GATE had the honour of welcoming H.E. Mr Pontus Melander, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Sweden to Bulgaria, accompanied by Ms Zoya Paunova, Honorary Consul General of Sweden.
The visit focused on presenting GATE’s research activities within the framework of the collaboration with Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg and discussing opportunities for future cooperation between Bulgaria and Sweden in research and innovation.
Prof. Sylvia Ilieva, Director of GATE, introduced the Institute’s main research areas, EU projects, and international partnerships. Prof. Desislava Petrova-Antonova, Research Lead of the Future Cities application domain, presented GATE’s Urban Digital Twin concept and its development stages, followed by a demonstration of Sofia’s 3D city model, which sparked an engaging discussion on several simulation scenarios.
H.E. Mr. Pontus Melander expressed his appreciation for GATE’s achievements and emphasized the importance of strong collaboration between academia, government, and industry, supported by continued investment in innovation. “Even in challenging times, we need to continue funding universities, especially their research and development activities,” he noted.
The visit concluded with a productive discussion on future collaboration opportunities, building on the successful partnership already established through the GATE project.
