From January 22-24, 2025, a round table on 'Information Technologies in the Educational Process' took place in Kostenez as part of the administrative and scientific seminar organized by the University of Library Studies and Information Technologies (UniBIT). The event brought together researchers, educators, and experts in the field of education and digital technologies to discuss innovations and challenges in the application of information technologies in the learning process.

The forum was officially opened by Prof. Irena Peteva and Prof. Stoyan Denchev, who emphasized the importance of digitalization in education and the need to adapt curricula to modern technological requirements.

Key highlights of the program included discussions on:

• Opportunities for using digital resources in education;

• The role of artificial intelligence in university library activities;

• Information technologies in the education of students specializing in cultural and historical heritage;

• Ethical aspects of cybersecurity in the educational process.

The event provided an opportunity for intensive knowledge exchange and best practices, with a key contribution within the Excellcity project coming from the special thematic panel 'Excellcity – Strategy for Research & Innovation.' This session featured presentations on a SWOT analysis of UniBIT's research and innovation strategy, good international practices, and guidelines for the future development of the institutional research strategy.

The seminar concluded with practical workshops aimed at supporting PhD students and young researchers in publishing scientific papers with impact factor.

The Excellcity project continues to promote collaboration between the academic community and the business sector, creating innovative solutions for smart education and sustainable development.

• 21.01.2025 - 24.01.2025

The Agenda is HERE!

As part of the ExcellCity project, a team of nine researchers from ULSIT, Sofia Development Association, and Virtech took part in a short-term mobility program at the University of Murcia in January 2025.

The program included lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on workshops on key technologies for smart cities, such as digital twins, decentralized AI models, and multi-agent systems. Participants explored real-world applications of FIWARE-based solutions in agribusiness, precision agriculture, water resource management, and energy efficiency. They also gained insights into the deployment of LoRaWAN and 5G infrastructures for smart city development.

One of the key highlights of the visit was the Integrated City Monitoring Center, which collects data from thousands of sensors and integrates over 300 different systems. The team learned about Murcia’s smart city strategy from 2016 to the present, including planned upgrades for 2024 and beyond.

In addition, the delegation established new contacts with the University of Murcia’s International Relations Office, paving the way for future Erasmus+ faculty and student exchanges, as well as joint educational and research projects. The visit concluded with a meeting with the Mayor of Murcia, José Francisco Ballesta Germán, who shared the city’s approach to smart specialization and key lessons that could benefit Sofia’s urban development.

• 13.01.2025 - 17.01.2025

📌 Stay tuned for more updates on our progress at excellcity.unibit.bg

From December 16 to 19, 2024, as part of the Excellcity project: STRENGTHENING THE SCIENTIFIC EXCELLENCE AND INNOVATION CAPACITY IN THE AREA OF SMART CITY THROUGH TWINNING, BG-RRP-2.005-0003, the forum “Excellcity: Open Doors Week at ULSIT” was held at the Faculty of Information Sciences.

The event, organized under the framework of the Excellcity project, attracted significant interest from teachers, students, and representatives of school management teams partnering with ULSIT. During the forum, two memoranda of cooperation were signed between ULSIT and two schools: 31st High School with Advanced Study in Foreign Languages "Ivan Vazov" and the Telecommunications Vocational High School in Sofia.

Around 350 students from leading schools across the country had the opportunity to explore ULSIT’s educational programs, state-of-the-art laboratories, and innovative faculty projects.

The event program included visits to the following schools:

• 👉Day 1: 29th High School "Kuzman Shapkarev"
• 👉Day 2: 31st High School with Advanced Study in Foreign Languages "Ivan Vazov"
• 👉Day 3: 26th High School "Yordan Yovkov" and Vocational School of Electrical Engineering "A. S. Popov" – Devin
• 👉Day 4: Telecommunications Vocational High School – Sofia

During the Open Doors Week, students toured ULSIT’s laboratories, including:

• ✔️IBM Lab
• ✔️LibLab
• ✔️UNESCO Interfaculty Chair
• ✔️AI&VR Lab
• ✔️SoftLab
• ✔️Robotics Club

The event featured exciting demonstrations, hands-on tasks, and conversations with ULSIT lecturers and students, who highlighted the benefits of studying at the university, the opportunities for mobility under the Erasmus+ program, and the importance of innovation in education.

The " Excellcity: Open Doors Week," organized as a key initiative of the Excellcity project, reaffirmed ULSIT's commitment to fostering innovation, practical training, and collaboration with secondary schools in Bulgaria.

