The news was announced by Prof. Desislava Petrova-Antonova – Head of the “Cities of the Future” Department at the GATE Institute during the 3D GeoInfo & 9th Smart Data Smart Cities 2025 – the international event uniting the 20th International Conference 3D GeoInfo 2025 and the 9th International Conference Smart Data and Smart Cities (SDSC) from September 2 to 5, 2025 in Kashiwa, Japan. Prof. Petrova-Antonova was a guest speaker on stage at the event, presenting the synergy between digital city twins and data spaces as two complementary technological solutions for innovation in the cities of the future and announcing the hosting of the GATE Institute for 2026.

“I am honored to be the Chair of 3D GeoInfo | SDSC | LADM & 3D LA 2026 – an event bringing together three prestigious international conferences under one roof in Sofia,” noted Prof. Desislava Petrova-Antonova. – Our goal is to create an environment in which researchers, practitioners and innovators can exchange ideas, share knowledge and inspire young researchers. By combining expertise in the fields of geoinformatics, geospatial data and artificial intelligence, smart cities and intelligent governance of urban planning and design, we strive to develop science and technologies that will shape the sustainable, data-driven societies of the future.

Thank you for your trust and I look forward to working together with the international scientific committees, local organizers and all of you who will contribute to its success.

I invite you to join us in Sofia – to present your developments, to collaborate beyond the boundaries of science and to enjoy not only an inspiring scientific program, but also the rich culture and hospitality of Bulgaria.
Let us together make 3D GeoInfo | SDSC | LADM & 3D LA 2026 a memorable and significant event! ”, added Prof. Petrov-Antonova.

The 2025 conferences were organized with the support of the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) and the Urban Data Management Society (UDMS) – international organizations creating a community of global scientists working on new methods for processing, analyzing and visualizing geospatial data. The event was hosted by the Center for Spatial Information Sciences (CSIS) at the University of Tokyo and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan (MLIT).

In 2026, for the first time since 2018 in the Netherlands, as part of the major international event uniting the two conferences – 3D GeoInfo and Smart Data and Smart Cities, there will also be an international seminar Land Administration Domain Model & 3D Land Administration, supported by another international scientific network – the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG).

Next year, the 3D GeoInfo conference will be held on September 28 and 29, kicking off a five-day scientific marathon related to geospatial science and technology and their application for the creation of planning, management and optimization of urban processes and mitigating the effects of climate change, natural disasters and environmental pollution. The 3D GeoInfo Conference aims to bring together international researchers, practitioners and specialists to discuss the latest advances in 3D geoinformation science and technology. This annual conference offers a multidisciplinary and cross-sectoral forum in the field of 3D/4D data collection, management, data quality assurance, analysis, advanced modeling and visualization, with a strong focus on cutting-edge research, technical, application and standardization issues across a variety of disciplines.

From 29 September to 1 October, the Smart Data and Smart Cities Conference, a leading international conference focused on the dissemination and exchange of knowledge and research results related to urban innovation and smart technologies in the European Union, the Americas and Australasia, is being held. It is initiated by the Urban Data Management Society. Each conference fosters communication between senior researchers, students, developers, practitioners and citizens and establishes collaborations on new research topics, creating opportunities for innovation in the cities of the future.

The Land Administration Domain Model & 3D Land Administration (LADM & 3D LA) workshop will be held on October 1 and 2. It will present and discuss new developments in domain-specific modeling of land management, including three-dimensional approaches to land administration (3D LA), taking into account existing standards and the specific requirements of a particular geographical region. Participants will be able to see demonstrations of working systems, pilot projects and prototypes, showing how these technologies are applied in practice for sustainable urban development.

This initiative builds on the Joint Statement on the Establishment of Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Bulgaria and Japan, signed in May 2025 by Bulgarian President Rumen Radev and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. As one of the first academic milestones following the declaration, the seminar reflects a shared commitment to advancing digital transformation, research collaboration, and innovation diplomacy.

The two-day exchange across borders and disciplines includes:

Day 1 – August 29, 2025

International Conference Hall, University of Tsukuba

Participants will explore the intersection of emerging digital technologies and urban development. The programme includes:

• Opening remarks by H.E. Ms. Marieta Arabadjieva, Ambassador of Bulgaria to Japan
• Welcome addresses by Prof. Shigeta Yasuteru (CCS) and Prof. Sylvia Ilieva (GATE)
• A live Digital Twin demonstration showcasing applications in climate, mobility, and planning
• A high-level panel discussion on collaboration between academia, government, and business
• Structured bilateral sessions for future cooperation and knowledge exchange

Day 2 – August 30, 2025

Bulgarian Pavilion, Expo 2025 Osaka

The second day, titled “Academic Days of the GATE Institute,” will spotlight Bulgaria’s scientific contribution to global challenges. Highlights include:

• An introduction to GATE’s mission and impact
• An interactive exhibition featuring research projects from both GATE and CCS
• A visual showcase of Bulgaria’s participation in Expo 2025

The seminar marks a key moment in the long-term collaboration between GATE and CCS, established under a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding. It also positions both institutions as leaders in applied research in AI, Data Spaces, Smart Cities, and Digital Twins.

Together, GATE and CCS aim to foster new forms of cooperation that support sustainable urban development, ethical AI, and cross-border innovation ecosystems—not just between Bulgaria and Japan, but across Europe and Asia.

