One day before the start of the international forum UpToGATE 2025: New Horizons, the GATE Institute at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Institute of Infrastructure Application of Ubiquitous Computing (Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies) at the University of Tokyo – one of the world’s most prestigious research institutions. The event was attended by Prof. Reneta Bozhankova, Vice-Rector of Sofia University, H.E. Marieta Arabadzhieva, Ambassador of Bulgaria to Japan, and representatives of the Embassy of Japan in Bulgaria.

The agreement opens new opportunities for joint projects in the fields of artificial intelligence, big data, smart cities, and data spaces. It will accelerate scientific exchange and support the development of innovative solutions with real social impact. The MoU is another step toward fulfilling the goals set out in the Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership between Bulgaria and Japan, signed in May 2025 in Tokyo, and a natural continuation of GATE’s mission to build global connections in science and innovation.

The two institutions will advance their cooperation through joint publications, trainings, seminars, and educational programmes. The partnership also includes active collaboration in attracting external resources, as well as knowledge and technology transfer. Activities will be coordinated by Prof. Silvia Ilieva (GATE) and Prof. Noboru Kosizuka (University of Tokyo) – a clear sign of the strategic priority that both institutions place on this collaboration.

Signing the memorandum on the eve of UpToGATE 2025: New Horizons also carries symbolic meaning. It marks the opening of a new horizon in GATE’s international development. As the forum prepares to bring together leading researchers, policymakers, companies, and innovators from around the world, this partnership with the University of Tokyo sends a strong message about GATE’s growing global role and its ambition to connect Europe and Asia in the development of AI, data, and digital transformation.

Prof. Noboru Kosizuka – one of Japan’s most distinguished scientists in the fields of the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), open data, and smart cities – will also be a keynote speaker at the forum Up To GATE 2025: New Horizons, organized by GATE on 27 November 2025. The world-renowned scholar will demonstrate how AI and data analytics can transform the urban environment. He will explore the creation of intelligent and sustainable cities in which technology supports harmonious interaction between people, infrastructure, and the environment, resulting in a new form of environmental intelligence.

The forum will be officially opened at 9:30 a.m. on 27 November by Deputy Minister of Education Academician Nikolay Vitanov, Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev, and Yordanka Chobanova, Head of the European Commission Representation in Bulgaria.