On October 28, the GATE Institute took part in the Regional Defence Summit 2025, organized by Economedia and Kapital. The event brought together more than 500 participants — including representatives of the European Commission, defence ministries, leading industrial companies, innovators, research organizations, and investors — to discuss Europe’s strategic priorities in defence, technology, and innovation.
The Summit, held at Sofia Event Center under the institutional partnership of the Ministry of Innovation and Growth, addressed the transformation of the European defence ecosystem in response to rapid technological change, geopolitical shifts, and the growing role of dual-use innovation. Bulgaria’s position as a strong industrial and technological hub on NATO’s eastern flank made it a natural host for this high-level dialogue on the future of European security and resilience.
As part of the programme, Dr. Borislav Bankov, NATO DIANA Test Centre Leader at GATE, led a dedicated workshop titled Connecting Startups with NATO’s Innovation Ecosystem, held in collaboration with NATO DIANA. The interactive session introduced founders and innovators to NATO’s deep-tech acceleration framework and offered practical guidance on how to engage with programmes such as the NATO Innovation Fund, DIANA, and the Science for Peace and Security Programme. Participants learned how to align their civilian technologies with defence applications and how to scale dual-use solutions across the Alliance.
Dr. Bankov also joined a high-level panel discussion on Building a Dual-Use Innovation Ecosystem, alongside Deputy Minister Georgi Danovski and Pantelis Tzortzakis, Director of the Greek Defence Innovation Centre. The discussion explored how cross-sector collaboration can enhance Europe’s defence capabilities while driving technological and economic growth.