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SPINOFF BULGARIA

By 5G & WiFi, AI & ML, AR & VR, Audience, Big data, Bulgaria, Computing, Country providing the good practice, Cybersecurity, For ICT professionals, For public administration, Funding of the good practice, In education, Inspiration, INSPIRATION, INSPIRATION: Good practices, IoT, Microelectronics, Mobile apps, National good practice initiative, Private, Robotics, Software engineering, Technology, Telecommunications, Type of initiative of the good practiceNo Comments
SPINOFF BULGARIA

25.06.2024

About Spinoff Bulgaria

 

Spinoff Bulgaria is the largest initiative dedicated to technology transfer, science-based  innovation and spinoff investments in Bulgaria and the region. The two-days format includes a wide range of  keynotes, panel discussions, workshops and roundtables and offers opportunities for networking,  matchmaking and the exchange of best practices.

The target group are scientists, universities and TTOs as well as investors, representatives of national  ministries and European organizations, experts, students, innovators and representatives of  corporations and business.

In addition to the exchange of insights and know-how and awareness-raising for topics related to technology  transfer, the declared goal of the spinoff initiative is to launch and initiate international cooperation projects  and spinoff foundations. By 2030, we aim to have helped 100 spinoff companies get founded, gain  investments and grow commercially.

The initiative supports the development of a sustainable spinoff ecosystem in Bulgaria, SEE and Europe by connecting national stakeholder with international partners. By presenting best practices, insights and collaboration opportunities, the initiative stimulates interest in the creation of spinoffs, promote the culture of technology transfer and bring together European organisations, companies, academia and investors.

Leading Technologies in Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Microelectronics, and Circular Economy Showcased at the Third Edition of Spinoff Conference 2024

 

The international conference Spinoff Conference was held for the third consecutive year on June 20 and 21, 2024, at Sofia Tech Park, John Atanasoff Forum, once again providing a platform for exchanging ideas, know-how, and raising awareness on topics related to technology transfer.

The primary goal set by the organisers— Health and Life Sciences Cluster, Artificial Intelligence Cluster Bulgaria, Venrize – spinoff factory, ISTEB—is to create a favourable environment for the growth and realization of 100 spinoff companies by 2030. These companies aim to provide high-value-added products and services crucial for the modernization and innovation of the Bulgarian economy. The initiative is supported by numerous ministries, municipalities, professional associations, and universities.

At the conference’s opening, Kristina Eskenazi, one of the main organizers, shared that over the past three years, more than 40 spinoff companies have been presented and awarded on the prestigious stage. “Bulgaria has immense capacity in cutting-edge technologies, and over the next two days, we have the opportunity to showcase them to you,” she stated.

Awards and Recognitions

One of the most anticipated events of the conference was the awarding of “Spinoff of the Year.” This prestigious award was given to companies that have successfully implemented innovative technologies and achieved significant market success. Six companies were awarded the Spinoff of the Year 2024: Momfident, VAReyes, Senesys. Biо, Simenso Ltd, MedTechLab, and Neuromorphica.

You can find additional information about the agenda and previous editions HERE.

Details

Target audience

Digital skills for the workforce

Digital skills for ICT professionals

Digital technology

Artificial Intelligence

Cybersecurity

Level

Advanced

Expert

Funding of the good practice

Private

Type of initiative of the good practice

National initiative

Country providing the good practice

Bulgaria

Organisation providing the good practice

AI CLUSTER BULGARIA

Start date

20.06.2024

End date

21.06.2024

BULGARIA: Para Robotics Incubator

By AI & ML, Audience, Bulgaria, For children, In education, INSPIRATION, INSPIRATION: Good practices, Local good practice initiative, National good practice initiative, Private, Robotics, TechnologyNo Comments
BULGARIA: Para Robotics Incubator

15.03.2024 |

The Professional Association for Robotics and Automation (PARA) is recruiting participants for the third consecutive time for its educational program, PARA Robotics Incubator.

PARA Robotics Incubator is an incubator for robotics aimed at students and young professionals. The initiative selects projects from young people and helps them develop these projects to the “prototype” level.

Participants in the program will receive mentorship guidance, hardware, and access to specialized equipment in laboratories. The main goal of the program is for participants to create a working prototype based on a pre-designed project, thereby fostering entrepreneurship.

To enroll in the program, participants must be at least 14 years old and possess basic programming skills. Over the course of the six-month program, each participant is expected to complete their prototype. The projects encouraged should be focused on the fields of robotics, artificial intelligence, and automation.

In the third season of the incubator, projects sought are those aimed at: drones, industrial solutions, machine vision and artificial intelligence, agriculture, technical solutions for sustainable living, and the Internet of Things.

The five selected projects from across Bulgaria will have the opportunity to receive:

– Hardware
– Access to a prototyping space
– Mentorship assistance
– An interactive educational program
– A chance to win a prize of 5000 leva

Desired skills for participants in the program:

– Motivated to develop in the field of technical sciences
– Have their own technical project or idea
– Open to receiving feedback
– Technical knowledge above the average level
– Want to develop their project into a working prototype

Program Modules
What will you learn?

