The TRANSTEM project team at the Medical University of Varna was awarded the prestigious Varna Award 2026 in the field of science and higher education, in the Natural Sciences category. The recognition is for outstanding achievements in the field of medical science, innovations and the development of scientific potential in Varna. Every year on the eve of May 24 – the Day of the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius, of the Bulgarian Alphabet, Science and Culture – the Mayor of Varna Municipality honors prominent artists, teachers, scientists and scientific teams for their high achievements.
The TRANSTEM (Translational Stem Cell Biology) project team at the Medical University of Varna was awarded the Varna Collective Award for outstanding contribution to the training and creation of scientific personnel in the field of translational medicine and regenerative therapy. The award was accepted by the leading researchers of the project: the Coordinator Prof. Dr. Igor Resnick, the Head of the European Research Area (ERA Chair) Dr. Manlio Vinciguerra, and the Director of the Research Institute at MU-Varna Prof. Dr. Anton Tonchev.
The TRANSTEM project, funded under the Horizon 2020 program of the European Commission with a budget of 2.5 million euros, is being implemented in the period 2019-2025 and received an extremely high assessment from the European Commission for the implementation of all set goals. Within the framework of the project, a modern scientific infrastructure was created, the Department of Stem Cell Biology was expanded and a specialized Office for Technology Transfer and Innovation was established.
With the implementation of TRANSTEM, the Medical University – Varna became the first and only Bulgarian organization to successfully implement a project under the ERA Chair scheme of the European Commission – a prestigious instrument for attracting leading scientists and developing scientific capacity in the countries of the European Union. The success of the TRANSTEM project puts Varna on the international scientific map as a recognizable scientific center.
