Mgr. Ivana Šaffová, MBA, MBE, an internal doctoral student at the Department of Tourism and Hotel Management of the Faculty of Management, Economics and Business, represented Slovakia in Brussels from 10 to 19 October 2026 as part of the Youth4Regions 2026 programme.

Based on her achievements and outputs from the previous year, she was selected as one of four editors of the programme and was also the only representative from Slovakia chosen to participate in this year's edition.

During her stay, she took part in the European Week of Regions and Cities, held under the theme “Strong Regions, Strong Europe.” The event brought together participants from across Europe and offered a series of international workshops focusing on regional development, the future of tourism in regions, and the exchange of professional knowledge and best practices.

The programme provided Ivana with valuable opportunities to establish new professional and academic connections while further developing her expertise and skills in the fields of regional development, tourism, and international cooperation.

Her participation highlights the growing international engagement of young researchers from the University of Prešov and contributes to strengthening the university’s visibility within European academic and professional networks.