Burgas Digital 2025: Artificial Intelligence, Innovation and Digital Transformation

On October 17, 2025, the International Congress Center in Burgas became the stage for the largest event on artificial intelligence and digital innovation in Southeast Bulgaria – Burgas Digital 2025. Under the motto “Compute the Future”, the conference brought together representatives from business, the public sector, academia, and the tech community to discuss real-world applications of AI, innovation, and digital transformation.

The event was organized by DIGIHUB, Burgas Municipality, Sofia Tech Park, ARC Fund, Vivacom and AIBEST, with the support of key partners from industry and the scientific community.

Official Opening: Policies, Vision and Direction

Burgas Digital 2025 was opened with welcoming remarks by Zornitsa Rusinova, Chair of the Economic and Social Council, Mihail Nenov, Deputy Mayor of Burgas Municipality, Petko Georgiev, Chair of DIGIHUB’s Board, Ruslan Stefanov from ARC Consulting, and Mihail Iliev from Sofia Tech Park.
All speakers emphasized that Burgas continues to be a leading hub of the digital economy, where local authorities, business, and academia work in synergy toward sustainable growth and innovation adoption.

The keynote speech was delivered by Martin Danovski, Deputy Minister of Innovation and Growth, who outlined Bulgaria’s national priorities for innovation and technology transfer up to 2040.

Panel I: National Strategies for Innovation and Technology Transfer

Moderated by Georgi Nenov, creator of the podcast The Superhuman, the first panel focused on sustainable policies and the role of public-private partnerships.
Panelists included Stanimir Apostolov (Burgas Municipality), Ruslan Stefanov (ARC Consulting), Natalia Georgieva (AIBEST), and Prof. Simeon Stoyanov (Discoverer Petascale Supercomputer Consortium), who emphasized the need for national coordination and access to supercomputing infrastructure as a key factor in accelerating innovation.

Panel II: Artificial Intelligence and Digital Industries – From Lab to Market

The second panel highlighted practical applications of AI and digital technologies in real business contexts.
Participants included Andon Simeonov (SoftServe), Hristo Kovachev and Stoyan Nikolov (DIGIHUB), Mihail Iliev (Sofia Tech Park), and Gerasim Slavov (Innovation AMP).

Stoyan Nikolov presented the concept for the new DIGIHUB Laboratory Complex – a space for testing, validation, and implementation of innovative solutions, providing SMEs and public organizations with access to modern equipment, expertise, and IoT infrastructure. Hristo Kovachev introduced the “Digital Accelerator” program – a 5-step model for assessing digital maturity, AI/IoT/cybersecurity training, and certification of acquired skills aimed at SMEs.

Panel III: Ecosystems and Applications of Emerging Technologies

The third panel explored how partnerships between industry, academia, and entrepreneurs are shaping the new digital economy.
The panel featured Lyudmil Daskalov (Legrand Bulgaria), Angel Angelov (Innovation Capital), Tugbek Olek (Turkish Game Developers Association), Sergey Punchev (BGDA), Daniela Aleksieva (Innovation Systems – Burgas), Ivan Draganov (GATE Institute), and Kaloyan Borovinov (VIVACOM).

Highlights included:

• METACITIES – smart urban planning through digital twins and metaverse applications;
• GATE – AI applications in society and industry;
• 5GEDGE4HEALTH – a new European project for transforming pediatric healthcare, presented by VIVACOM and DIGIHUB.

The 5GEDGE4HEALTH project, co-funded by the EU under CEF-DIG-2023-5GSMARTCOM-EDGE, aims to provide access to advanced pediatric services through 5G, AI, and telemedicine. The initiative will establish a coordination center at St. Anastasia Hospital, mobile 5G units in 34 municipalities, and a telemedicine lab at “Prof. Dr. Assen Zlatarov” University – an example of how innovation can truly improve quality of life in the region.

Panel IV: The Entrepreneur’s Tour – Burgas Stop

The final panel, part of the national initiative “The Entrepreneur’s Tour”, was dedicated to young leaders and innovators.
It featured Elitsa Mollov (Sofia Tech Park), Alex Zhelyazkov (Junior Achievement), and Gerasim Slavov (Innovation AMP), who showcased real examples of startups, incubation programs, and paths to commercialization of research results.

AI Expo: Technology That Inspires

Alongside the panels, guests could explore the AI Expo Zone, featuring solutions from companies and organizations specializing in artificial intelligence, robotics, automation, and cybersecurity.
The event offered over 50 B2B meeting opportunities and more than 10 exhibitors showcasing innovations from Bulgaria and the region.

Burgas – A Laboratory for the Future

With Burgas Digital 2025, the city reaffirmed its position as a national epicenter of digital transformation.
Partnerships between DIGIHUB, Burgas Municipality, Sofia Tech Park, ARC Fund, VIVACOM, AIBEST, and academic institutions proved that the innovation ecosystem of Southeast Bulgaria is ready to create, implement, and share solutions with European impact.

Burgas Digital 2025 sent a clear message: The future is computed today – with vision, technology, and community.