Bulgaria has awarded its best mayors for 11th year in a row
Almost 140 000 people have cast their vote in the national contest for Mayor of the Year
Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov explained that public and private projects like INSAIT have the potential to instigate major change , Source: Krasimir Svrakov/ Economic.bg
INSAIT is supposed to turn Bulgaria into a tech paradise and rival the likes of MIT
The official ceremony launching INSAIT (Institute for Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Technology) was held today in the Bulgarian National Palace of Culture, located in the capital of Sofia. The institute will be part of the Sofia University 'St Kliment Ohridski' and was created in partnership with ETH Zurich and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL).
Furthermore, the project will enjoy the financial support of both the Bulgarian government and the tech giants in the industry – Google and Amazon. Apart from the funding, these companies will also help to provide knowledge support.
The main agenda of INSAIT, according to its founder and ideologue Martin Vechev, is to create a world-class tech institute, that has the resources and talent to compete with the likes of Stanford and MIT.
At the same time, Vachev has also said that it can help stop the massive brain drain from Bulgaria. In a recent interview with Capital, he explained that Bulgaria will have a chance to become a leader in the field, especially now when it has the infrastructure to retain its most talented people.
According to the Bulgarian Prime Minister, Kiril Petkov, who attended the ceremony, INSAIT aims to turn Bulgaria into a top location for computer sciences and artificial intelligence in the world.
He went a step further, by saying that the government wants to attract the biggest tech companies to invest in the country, by constructing regional centres. Petkov also explained that the government will fund the institute with 90 million euros, or 9 million every year for a period of 10 years.
Apparently, the tech giants also see the potential in INSAIT, with Google and DeepMind offering up around 3 million euros for the next three years and Amazon Web Services offering 3,5 million. Bulgarian tech companies have also decided to join in, offering substantial funding for the Institute.
Mariya Gabriel, EU Commissioner for Innovation also attended the launch ceremony. She praised the project for its practicality and robust structure, as well as its potential to redefine the tech sector in Eastern Europe. She went a step further by wishing the institute becomes a platform for Nobel laureates in the region.
Almost 140 000 people have cast their vote in the national contest for Mayor of the Year
The planned public transit service will be completed somewhere in 2035
Almost 140 000 people have cast their vote in the national contest for Mayor of the Year
The technology differs from maglev in that it allows the usage of already existing infrastructure, with only slight modifications
Floya will be one hell of a helpful tool next time you’re in the Belgian capital
Almost 140 000 people have cast their vote in the national contest for Mayor of the Year
City officials invite residents to meet in person for valuable consultations on greening transformations of their living environment
Almost 140 000 people have cast their vote in the national contest for Mayor of the Year
The main focus of the festivities is a ‘miracle’, which involves the liquefaction of the saint’s blood
Se Poate Association led the training sessions in several cities and engaged over 150 young people
This one could be a real game-changer for our built environments and the way they look
The practical art objects are competing for one of the 2023 New European Bauhaus Prizes
Cast your vote before 24 May and do your part in promoting the NEB values
An interview with a member of the No Hate Speech Network team
A talk with the first man to circumnavigate the globe with a solar plane, on whether sustainability can also be profitable
An interview with the president of the European Federation of Journalists