Outlines:

In the spirit of strengthened bilateral cooperation between Bulgaria and Japan, these two interconnected events convene leading voices from government, academia, and industry to explore shared opportunities at the intersection of Digital Twins, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, and Data Spaces.

The events build upon the positive momentum of the Joint Statement on the Establishment of Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Bulgaria and Japan, signed on 20th May 2025 in Tokyo by President of Bulgaria Rumen Radev and Prime Minister of Japan Shigeru Ishiba. This high-level agreement highlights a mutual commitment to deepen digital cooperation and celebrates the strategic academic partnership between the GATE Institute (Bulgaria) and the Center for Computational Sciences (CCS), University of Tsukuba (Japan), as a key pillar of this vision.

Together, the two-day programme will strengthen institutional ties, promote co-creation, and advance collaborative agendas for sustainable, digital, and resilient urban futures.

Date and Venue

Day 1: 29 August 2025 | 13:00–18:30 JST, 7:00–12:30 EEST
International Conference Hall, University of Tsukuba
Day 2: 30 August 2025 | 9:30–12:30 JST
Bulgarian Pavilion, Expo 2025 Osaka

Program

Day1

“Digital Synergies: Bulgaria–Japan Dialogue on Digital Twins, AI, Data Spaces & Urban Futures”
A high-level academic and policy forum focused on technological cooperation in smart cities and digital innovation.
Language: English

Time (JST)	Activity	Details / Highlights	Person in Charge / Speaker
Chair: Dr. VITANOVA Lidia, GATE Institute
13:00 –13:05	Opening & Welcome	Introductory remarks by organisers and diplomatic representatives	Prof. OHNEDA Osamu, Vice President, the University of Tsukuba
			Prof. ILIEVA Sylvia, Director of the GATE Institute
			H. E. Ms. ARABADJIEVA Marieta, Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria to Japan
			Embassy of Japan in Bulgaria (TBA)
13:05 –13:20	Presentation	Introduction of the CCS and the University of Tsukuba	Prof. SHIGETA Yasuteru, Director of the Center for Computational Sciences (CCS), the University of Tsukuba
13:20 –13:35	Presentation	Introduction of the GATE Institute	Prof. PETROVA-ANTONOVA Dessislava, Lead of Future Cities Group, GATE Institute
13:35 –13:50	Presentation	Invest in Bulgaria	Ms. NENOVA Mila, Executive Director, Invest Bulgaria Agency
13:50 –14:05	Presentation	Bulgaria as a leading innovation hub in Europe	H. E. Ms. ARABADJIEVA Marieta, Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria to Japan
14:05 –14:20	Presentation	TBA	Ms. SOGAWA Yuka, Senior Deputy Director (Director of Project PLATEAU), International and Digital Policy Division, City Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Japan
14:20 –14:35	Presentation	Bridging Japan and Bulgaria: Empowering Startups for Global Expansion — JETRO’s Role in Connecting Innovation Across Borders	Mr. KAWACHI Akira, Chief Director of JETRO Ibaraki
14:35 –14:50	Presentation	Driving Digital Transformation at Local Level in Bulgaria	Ms. DOCHEVA Yana, Team Lead “Strategic Development of Municipalities” National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria
14:50 –15:05	Presentation	Transformative Challenges for Tsukuba Super Science City	Prof. SUZUKI Kenji, Dean of the Institute of Systems and Information Engineering, University of Tsukuba Advisor, City of Tsukuba (online)
15:05 –15:15	Break
Chair: prof. DOAN Quang-Van, CCS, University of Tsukuba
15:15 –15:30	Presentation	Urban Digital Twins for a Sustainable Future	Prof. KOEVA Mila, Vice Dean Research, ITC Faculty Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation, University of Twente (online)
15:30 –15:45	Presentation	NTT DATA’s AI Strategy Toward the Realization of Agentic AI	Mr. MORI Koya, Senior Manager, NTT DATA Group Corporation
15:45 –16:00	Presentation	From Data to Trust: The Bulgaria–Japan Ecosystem Approach	Mr. KRUSTEFF Iskren, CEO, Scalator
16:00 –16:30	Live Demonstrations	Showcase of Digital Twins, AI, Data Spaces & Urban Futures Applications	Mr. SHIRINYAN Evgeny, Experienced Researcher, GATE Institute Prof. KAMEDA Yoshinari, CCS, University of Tsukuba
16:30 –16:50	Expert Panel Discussion	Synergising Academia, Government & Business for Digital Urban Futures	Prof. SHIGETA Yasuteru, Director of the Center for Computational Sciences (CCS), the University of Tsukuba  Prof. PETROVA-ANTONOVA Dessislava, Lead of Future Cities Group, GATE Institute Mr. KAWACHI Akira, Chief Director of JETRO Ibaraki TBA (expert 4)
16:50 –17:00	Closing Remarks & Summary	Key takeaways and next steps for collaboration	Prof. SHIGETA Yasuteru, Director of the Center for Computational Sciences (CCS), the University of Tsukuba  Prof. ILIEVA Sylvia, Director of the GATE Institute H. E. Ms. ARABADJIEVA Marieta, Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria to Japan
17:00 –18:30	Networking & Bilateral Dialogue Sessions	Structured networking and bilateral cooperation discussions	Organising Committees (GATE & CCS)

