“Bulgarian approaches and perspectives in scientce diplomacy” – this was the topic of the speech of the director of the GATE Institute, Prof. Silvia Ilieva, before the international conference dedicated to science diplomacy.
The event was organized by the Diplomatic Institute on the occasion of its 20th anniversary and took place on September 26, 2023 at the House of Europe in Sofia.
The main goal of the conference was to provide a platform for exchange of experience and good practices between representatives of a wide range of stakeholders.
GATE was invited to share its experience and expertise from participating in a number of European research projects. The speech was part of a panel moderated by Ms. Gergana Passi. The other participants were Prof. Hristo Pimpirev and Prof. Leander Litov.
“The diplomatic corps should be well aware of what goes on ‘in the kitchen’ of scientific research institutions and how this can positively affect foreign and security policy,” emphasized Prof. Ilieva. She presented the scientific successes of GATE in cooperation with other countries in the creation of data spaces, as well as in the applied research fields of “Future Cities”, “Digital Health” and “Disinformation Detection and Research”.
Established in 2003 by a decree of the Council of Ministers as the first Bulgarian diplomatic school, in 2023 the Diplomatic Institute organized a number of events, the highlight of which was the international conference dedicated to science diplomacy and the possibilities for its development as a tool of foreign policy of our country, as well as in the context of the European Program for Science Diplomacy.