“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value“

(Albert Einstein)

Borislav Bankov leads on GATE’s participation in NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) and in other Alliance initiatives in the sphere of emerging technologies.

Until 2021 Borislav worked at the Office of NATO’s Assistant Secretary-General for emerging security challenges and new technologies, including Big Data and Artificial Intelligence. His previous experience includes Europol’s Capabilities Directorate, the Office of the NATO Secretary-General and the information network of the European Commission.

Dream it. Plan it. Do it. 

Boris Kraychev is an experienced researcher at the Data Analytics Research group at GATE Institute. His research area is focused on natural language processing: opinion mining, document and news classification as well as on recent technologies for Deep Learning and NLP, such as recurrent neural networks, LSTMs, and GRUs.

He graduated from the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics (FMI) at Sofia University in 2006 and received a doctorate in Artificial intelligence in 2013. From 1998 to 2009 he developed software for the management of financial institutions as CTO and then in 2010 he founded a company working in the area of NLP and data analysis.

At the heart of the discussions, GATE showcased its growing expertise in information integrity and the practical applications of artificial intelligence for democratic resilience. The Institute’s Director, Prof. Sylvia Ilieva, took part in the opening session, while GATE researchers led multiple thematic contributions. Dr. Keith Peter Kiely, Research Lead of the Intelligent Government Domain (iGOV) presented an analysis on democratic vulnerability, Dr. Borislav Bankov, NATO DIANA Test center manager, introduced the upcoming CoDE Hackathon 2026 focused on digital defence, and Iglika Ivanova, part of the iGOV team, moderated the regional workshop on election integrity in Southeast Europe, as well as the Wikipedia and Information Integrity panel.

The GATE iGov team also engaged participants in a unique live simulation exercise — Project Cassandra, a real-time scenario designed to test logical fallacy detection and strategic response to online information operations. This interactive component underscored GATE’s interdisciplinary approach, bridging research, training, and applied experimentation in combating disinformation.

The Forum also marked the official kick-off of BROD 2.0 – the Bulgarian-Romanian Observatory of Digital Media, coordinated by GATE Institute under the European Union’s Digital Europe Programme. The project’s launch featured a regional workshop on Election Integrity in Southeast Europe, bringing together partners from AFP, Funky Citizens, and other regional organizations. Building on the success of the original BROD initiative, BROD 2.0 expands its mission to Bulgaria, Romania, and Moldova, developing AI-powered analytical tools and regional fact-checking networks to reinforce public resilience against disinformation.

At its dedicated stand, GATE presented its overall activities and projects funded under national and European programmes, showcasing the Institute’s contribution to Bulgaria’s research and innovation ecosystem. Visitors had the opportunity to learn more about GATE’s advanced research infrastructure, ongoing partnerships, and the practical applications of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence across various domains.

GATE also took part in the panel discussion “Informatics and ICTs and New Technologies in Creative and Recreational Industries,” represented by Borislav Bankov, member of the Business Development team. The discussion focused on the role of Centres of Excellence in advancing technological innovation and strengthening sustainable links between academia and business.

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.

Watch the full panel discussion HERE.

]]> https://www.gate-ai.eu/en/news/gate-welcomes-visionaries-and-innovators-at-spinoff-conference-2025/ Mon, 23 Jun 2025 10:25:12 +0000 https://www.gate-ai.eu/?p=9768 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. 

This large-scale international training simulates a civilian crisis scenario, providing a unique opportunity to gather data and test research concepts in fields such as risk assessment, crisis communication, civil-military cooperation, disaster tech, and more.

Interested researchers from NATO countries are encouraged to apply by submitting a short proposal (max. 250 words) by 15 May 2025 to:
📧 ivanov.martin@hq.nato.int
📧 borislav.bankov@gate-ai.eu

For full details, download the official call Call for an Expression Of Interest – Researchers Participating In NATO Emergency Management Exercise – September 2025

“GATE itself is an innovation. Our team’s efforts are focused on creating a new generation of scientists and experts in the field of big data and AI. In this sense, young people and their development are at the center of all our efforts. We create practical science and at the same time educate and work with industry and organizations from various spheres of public life,” said Borislav Bankov.

More data experts will certainly be needed to make informed decisions, knowing that one source is not enough. But this leads to the more general point. We just have to learn to learn new things. This is what I look for in the selection of young people who want to join our team as a NATO test center. It’s a skill we all need to develop in order to be truly successful and open to new opportunities and create new opportunities ourselves,” he added.

And this year, GATE welcomed and delighted many curious young people with interesting prizes at its stand at Tuk-Tam Kosher 2024. Through exciting demonstrations, the GATE researchers presented the nature of their work and the activities in the institute’s various scientific and applied areas – Cities of the Future, Digital Health, Smart Government, Smart Industry.

As is tradition, GATE will also be presented on the Kosher stage. Borislav Bankov, who leads GATE’s involvement in NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA), will be among the speakers this year. In addition to his personal professional journey from NATO headquarters to the first Center of Excellence in Big Data and Artificial Intelligence in Eastern Europe, he will also talk about how GATE as a NATO test center generates opportunities for innovative entrepreneurs and how every young a person with interest, qualities and skills can become part of the team of the prestigious institute.

Innovations in these areas strengthen defence and security and offer significant civilian applications, contributing to broader societal benefits such as improved energy efficiency, better health monitoring and more sustainable infrastructure.

As a NATO test centre, GATE Institute’s expertise covers all five new DIANA challenges and can help innovators.

“Dual-use technologies are a natural interface between the defence industry and emerging innovators and entrepreneurs. Often, startups develop technologies that can be applied relatively easily to security without their original design or investment even suggesting this. All companies need to realize the full potential of their developments, is to tap into a vibrant ecosystem of security and defence experts and investors. DIANA is such an ecosystem, and GATE is its entry point,” explains the coordinator of GATE’s participation in NATO’s Defense Innovation Accelerator (DIANA) Borislav Bankov.

The institute’s focus is on testing technologies related to the use of big data and artificial intelligence (AI).

“The Bulgarian companies that applied for the DIANA pilot program in 2023 demonstrated the extraordinary potential of our innovative industry. They proposed various ideas in all priority areas of DIANA, and the result was not long in coming: in terms of success in DIANA, Bulgaria ranked next to countries such as Germany,” summarizes Borislav Bankov.