Scientific and research activities as part of the educational process in higher education institutions

The authors' goal is to show the need for students to participate in fundamental and applied scientific research to solve current problems by introducing and using innovative educational technologies, methods, and tools for training. The development of the Internet, expanding connectivity through social networks, the entry of artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, 3D printing, etc., requires new knowledge and skills and leads to new challenges. Trained personnel in this modern world must have a solid professional background and developed systematic thinking, developed cognitive qualities and personal skills, which are formed on the basis of collecting and analyzing various information from diverse sources. The possibilities for training and real participation of students in projects, the development of which leads to the integration of knowledge acquired in different training courses, are considered. The report presents experiments conducted at Trakia University with students from the specialty Information Technology, who are trained through project work to integrate knowledge from various fields: Internet of Things (IoT); smart mobile applications; cloud computing; augmented and virtual reality; Big Data processing; smart sensors, etc. The hypothesis is that the knowledge and skills obtained will enable students to successfully implement themselves under the requirements related to the integration of Industry 4.0 technologies and the transition to Industry 5.0.