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.

Dear colleagues, Dear students and PhD students,

The University of Library Studies and Information Technologies is pleased to invite you to become part of the forum "Excellent Education for Capacity Building in Smart City Based on applied AI", which will take place on May 22, 2024.

The event promises to reveal new horizons in the field of smart cities and artificial intelligence! Its program includes:

• 👉 Japanese experience in education and intelligent solutions - Ambassador of Japan to Bulgaria
• 👉 Results from the Global Education Summit EDUsummIT’2022-2023, Kyoto, 2023
• 👉 ExcellCity at UniBIT
•  - Strategies for scientific research and innovations,
•  - Intelligent infrastructure
•  - and Research-based training and experiments
• 👉 An exciting glimpse into the future of applied artificial intelligence
• Join us to share knowledge and experience and explore opportunities for future projects and collaborations. Discover the program and more information about the event at the link provided! We look forward to seeing you!

Find the agenda: https://excellcity.unibit.bg/images/events/Program-22.05.2024.pdf 

Register here: https://forms.gle/bq7RM5Ehc9vszSqt7

Excellcity Team

On April 25 – 26, a team from the ExcellCity project participated with a presentation at the national scientific-practical conference "Second National Scientific-Practical Conference on the Digital Transformation of Education - Issues and Solutions," organized by Ruse University. The presentation, titled "Challenges and Risks in Managing Digital Transformation in an Academic Environment," was co-authored by Prof. Eugenia Kovatcheva, PhD, Hristo Tsolov, Deyan Matev, PhD, and Dobromir Dinev. The full program of the event can be found at https://www.conf-dte.bg/programme.html.

• Category Title

Excellcity team researchers participated in the organization and conduct of the XII National Seminar with International Participation on the topic: "Intellectual Property - Creativity, Innovation, and Sustainable Development," dedicated to World Intellectual Property Day (April 26). From the podium of the forum, they presented the mission, goals, and tasks of the project, emphasizing the role of intellectual property in the contemporary digital world.

• 26.04.2024

In accordance with the project "ExcellCity: Strengthening scientific achievements and capacity for innovation in the field of smart city through twinning" and with the assistance of the University of Library Science and Information Technology (ULSIT), a career forum for students is organized with the participation of more than 40 companies and organizations in it. The forum was opened by the rector of the university - Prof. D.Sc. Irena Peteva, who expressed her excitement at the scale and great interest on the part of ULSIT graduates. She noted that the event promises to establish itself as a tradition and expressed readiness for future partnerships with potential frame users.

Among the official guests were Judge Alexander Angelov - Chairman of the Sofia District Court, Judge Violeta Parpulova - Deputy Chairman of the Sofia District Court and Head of the Criminal Division, Mihaela Ilieva - Head of the "Public Activities and Cooperation" Department in the department of justice. She works in an institute at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as Lidiya Daskalova - a junior expert in the Higher Education Directorate at the Ministry of Education and Science (MES).

More than 40 organizations took part in this year's edition of "Career Days in the Smart City", including ministries, state administration, leading IT companies, libraries, publishing houses, banks, insurance companies, non-governmental organizations and numerous private companies.

Official partners of the event were the companies IBM Bulgaria, Samex EOOD and Sugarland EOOD, whose representatives were also present. IBM and SAMEX provided catering for all participants and guests on the ground floor of the building, and Sugarland prepared specially branded gingerbread for all participating companies.

The career forum "Career Days in the Smart City" enjoys great interest from students and PhD students who come to find their niche for career fulfillment. Queues of eager students wound up the stairs leading to the hall where the official opening of the event took place.

Company representatives noted that the event provided excellent networking and career opportunities for ULSIT students. Many students shared after the forum that they found organizations where they plan to start their internship.

There was also interest in the career development stand of the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency - mainly from students studying in the specialties "Archivistics", "Library Science" and in the field of national security and cybercrimes. ULSIT graduates have expressed a desire to both participate in the internship programs of the "BTA School" and to start relevant work in the agency.

With gratitude to all participants, sponsors and partners, ULSIT as part of the ExcellCity project continues its mission to support the professional development of its students and create opportunities for them.

• 03.04.2024

The organization of a career forum for students is planned under the project "ExcelCity: Strengthening scientific achievements and capacity for innovation in the field of smart city through twinning" and with the assistance of the University of Library Science and Information Technology (ULSIT).

The participation of more than 40 companies and organizations is planned to offer internships and forms for the development of young students. Among them are companies and organizations such as IBM Bulgaria, Samex EOOD and Sugarland EOOD, as well as chairmen of the Sofia District Court and BTA.