The GATE Institute at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” unveiled new horizons for science, innovation, and technology during the international forum Up To GATE 2025: New Horizons, which brought together leading Bulgarian and global experts in artificial intelligence and data. Special guest speaker was Prof. Noboru Koshizuka – one of the most prominent figures in the global scientific community in the fields of IoT, smart cities, and artificial intelligence. He presented for the first time worldwide his new concept “Urbanetics”, integrating research domains such as AI, data spaces, smart cities, and the Internet of Things.
The event, now one of the most significant in the digital technology field, attracted representatives of European institutions, academia, and industry. The forum was opened by the Deputy Minister of Education and Science, Academician Nikolay Vitanov; Ivan Goychev, Deputy Mayor of Sofia for Digitalization, Innovation and Economic Development; and Yordanka Chobanova, Head of the Representation of the European Commission in Bulgaria. They were joined by the Vice-Rector of Sofia University, Academician Toni Spasov, and the Chair of the GATE Board of Directors, Professor Anastas Gerdzhikov.
“Each year GATE establishes itself as one of the key platforms for discussing the future of artificial intelligence—a future that is no longer a question of ‘if’, but of ‘how’: how to use it responsibly, ethically, and with real impact on society,” noted Deputy Minister Academician Vitanov. He emphasized that Bulgaria needs centers that not only adopt but also create innovation – such as the GATE Institute.
Sofia’s Deputy Mayor Ivan Goychev highlighted GATE’s important role for the capital city through its work on the Digital Twin of Sofia – the first digital model of a Bulgarian city, designed to support more sustainable, open, and intelligent urban development.
Yordanka Chobanova underscored GATE’s strategic importance for the EU. “The GATE Institute is a trusted partner and a friend of the European Commission. Thanks to its work, Bulgaria already has a visible place on the European AI map,” she said. Chobanova outlined the European vision for the future of AI – from building gigafactories and supercomputing infrastructures to investing in talent, deploying AI in industry, and developing joint European data spaces.
Academician Spasov emphasized the strong connection between the institute and the scientific ecosystem of Sofia University, noting that GATE is among the country’s leading centers of excellence.
Prof. Anastas Gerdzhikov, Chair of GATE’s Board of Directors, highlighted the Institute’s achievements over the past year: participation in 20 European projects, more than 150 scientific publications, and partnerships with over 500 organizations worldwide. “GATE shows what is possible when leading scientists inspire ambitious young researchers,” he stated.
The Institute’s Director, Prof. Silvia Ilieva, emphasized the human-centered scientific approach: “The most advanced system we can build remains the human mind,” she said, stressing that GATE’s mission is to transform knowledge into opportunities, data into insights, and innovation into progress for Bulgaria, Europe, and the world. “Everything we achieve, we achieve because of our researchers—the people who push the boundaries of science every day,” she added.
The forum traced the path from inspiration to real-world impact through artificial intelligence and data.
In his special lecture “Urbanetics: Building Ecological Intelligence in the City through AI and Data”, world-renowned Japanese scientist Prof. Noboru Koshizuka demonstrated how AI and data analytics can transform urban environments by creating intelligent and sustainable cities where technologies support the harmonious interaction between people, infrastructure, and nature. He also emphasized EU–Japan collaboration in developing open platforms for smart cities, showing how data exchange between countries, institutions, and industries can drive sustainable development, innovation, and digital transformation.
International experts in the panel dedicated to AI regulation highlighted the need for experimental frameworks that support prototyping, testing, and developing new and emerging technologies. Best-practice examples from global giants such as IKEA, Google, and imec illustrated the need to create conditions that allow innovators to experiment and develop new products, services, and business models in environments that encourage rapid prototyping and idea testing.
The Up To GATE 2025: New Horizons program continued with presentations of the Institute’s achievements in its main research and applied areas: Future Cities, Digital Healthcare, and Intelligent Governance. A dedicated panel explored data sharing as a driver of innovation, with international experts highlighting the need for standardization in data spaces to achieve interoperability, trust, and regulatory compliance.
The role of research as a foundation for innovation and economic growth was the focus of the business-oriented panel, with special guest speaker Stefan Dobrev, Chair of the Board of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology. The discussion brought together representatives from the European innovation ecosystem, fintech sector, industry, venture capital, and social entrepreneurship. Concrete examples and working models for collaboration between research organizations, startups, corporations, and investors were presented.
In special demonstration sessions, GATE researchers showcased the latest developments in the City Digital Twin, as well as tools created for use by industry, institutions, and citizens.