "Erasmus+" Programme. The Honorary Consul of the Republic of Italy in Varna Mr Antonio Tarquinio and his consultant Mr Dimitar Stoynov met with pleasure the distinguished guest.
The training modules were accompanied by fruitful working meetings as a result of which a consensus was reached for the signing of an agreement for exchange and joint projects under "Erasmus+" Programme between University "Sapienza" in Rome and Varna Medical University. Prof. Saso promised his full cooperation for the intensification of the bilateral relations within the programme and highlighted several international fora enhancing the participation of Varna Medical University in various university networks and associations. He accepted the invitation of Vice Rector Prof. Todorka Kostadinova to be a plenary speaker at the International Partnership Forum of MU – Varna which will be organized by the Department of International Relations in October 2018. In addition, the possibilities were discussed for short-term workshops and training in the field of pharmacology, oxidative stress in particular, in which Prof. Saso is a leading scientist.
The management of MU - Varna met Prof. Luciano Saso and thanked him for his expertise during the training modules, for his high assessment of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Varna Medical University as a whole as well as for encouraging the European spirit of university cooperation in the fields of higher education, research and mobility.
University "Sapienza" of Rome was established in 1303 and is one of the oldest in the world. It has 11 faculties, 63 departments, 3 university hospitals, 55 libraries and 18 museums. About 112 000 students are currently trained at the University, of whom 8 000 foreign students. The academic staff consists of 4 000 professors, the administrative staff is approximately 4 000 employees. The main building of University "Sapienza" is in the heart of Rome and several Nobel Prize winners have come out of the academic community of the Roman university.
