On March 25, Ivo Emanuilov, Head of the Experimental Regulation Lab at GATE Institute, presented the first results from the institute’s work with companies in its sandbox environment during the Legal Lab: “From Cookbook to Practice: Designing & Joining AI Regulatory Sandboxes” in Leuven.

The forum, organized by imec and KU Leuven, brought together representatives from the European Commission, industry, and regulatory institutions from across Europe.

The GATE Institute has signed an Agreement for scientific and technological cooperation and innovation in the field of security and defence. The initiative, led by the Ministry of Innovation and Growth, brings together also Sofia Tech Park, the Defence Institute “Prof. Tsvetan Lazarov”, the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy in Varna, and the Association for Research and Development.

On 11 March 2026, the GATE Institute will host a founding forum for the establishment of the National Cancer Mission Hub in Bulgaria (NCMH)—an initiative supported by the European Commission under the Horizon Europe programme and aligned with the EU Cancer Mission and the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan.

GATE Institute at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” is hosting the three-day NATO Allied Command Transformation (ACT) Innovation Continuum – SPARK Phase 2026 (IC26) from 24 to 26 February 2026 in Sofia.

On 12 February 2026, the GATE Institute organized the first training in Bulgaria dedicated to the EU Artificial Intelligence Act. The event was held in partnership with the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria and brought together managers, entrepreneurs, legal professionals, and innovation and technology experts.

The discussion was moderated by Dr. Irena Georgieva from the Legal Group of the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria. This dialogical format enabled participants to examine specific cases and practical scenarios from their own work related to the regulation.

GATE Institute hosted a national expert workshop under its Intelligent Government research domain, bringing together over 20 representatives from the public sector.

GATE Institute took part in the fourth edition of the Data Spaces Symposium, held on 10–11 February 2026 in Madrid.

The scholarship is part of an international initiative by Google DeepMind AI aimed at supporting highly motivated students in the fields of artificial intelligence and computer science. Through its partnership with Google DeepMind AI, the GATE Institute continues to strengthen its role as a leading center for education and research in big data and artificial intelligence, as well as an active member of the European and global academic community.

Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski,” through the GATE Institute, is one of only four organizations in Europe authorized to award the Google DeepMind AI Scholarship to master’s students, alongside École normale supérieure Paris-Saclay (France), the University of Warsaw (Poland), and the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca (Romania).

The GATE Institute, together with the Data Spaces Support Centre (DSSC), organized a specialized workshop dedicated to presenting the concept of data spaces, their benefits, and real-world scenarios for their use across different sectors. The event brought together representatives of key organisations from Sofia and the region, including the public sector, industry, and the technology ecosystem.