• 16.12.2024 - 19.12.2024

On December 9-10, 2024, the winter seminar "FIWARE in Action" took place at the University of Library Studies and Information Technologies (ULSIT), Sofia, organized in execution of the ExcellCity project. The event brought together leading experts, researchers, and practitioners in the field of smart cities and digital innovations.

Program Highlights:

• Interoperability and MIMS – Presentation of key mechanisms for interoperability in the European context.
• Context Brokers and Smart Data Models – Demonstrations of Orion and Scorpio, including NGSI-LD standards.
• Hands-on Workshop with FIWARE and Node-RED for integrating sensors and IoT agents.
• Security and Access Management – Presentations on M2M security, API management, and user roles.
• Artificial Intelligence and Smart City Applications – Focus on local digital twins and data from the Living-in EU Initiative.

Key Speakers:

• Jose Luis Benitez Moreno (FIWARE)
• Vincent Maurice Demortier (FIWARE)
• Ilari Mikkonen (FIWARE)

The seminar offered a combination of theoretical sessions, practical demonstrations, and interactive workshops, providing participants with new knowledge and skills on FIWARE applications in smart cities. Special attention was given to case studies such as bike station management, positive energy districts, and environmental risk mitigation.

We extend our gratitude to all participants, speakers, and organizers for their dedication and contributions to the success of the event!

December 9-10, 2024
University of Library Studies and Information Technologies (ULSIT), Sofia, Bulgaria

FIWARE, in partnership with ExcellCity, is pleased to present the winter seminar "FIWARE IN ACTION", which will take place on December 9-10, 2024, in Sofia. The event will bring together leading experts, researchers, and practitioners in the field of smart cities and digital innovations.

The seminar will feature:

• An introduction to interoperability and MIMS, focusing on the European context and key organizations such as FIWARE and OASC.
• Demonstrations of Smart Data Models and Context Brokers (Orion and Scorpio).
• A hands-on workshop on integrating sensors with IoT agents using FIWARE and Node-RED.
• Sessions on security and access management, with highlights on API management and M2M security.
• Presentations of AI tools for data analysis and their applications in projects like Local Digital Twins.
• Case studies: bike station management, positive energy districts, and environmental risk mitigation.

Key Speakers:

• Jose Luis Benitez Moreno
• Vincent Maurice Demortier
• Ilari Mikkonen

Venue:
ULSIT, 69A Shipchenski Prohod Blvd., Sofia, Bulgaria, Hall 211

We are delighted to share that the ExcellCity 2024 Winter School, held from October 22 to 26, 2024, at the University of Library Studies and Information Technologies (ULSIT) in Sofia, was a resounding success.

The event brought together leading experts, educators, and young researchers from across Europe to discuss the latest innovations and advancements in smart city technologies. This year’s theme was "Advanced Multiagent Systems for Smart Cities", and the program included both theoretical sessions and hands-on workshops.

Speakers:

• Prof. Antonio Skarmeta, PhD (University of Murcia, Spain)
• Assoc. Prof. Juan Sánchez Valverde, PhD (University of Murcia, Spain)
• Dr. Aurora González Vidal (University of Murcia, Spain)
• Assoc. Prof. Denis Chikurtev, PhD (ULSIT)

Key Highlights:

• Introduction to the FIWARE concept for smart cities.
• Training on "PySpark" and contextual multiagent systems.
• Masterclasses on big data in IoT, algorithms, and projects such as ENTROPY and BAMBU.
• Workshops on application development for water resource management and energy efficiency.

Participants highly valued the balance between theoretical knowledge and practical skills, as well as the opportunities for establishing new partnerships and collaborations.

The closing discussion on October 26 gathered ideas to strengthen ULSIT’s research capacity and define the next steps in the ExcellCity project.

Thank you to all participants and speakers for their contributions to the successful realization of the event!

Dear Partners and Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to participate in the 2024 ExcellCity Winter School, which will be held from October 22 to 26, 2024, at the University of Library Studies and Information Technologies (ULSIT) in Sofia, Bulgaria, Hall 209, 69A Shipchenski Prohod Blvd.

This year’s Winter School focuses on "Advanced Multiagent Systems for Smart Cities", offering exciting workshops and discussions centered around innovations in smart city technologies.

