BEAMING SUMMER SCHOOL ADVANCES INCLUSIVE INNOVATION AT THE AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY OF PLOVDIV

On July 8, 2026, the Agricultural University of Plovdiv welcomed members of the BEAMING community to Bulgaria for the project’s Summer School, held from 8 to 10 July 2026. The three-day event created a valuable space for learning, knowledge exchange and collaboration among participants working to advance inclusive innovation and research excellence across higher education institutions.

The Summer School addressed key themes connected to the development of a more inclusive institutional culture, including creativity, diversity, gender equality, openness, constructive dialogue and the exchange of ideas. The programme encouraged participants to reflect on how universities can remove structural and systemic barriers while creating environments in which researchers, staff and students are able to contribute fully to innovation processes.

Through thematic sessions and contributions from participants and speakers, the event offered opportunities to share experiences, discuss existing institutional practices and explore approaches that can support excellent science and research. Practical and collaborative activities also helped participants connect the topics discussed during the programme with the realities and challenges faced by their own institutions.

A central element of the Summer School was the exchange of knowledge across the BEAMING partnership. By bringing together different institutional and national perspectives, the event supported mutual learning and strengthened connections between members of the project community. These exchanges are particularly important for identifying practices that can be adapted and applied within different higher education contexts.

The event also contributed to BEAMING’s wider capacity-building work by helping participants develop the knowledge and skills required to foster inclusive innovation cultures. The discussions highlighted the importance of collaboration, open communication and the active involvement of institutional communities in developing sustainable approaches to research and innovation.

The lessons and insights generated during the Summer School will feed into BEAMING’s ongoing activities under Work Package 9, which focuses on boosting an inclusive innovation culture for excellent science and research. They will also support the development of measures, practices and guidelines aimed at helping participating institutions become more creative, diverse, collaborative and inclusive.

By combining shared learning with practical reflection, the BEAMING Summer School marked another important step towards building stronger institutional cultures and more supportive environments for research, science and innovation.