Module 1: Design Thinking
Concepts for developing new products, applications, and innovations within teams

Module 2: Sales and Marketing
Models for reaching the end customer through commercial and advertising tools

Module 3: Collaboration
How people and robots can work together, an overview of methods for coordination, collaboration, and assigning tasks to robots

Module 4: Machine Vision and Machine Orientation
An overview of models and methods for detecting, tracking, and recognizing objects, as well as applying these models to solve problems in real-world environments

 

For the remaining modules, read HERE.

 

And here is some more information about the main stages of the program:

  • The selection of teams will take place on April 6th this year during the special event Demo Day at The Venue in Sofia Tech Park. All teams will present their ideas there, and the jury will choose 5 projects to participate in the program.
  • The educational program will start on April 7th and will run until September 26, 2024. It will include active work with lectures, participation in mentorship sessions, visits to laboratories, and various activities for project development.
  • On September 26th, during the annual Robotics Strategy Forum, the final demonstration of the developments will take place. On that day, the winners of the third edition of the incubator will be announced and awarded.

More information about the program can be found on the official website of the PARA Robotics Incubator.

Details

Target audience

Digital skills in education

Digital skills for children

Digital technology

Artificial Intelligence

Robotics

Level

Intermediate

Advanced

Funding of the good practice

Private

Type of initiative of the good practice

National initiative

Local initiative

Country providing the good practice

Bulgaria

Organisation providing the good practice

PARA- Professional Association of Robotics and Automation

Start date

02.04.2024

End date

26.09.2024

The best AI tools for education

By AI & ML, Basic digital skills, Bulgaria, Bulgarian, Country providing the educational resource, For all, For ICT professionals, In education, INSPIRATION, Inspiration, INSPIRATION: Educational resources, Language оf the educational resource, Other educational resources, Technology, Type of the educational resourceNo Comments
The best AI tools for education

05.02.2024 |

Most of the discussions about artificial intelligence (AI) tools are often focused on business, but there is immense potential for AI to dramatically improve our educational systems. This is one of the most effective tools that teachers can have at their disposal, often relieving them of administrative burdens. These technologies will not replace teachers but rather allow them to allocate more time to student learning.

AI is rapidly growing in the education sector and is becoming a global billion-dollar market. This rapid growth is due to its ability to transform many aspects of teaching and learning processes. AI can create engaging virtual learning environments, generate “intelligent content,” alleviate language barriers, bridge gaps between learning and teaching, create specialized plans for each student, and much more.

Many innovative companies are creating AI tools to achieve these results. Let’s look at some of the best AI tools for education:

  1. Gradescope

What is Gradescope?

Gradescope’s AI tool allows students to evaluate each other while providing feedback simultaneously, which often consumes a lot of time without AI technology. Gradescope relies on a combination of machine learning (ML) and AI for easier grading, saving time and energy.

By outsourcing these tasks to external evaluators, teachers can focus on more important tasks. Gradescope can be used by teachers to grade paper exams and online assignments, as well as to prepare projects in one place.

Here are some key features of Gradescope:

  • AI-assisted and manually grouped questions
  • Time extensions specific to students
  • Grading with AI assistance
  • Improved efficiency and fairness
2.Fetchy

Fetchy is a generative AI-based platform created specifically for teachers. It empowers teachers to unleash their full teaching potential by simplifying and streamlining the myriad tasks they face, including creating engaging lessons, generating newsletters, crafting professional emails, and more. By harnessing the power of AI, Fetchy enables teachers to enhance their teaching methods, optimize time management, and make confident and informed decisions.

Fetchy specializes in personalizing generated language to meet teachers’ requirements without requiring them to formulate complex prompts. When using Fetchy’s personalized solutions, teachers can expect tailored results that align with their specific educational needs.

  • Generate lesson plans
  • Review history from multiple perspectives
  • Find mathematical or scientific experiments
  1. Nuance

Located in Burlington, Massachusetts, Nuance provides speech recognition software that can be used by both students and teachers. The company’s Dragon Speech Recognition product can transcribe up to 160 words per minute, aiding students who have difficulty writing or typing. The tool also supports verbal commands for document navigation, which is essential for students with accessibility needs.

Dragon offers many more features, including the ability to dictate lesson plans, curriculum, worksheets, reading lists, and more at speeds three times faster than typing, all while achieving 99% accuracy.

Here are some key features of Nuance’s Dragon:

  • Accessibility features supporting verbal commands
  • Voice assessment of students’ work
  • Dictate work in class with 99% accuracy

You can find the top 10 AI tools for education here.

Details

Website

www.unite.ai/bg

Target audience

Digital skills for all

Digital skills for ICT professionals

Digital skills in education

Digital technology

Artificial intelligence

Digital Skills

Level

Middle

Type of the educational resource

Other educational materials

Language of the educational resource

Bulgarian

Country providing the educational resource

Bulgaria