The program features leading experts in the field:

• Prof. Antonio Skarmeta, PhD (University of Murcia, Spain)
• Assoc. Prof. Juan Sánchez Valverde, PhD (University of Murcia, Spain)
• PhD Aurora González Vidal (University of Murcia, Spain)
• Assoc. Prof. Denis Chikurtev. PhD (ULSIT)

Program Highlights:

October 22, 2024, Tuesday
13:00-16:00 – FIWARE Concept and Ecosystem for Smart Cities

October 23, 2024, Wednesday
09:00-16:00 – Contextual Multiagent Systems in Smart Cities. Hands-on Training: "PySpark"

October 24, 2024, Thursday
09:00-16:00 – Masterclass: Data Analysis and Management Systems. Big Data Algorithms in IoT and IoT Agent Programming
Masterclass: ENTROPY Project on Energy Efficiency and Water Resource Management (BAMBU Project)

October 25, 2024, Friday
09:00-16:00 – Mini Projects and Masterclass: BAMBU Project on Water Resource Management

October 26, 2024, Saturday
10:00-13:00 – Final Discussion: Building UniBIT’s Research Capacity and the Development of the ExcellCity Project

The program strikes a balance between theoretical knowledge and practical skills, aiming to reinforce key concepts in the realm of smart cities. The Winter School also provides opportunities for informal meetings and discussions about potential joint projects, which will strengthen partnerships between our teams.

We eagerly await your participation!
For additional questions, please feel free to contact us:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. & This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Discover the full event program below.

From June 2 to June 7, 2024, the Seventeenth International Travelling Seminar of the University of Library Studies and Information Technologies (ULSIT) will take place at the University of Messina, Sicily. The main theme of the event is "Modern Dimensions of the European Educational Space", bringing together representatives of the academic community from Bulgaria and Italy.

On June 6, Excellcity will be featured in a special session dedicated to smart cities and innovations in knowledge management. Several key presentations will be delivered within this session, including:

• "Cyber Threats and AI Solutions in Smart Grids: A Holistic Approach" – Chief Assist. Prof. Lyubomir Gotsev, PhD, and Assoc. Prof. Boyan Jekov, PhD (ULSIT)
• "Data Fusion in Smart City" – Prof. Magdalena Garvanova, PhD (ULSIT)
• "Media Morphosis and Steganography in the Intelligent City" – Senior Assist. Prof. Evelina Zdravkova, PhD, Prof. Tereza Trencheva, PhD, and PhD Candidate Elena Simova (ULSIT)
• "Conceptual and Logical Model of a Smart City" – Dr. Snezhana Petrova and Prof. Georgi Dimitrov, PhD (ULSIT)
• "Excellcity at ULSIT – Challenges and Risks" – Prof. Eugenia Kovatcheva, PhD (ULSIT)

The discussions will address contemporary challenges and opportunities for smart cities, including the integration of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and knowledge management in urban environments.

The event is expected to gather university representatives, researchers, and industry professionals, fostering idea exchange and best practices in the field of smart cities.

Stay tuned for more updates and a summary of the most important highlights from the event!

For the full event program, visit: HERE.

• 02.06.2024 - 07.06.2024

On May 22, 2024, the University of Library Studies and Information Technologies (ULSIT) organized and hosted the forum "Excellent Education for Capacity Building in Smart City Based on Applied AI," initiated by the project "Enhancing Scientific and Innovation Capacity in the Smart City through Twinning" – ExcellCity. The forum brought together Japanese expertise in education, the applied aspects of artificial intelligence, and smart technologies.

The forum was opened by Prof. Dr. Irena Peteva, Rector of ULSIT, who, in her welcoming speech, emphasized that UniBIT's work on research projects with international partners and the exchange of experience and knowledge turn the university into a repository of history and an incubator of ideas for the future of the smart city.

A special guest at the event was His Excellency Hisashi Michigami, Ambassador of Japan to the Republic of Bulgaria, accompanied by Kento Muraki, Cultural Attaché at the diplomatic mission. In his address, Ambassador Michigami highlighted that despite the geographical distance, the peoples of Bulgaria and Japan are very close in spirit. He emphasized the shared values and interests, as well as the respect for education, culture, history, and centuries-old traditions.

The seminar became a platform for presenting best practices for synergy between research and education. Topics such as transforming the university into a research institution and building human capacity in this direction were discussed. The program also included presentations on opportunities for integrating UniBIT into the smart city infrastructure and the role of artificial intelligence in universities.

The event concluded with a training session on intelligent teaching based on research, where students, doctoral candidates, and academic staff of UniBIT were introduced to the seven principles of intelligent teaching and the rubrics for assessment and their applications.

Participants in the forum shared that the seminar provided them with a valuable opportunity for exchanging knowledge and experience, contributing to the development of education and research in the field of smart cities and applied artificial intelligence.