On June 19 and 20, 2025, the GATE Institute at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” is a stage for visionaries, scientists, entrepreneurs and business leaders from all over Europe. The occasion is the fourth edition of the Spinoff Conference – an international forum dedicated to turning scientific discoveries into sustainable business solutions through high-tech spinoff companies.
In addition to being a host, GATE is a co-organizer of the event in partnership with a number of innovation and industrial organizations, including Biotechnology and Health Cluster, Artificial Intelligence Cluster Bulgaria, Cleantech Bulgaria and the European Digital Innovation Hub “Trakia”. The forum brought together over 300 participants from more than 20 countries – representatives of European institutions, universities, scientific organizations, investors and technology companies.
The program focuses on leading trends in artificial intelligence, digital health, biotechnology, microelectronics and cybersecurity. Special attention is paid to the role of innovation ecosystems in the transition to a green, digital and sustainable economy.
On the first day, the focus was on the European visions for transformation through innovation. José Pérez, Senior Coordinator at EuropaBio, presented the new EU policies to accelerate the biotechnology sector through better technology transfer and building strong hubs for science and business. technologies and the innovation and startup system in Bulgaria. Within the framework of the conference, GATE Institute presented the VELES Excellence Hub, led by it, aimed at creating an intelligent health data space in Southeast Europe. Irena Pavlova – European Projects and Programs Manager at GATE presented how the project is utilizing cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and big data in favor of personalized medicine and improved healthcare in Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus and Romania.
“VELES is the next logical step in GATE’s quest to build a data-driven economy and create sustainable solutions in key public sectors such as healthcare,” said the Director of the Institute Prof. Silvia Ilieva, who opened the conference on June 19.
“As a scientific institute, GATE is also a living innovation ecosystem. We provide environments and test sites where startups can test, validate and develop their solutions in real-world conditions – whether it’s smart city government, smart transport or data-driven healthcare,” she added.
As a special treat to the attendees of the event, GATE opened its labs. The researchers Maria Pantusheva, Evgeni Shirinyan and Boris Kraychev demonstrated the talking digital twin of Sofia, developed by GATE, and Georgi Petkov presented the achievements of the Institute in the field of digital health.
A special place in the program was given to two key panels. “Building a Stronger EU Innovation Ecosystem“, moderated by GATE, brought together organizations from Northern Europe, Ukraine and the Balkans that shared good practices and challenges for building working innovation ecosystems. With this panel, GATE also marked the successful completion of the ExcellEnt project, which aims to build bridges between entrepreneurial ecosystems in the EU, creating equal opportunities for start-up entrepreneurs in less developed ecosystems and connections for the overall European ecosystem internationally.
“Funding the Future” offered a glimpse into financing innovation through the participation of leading investment funds such as Eleven Ventures, Bio4Dreams and the Fund of Funds.
Also on the stage of Spinoff Conference 2025 are the participants of the HealthTech Investor Summit (HTIS25), an international selection of promising medtech companies presenting high-potential solutions with global impact. Along with them, innovators in the fields of AI, clean technologies, microelectronics and cybersecurity demonstrate how science and technology are shaping the future of the European economy.
The culmination of the first day of the forum will be the presentation of the “Spinoff of the Year” award, which distinguishes companies that have successfully turned scientific ideas into real business with a positive impact on society. GATE is presenting one winning spinoff in each category with a free 2-hour business plan consultation with the Business Development team of the institute. This tailored session will offer expert feedback on the business strategy, guidance on growth opportunities and funding and insights on scaling and sustainability.
The second day of the conference will be dedicated to the interaction between science and industry under the motto “Science meets industry“. Models for successful technology transfer, strategic partnerships and building innovation infrastructure in Europe will be sought.
Georgi Randelov from the GATE Institute will reveal the potential of the GATE Institute for the development of spinoffs. It will examine the differences between the two models for the transfer of scientific innovations to business and the role of research institutes in this process.
The final discussion “From Knowledge to a Talent-Driven Economy” will focus on human capital and education as a basis for a competitive, innovative and sustainable economy.
Participants will also have the opportunity to participate in parallel formats such as Tech Transfer Clinic, IP & Investment Corner, demonstrations at Green & Smart Labs and meetings between scientists and industry partners in the Industry Matchmaking Area.