From June 7 to 11, 2026, a delegation from Beijing Normal University Business School (BNUBS), consisting of Professor Qi Yudong, Dean, Professor Hu Conghui, Associate Dean, Professor Xu Minbo, Chair of the Department of Economics, and Wang Dan, Associate Director of the International Accreditation Office, embarked on an international exchange tour spanning Spain and Bulgaria. The delegation participated in the EFMD Annual Global Conference 2026 held in Seville, Spain, before conducting an official visit to the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at the University of Sofia, Bulgaria.

Figure 1: The Delegation Attends EFMD Global Conference 2026

Centered on the theme What Is the Core Value of Management Education?, EFMD Global Conference 2026 brought together nearly a thousand deans, academic experts and industry practitioners from management education institutions worldwide to deliberate on the developmental orientation and social accountability of management education amid a volatile and intricate global landscape. The conference featured five keynote speeches and ten parallel forums, covering an extensive spectrum of topics including artificial intelligence and human judgment, internationalization amid shifting geopolitics, low-carbon transition of business schools, student mental wellness and resilience cultivation, AI-enabled pedagogy, innovations in case teaching, executive education, sustainable transformation and creative talent development.

During the conference, the delegation engaged in extensive dialogues with representatives of business schools across diverse countries and regions to gain profound insights into the latest trends and best practices of international management education, while exchanging in-depth views on international accreditation, talent cultivation, research collaboration and the internationalization strategy of business schools. In addition, the delegation held preliminary talks with Professor Atanas Georgiev, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at the University of Sofia, laying a solid foundation for the subsequent official visit.

Figure 2: Meeting with Professor Atanas Georgiev, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of Sofia

On June 10, the delegation visited the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration of the University of Sofia and held talks with Professor Marcellin Yovogan, Vice Dean, and Ivan Angelov, Director of the MBA Programme. Both sides elaborated on the institutional history, disciplinary development, talent training frameworks and international cooperation achievements of their respective universities and faculties, and conducted thorough discussions on faculty and student exchange programs, joint international conference platforms, research partnerships and collaborative degree initiatives. The two parties agreed to maintain close communication and actively advance the implementation of the intended cooperation frameworks. Following the talks, the delegation toured the teaching premises and administrative facilities of the University of Sofia.

Figure 3: Discussion with Representatives from the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of Sofia

Founded in 1888, Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski (commonly known as the University of Sofia) stands as Bulgaria’s oldest and largest national comprehensive research university, consistently ranking first nationwide in overall academic strength. Nestled in the central district of Sofia, the capital city of Bulgaria, it is a time-honored top-tier higher education institution across the Balkans and the flagship benchmark of Bulgaria’s national higher education system. Its alumni pool encompasses a high concentration of senior officials in politics, distinguished academics and executives of leading national enterprises, cementing its status as Bulgaria’s premier state university. Its Faculty of Economics and Business Administration ranks as the No.1 business faculty in Bulgaria and a long-established business school with internationally recognized accreditations in the Balkans. Its economics and business administration disciplines have secured the top national ranking in Bulgaria’s official university subject evaluation for consecutive years. The faculty obtained official AMBA (Association of MBAs) accreditation in 2023, making it the first business school in Bulgaria to hold such accreditation.

This overseas visit has further strengthened BNUBS’s ties with the global management education network under EFMD and partner universities worldwide. It enables the School to keep abreast of cutting-edge frontiers in international management education, expand its global partnership network, and create a robust foundation for advancing internationalized talent cultivation, academic research cooperation and international accreditation pursuits at BNUBS.

Contributed by  Office of International Exchange and Cooperation

Edited by Wang Dan

Reviewed by  Hu Conghui