On November 27, within the framework of the international forum “Up To GATE 2025: New Horizons,” the GATE Institute will give a stage to one of the most important topics for the future of technologies – how regulations can be a driver, and not a brake, on innovation.

The panel “From the Laboratory to the Market: How Can the Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Support the Development of Artificial Intelligence?”, from 11:30 to 12:30, promises a conversation that goes beyond dry rules and documents and enters the essence of how Europe imagines its AI future through the idea of innovation for the benefit of people. The discussion will move beyond the usual headlines and focus on the real question – how we turn good intentions and ambitious policies into solutions that reach the market and improve our everyday lives.

Representatives of the GATE Institute – Prof. Sylvia Ilieva, Prof. Desislava Petrova-Antonova, Irena Petrova and Eleonora Getsova – took part in the European Big Data Value Forum (EBDVF) 2025, held from 12 to 14 November in Copenhagen.

From 5 to 7 November, the GATE Institute at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” hosted the Sofia Information Integrity Forum 2025 — an international event dedicated to strengthening trust in information and countering manipulation in the digital environment.

GATE Institute took part in the National Forum “From Science to Innovation,” organized by the Executive Agency “Education Programme” – Intermediate Body responsible for the management of Priority Areas 1 and 2 under Priority 1 of the Programme “Research, Innovation and Digitalisation for Smart Transformation” 2021–2027.

Prof. Noboru Koshizuka – one of Japan’s most prominent scientists in the fields of the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Open Data, and Smart Cities – will be a special guest and keynote speaker at the forum “Up To GATE 2025: New Horizons”, organized by the GATE Institute at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” on November 27, 2025. His talk will be titled “Urbanetics: Building Ecological Intelligence in Cities through Artificial Intelligence and Data.”

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 GATE Institute at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” was among the key partners of the second international conference “Innovation. Investment. Inspiration.”, organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria and BOYANOV & Co., with the support of the European Commission, the European Investment Bank, and Innovation Norway.

The forum, dedicated to the future of innovation and investment in Bulgaria and Europe, took place on October 16, 2025, at the Hilton Sofia Hotel and brought together more than 200 representatives from institutions, business, and academia from Bulgaria, Norway, Hungary, and Malta.

During the first panel, “Smart Governance for Smart Growth,” the Director of the GATE Institute, Prof. Sylvia Ilieva, shared the Institute’s vision for the role of research organizations in building an innovation ecosystem that fosters entrepreneurship and technology transfer.

On October 21, 2025, the GATE Institute at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” welcomed the Minister of Education and Science, Mr. Krasimir Valchev, on a working visit.

On November 27, 2025, the GATE Institute will host leading Bulgarian and international experts, researchers, and business representatives at the forum “Up To GATE 2025: New Horizons” to discuss the potential of artificial intelligence and data as engines of innovation and sustainable development.

This year’s theme, “New Horizons,” highlights the evolution of AI and data-driven ecosystems, covering the full spectrum from ethical and conceptual solutions to implementation, scaling, and measurable impact. Participants will explore current trends in data processing, digital technology adoption, and AI applications for more efficient management of cities, healthcare, and the public sector. The forum will demonstrate how sustainable and ethical innovations can be translated into real-world solutions that improve people’s lives.

The GATE Institute at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” and the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics (FMI) officially opened the 2025/2026 academic year for the third cohort of students in the joint master’s programme “Big Data Technologies.”

This year, 18 new students have joined the GATE community – young specialists and professionals from various sectors, united by their ambition to acquire advanced skills in data analysis, artificial intelligence, and digital technologies.