Organisers & Hosts

GATE Institute, Bulgaria
Center for Computational Sciences (CCS), University of Tsukuba, Japan
Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Tokyo

Supporting organisations

Ministry of Education and Science, Bulgaria
Ministry of Innovation and Growth, Bulgaria
Ministry of Economy and Industry, Bulgaria
Japan External Trade Organization

Day2

“Academic Days of the GATE Institute”
Language: English

The Academic Days will spotlight the cutting-edge research and technological leadership of the GATE Institute, Bulgaria and the Center for Computational Sciences (CCS), Japan, showcasing their pivotal roles in shaping the future of AI, Data Spaces, Big Data and Urban Digital Twins. This dynamic event aims to catalyse cross-sector collaboration among academic, governmental, and industry stakeholders from Europe, Japan, and beyond.

Program Highlights:

Immersive Introductory Movie – Discover GATE’s core missions and innovation roadmaps
Interactive Exhibition and Discussion – GATE’s and CCS’s focus areas and highlights global collaboration, with emphasis on the strong Bulgarian-Japanese partnership
Visual show of the Bulgarian Pavilion

Time (JST)	Activity	Details / Highlights	Person in charge
09:30 – 11:30	Academic Day 2 session	The details for each session are shown below (total sessions: 8 sessions x 15 min)	All
6 min	Visual show	Visual show of the Bulgarian pavilion	Mr. Kostov, Manager of the Bulgarian pavilion Dr. Lidia Vitanova, GATE Institute
1 min	Welcome & Opening Remarks	Brief welcome and introduction	Prof. Dessislava Petrova-Antonova, GATE Institute
1 min	Welcome & Opening Remarks	Brief welcome and introduction	Prof. Shigeta Yasuteru, Director of the Center for Computational Sciences (CCS), the University of Tsukuba
3 min	Interactive Movie and Presentation	Interactive Movie and Introduction of the GATE Institute and the CCS, University of Tsukuba	Prof. Dessislava Petrova-Antonova, GATE Institute Dr. Lidia Vitanova, GATE Institute
4 min	Exhibition Walkthrough	Showcasing projects and activities between the GATE Institute and the CCS, University of Tsukuba	Rotation between: Prof. Shigeta, CCS Prof. Boku, CCS Prof. Dessislava Petrova-Antonova, GATE Institute Prof. Kusaka, CCS Prof. Doan, CCS Dr. Lidia Vitanova, GATE Institute
11:30 – 11:40	Photo Spot / Group Picture	Official group photo	All (Closed)
11:40 – 12:20	Networking (Lunch)	Networking at the round table 2F at the Bulgarian pavilion	All (Closed)
12:20 – 12:30	Closing & Next Steps	Summary of outcomes and invitation to follow-up engagements	All (Closed)

Registration

Please complete your participation registration via the link below.
Register by August 27 for online participation.
*Registration for Networking & Bilateral Dialogue Sessions will close on August 22.
*Registration is free, and the fee for the Networking & Bilateral Dialogue Sessions on August 29 will be ~~7,000 JPY~~ for non-students: 5,000 JPY, students: 3,000 JPY.
*Please prepare your own Expo admission ticket for participation on August 30.
>> Registration

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