Big Data
for Smart Society

On April 22, the event “AI-Driven Growth: Scaling Business Internationally in the AI Era” took place at Sofia Tech Park, bringing together experts and organizations to explore the impact of artificial intelligence on global business expansion. Among the co-organizers was the GATE Institute, reinforcing its role as a key driver of innovation in Bulgaria. During the forum, the Institute’s Director, Prof. Sylvia Ilieva, presented GATE’s vision for the future of smart cities, highlighting the importance of digital twins as a tool for more intelligent and adaptive urban management.

The GATE Institute at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” and the Centre for IT & IP Law (CiTiP) at KU Leuven are strengthening their collaboration in the field of responsible artificial intelligence. During the visit of Prof. Jan De Bruyne to Sofia, a seminar was held focusing on the question of who bears responsibility in the use of AI systems and in cases of potential harm caused by them. The discussion brought together legal experts, AI researchers, and engineers.

Between 15–17 April, Sofia hosted the Living-in.EU Digital Assembly 2026 and Eurocities Digital Forum 2026, organised by the Sofia Municipality.

On March 25, Ivo Emanuilov, Head of the Experimental Regulation Lab at GATE Institute, presented the first results from the institute’s work with companies in its sandbox environment during the Legal Lab: “From Cookbook to Practice: Designing & Joining AI Regulatory Sandboxes” in Leuven. The forum, organized by imec and KU Leuven, brought together representatives from the European Commission, industry, and regulatory institutions from across Europe.