Registration is now open. Participants may attend in person (registration deadline: August 10) or online (August 27).

For more details and to register, click HERE.

Full Program of Day 1

The following will participate: Acad. Prof. Nikolay Vitanov, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Bulgaria, Prof. Gordana Medin, CERN, Alexander Gunn, University of California, Iskren Vankov, Alpha Ring International, John Pasley, University of York, London, Teodosii Teodosiev “Theo” – physicist and lecturer.

The focus will be on topics such as nuclear fusion, artificial intelligence (AI), education and business prospects for Bulgaria and the EU.

The Fusion Future Conference will present Alpha-E – a cutting-edge platform for education and research in the field of nuclear energy (based on the fusion of light nuclei), developed in Silicon Valley, in collaboration with the University of Oxford and MIT. Alpha-Ring provides students with the opportunity to work with the platform, analyzing fusion reactions, developing physical models and applying AI algorithms for optimization and prediction

The event will bring together representatives from government institutions, academia, and businesses to discuss the challenges of the digital information environment and officially launch the two-month hackathon.

What is DisinfoHack 2025?

DisinfoHack 2025 is an innovative format that gives students two months to work in-depth on real-world case studies related to disinformation. Unlike traditional hackathons that last 24-48 hours, this “slow hackathon” gives participants the opportunity to analyse in-depth, develop sustainable solutions and work with leading experts from academia, the tech sector and the media industry.

The first panel will focus on the potential of data spaces to create value in the data economy. Emphasis will be on the benefits of engaging a wide range of stakeholders, including businesses, public authorities, and individuals, in data-sharing ecosystems. Based on this, business models will be presented that lead to the discovery of new sources of income and stimulate innovation.

During the conference, we can rethink urban sustainability by looking into the “Future Cities” using the City digital twin and data space as complementary technologies for innovation. Here as well, data is the key to making informed decisions about city development and a valuable resource for creating new business models and services. We will see how the integration of public and private data, as well as citizen data on the state of the environment, mobility, construction, energy efficiency, etc., is critical to achieving sustainable cities.

The panel dedicated to European regulations in the field of artificial intelligence will cover the challenges of compliance, legal oversight and the balance between promoting innovation and ensuring the responsible use of AI.

The forum also focuses on the role of artificial intelligence in detecting and combating disinformation, including ethical challenges and innovative solutions, increasing media literacy, and regulating and promoting a safer online environment.

More information at https://forum.gate-ai.eu/

Registration  https://gate-ai.eu/en/forum-registration-form/

In addition to the GATE Institute, FMI, the Faculty of Physics and the Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy at SU “St. Kliment Ohridski”, the “Lozenets” campus is also home to the Centre of Excellence “Universities of Science, Informatics and Technologies in the e-Society” (UNITe), the Centre of Competence “Clean Technologies for a Sustainable Environment – Water, Waste, Energy for circular economy” – Clean&Circle, as well as one of the laboratory complexes of the Centre of Excellence in Mechatronics and Clean Technologies.

A jury of representatives of all research structures and faculties on the Lozenets campus will nominate the three best conceptual solutions, which will receive awards from GATE.

The initiative aims to involve young talents in Ladshaft architecture in a real case study in which they can demonstrate their skills. At the same time, the result of their work will be of real benefit to the improvement of this emblematic place for science – to make it greener, more beautiful, and inspiring.

Prof. Silvia Ilieva will be a panelist in the discussion on “Trends in digitalization and cyber security of CEE” together with Valentin Mundrov – Acting Minister of e-government, Prof. Dr. Georgi Angelov – Deputy. Minister of Innovation and Growth, HRH Prince Boris Tarnovski – Prince of Tarnovski and Duke of Saxony, Sasha Bilic – Executive Director, APIS IT Croatia and President of Euritas, Simeon Karcelanski – Cyber ​​Security Manager, Dario Zoric – Regional Head of Digitalization at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark and Coby Friedman – founder of Findings.co. The moderator will be Kristina Eshkenazi – chairperson of the Biotechnology and Health Cluster.

Come and visit us to learn more about the career opportunities we offer and get a first-hand insight into what our researchers are up to.

To register for the webinar, please fill out the registration form. Attendance is free, but we encourage you to secure your spot early. After registration, you will receive a link to join the webinar.

More info: http://forum.gate-ai.eu/uhi/

• Data analytics and statistics
• Machine learning and deep learning
• Large Language Models and Conversational AI
• Causal AI
• Time series and graph data
• Data sharing
• Data and AI pipelines (data enrichment pipelines, machine learning pipelines)

The program will consist of a combination of lecture-style talks introducing various data science paradigms and methods, and demo/hands-on sessions. The summer school aims to have a practical orientation, with Python and Jupyter Notebooks being used to exemplify many of the topics covered at the summer school.

At the end of the summer school, the students are expected to have understanding of key paradigms used in data science and AI and be able to practically apply them in data science and AI projects.

This intensive learning experience with lots of networking is organized in collaboration with  enRichMydata, DataCloud, Graph-Massivizer, UPCAST, and InterTwino projects and is managed by the Bucharest Business School (BBS @ ASE) and supported by ASE International Relations .

Among the speakers are renown researchers from prestigious universities in USA, the Netherlands, Austria, Norway, and UK.

The 2024 edition is powered by OMV Petrom!

The registration is now open at ? datascience.ase.ro

Be among the first to benefit from the early-bird discounts!