Prof. Sylvia Ilieva, Director of GATE, participated in the conference “20 years of Bulgaria in NATO: Because we are stronger together”, where she presented the work of the Institute as a test centre of the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA). The event organized by the Government of Bulgaria was held at the Military Club in Sofia on March 29, the day of the 20th anniversary of our country’s membership in the Alliance.
The President of the Republic of Bulgaria, the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Minister of Defense took part in the opening of the conference.
During the discussion panel, Prof. Ilieva emphasized that GATE, in its role as a NATO test centre in the field of big data and artificial intelligence in Bulgaria, has the potential to attract new investments and provide the country with access to the latest technologies and good practices across the Alliance.
“Successful Bulgarian innovators and companies can gain international recognition and be introduced to new markets in Western Europe and overseas,” she added.
The director of GATE defined as one of the main goals of the Institute the establishment of sustainable partnerships with Bulgarian innovators, entrepreneurs and investors, who will get to know the benefits of the DIANA ecosystem.
The event brought together representatives of the state administration, the non-governmental sector and Bulgarian business to celebrate the successes of our country over the past 20 years and outline its future development as a NATO ally. An emphasis was placed on NATO’s achievements as a leader in the scientific and technological sector and Bulgaria’s participation in successful initiatives of the Alliance in areas such as cyber security, scientific research, artificial intelligence, and space.