The official opening featured welcome addresses by Dr. Irena Mladenova, Minister for Innovation and Growth of Bulgaria, and Prof. Sylvia Ilieva, Director of GATE. Minister Mladenova expressed strong support for hosting the initiative in Bulgaria, highlighting NATO’s growing focus on dual-use technologies and its investment-driven approach to innovation. She underlined the importance of positioning Bulgaria as an active contributor to the Alliance’s innovation ecosystem.

Prof. Ilieva welcomed the international attendees  and emphasized that investing in advanced technologies is not only a strategic priority but also an investment in a peaceful and prosperous future. She reaffirmed GATE’s commitment to supporting the innovation ecosystem through research excellence, experimentation environments, and collaboration across academia, industry, and government.

The event provides a structured platform for refining concepts and developing solutions across four thematic syndicates. Over the three days, participants engage in focused working sessions, concept validation, and use case development, supported by presentations on NATO DIANA, SACT Beacon Projects 2026, the Military Use Case Framework, and related innovation instruments.

A dedicated demonstration segment showcased cutting-edge Bulgarian technological capabilities and GATE’s own innovation tools.

Bulgarian aerospace company EnduroSat presented its satellite technologies and space innovation solutions.

Defence and electronics manufacturer Samel 90 demonstrated drone systems and integrated software-hardware solutions relevant to dual-use applications.

Representatives from Graphwise discussed advanced narrative analysis and data-driven insights for understanding information environments.

GATE introduced Ally1, its newly developed platform designed to support innovators, companies, and investors in identifying and navigating NATO innovation initiatives, providing structured access to funding instruments and collaboration opportunities within the Alliance’s ecosystem.

Hosting IC26 – SPARK reinforces GATE’s role as a trusted partner within NATO’s innovation landscape and positions Bulgaria as an active contributor to the Alliance’s technology-driven transformation. As a Centre of Excellence in Big Data and Artificial Intelligence and DIANA NATO Test Centre, GATE provides the infrastructure and expertise necessary to bridge research, operational needs, and industry collaboration.

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-takes-the-stage-at-tuk-tam-kosher-2024/ Tue, 24 Sep 2024 11:34:57 +0000 https://gate-ai.eu/?p=8926 Apart from his personal professional journey from NATO HQ to the first Center of Excellence in Big Data and AI in Eastern Europe, he also talked about how GATE as a NATO test center generates opportunities for innovative entrepreneurs and how every young person with interest, qualities and skills can become like him part of the team of the world-renowned institute.

“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.