On January 29, 2026, a television crew from Alpha TV Cyprus visited the Center of Excellence UNITe building, where they filmed footage of the center’s activities and conducted interviews with representatives of the UNITe team.
The upcoming television production, which focuses on three benchmark national projects in the field of EU cohesion policy, will also feature the Sofia Metropolitan and the Center of Excellence in Mechatronics and Clean Technologies at the Technical University of Sofia. The final goal is to produce several short films presenting three representative projects of EU cohesion policy each in Cyprus, Bulgaria and Romania.
In response to questions related to the impact of European funding, integration into scientific networks, and the strategic goals of the Center of Excellence UNITe, the administrative director of the project Assoc. Prof. Elissaveta Gourova emphasized that support under the EU’s cohesion policy has significantly strengthened the research capacity of Sofia University, increased its attractiveness to young scientists, and contributed to the modernization of education and scientific infrastructure. Among the key results is the creation of a high-performance computing cluster, which is used by students and doctoral students for research and innovation in areas such as artificial intelligence, big data, and modeling, as well as for expanding cooperation with business and the public sector. In her words, integration into European research and innovation networks is an essential factor for increasing the competitiveness of the Bulgarian economy. Participation in such partnerships provides access to cutting-edge knowledge, infrastructure and funding, supports technology transfer, promotes the development of small and medium-sized enterprises, and facilitates the implementation of solutions related to artificial intelligence, digitalization, and the Green transition, while contributing to the development of workforce expertise and skills. In this context, UNITe’s main mission is to consolidate its position as a leading scientific organization in the field of informatics and ICT and to achieve wider international recognition. Among the priorities are attracting and retaining talented researchers, strengthening cooperation between partners and with external organizations, developing technology transfer, and actively participating in European scientific networks in areas such as high-performance computing, big data, and artificial intelligence, as well as supporting the implementation of data-based solutions in various sectors of the economy and public life.
According to Dr. Dilyan Georgiev from the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics at Sofia University, the technologies that have the greatest impact on society are artificial intelligence, the Internet and IoT connectivity, as well as genetic engineering, which are currently the most transformative. These technologies are transforming healthcare, industry, education, and the way people work and communicate. Artificial intelligence, data analytics, and cloud solutions enable the processing of vast amounts of information and support decision-making across all sectors. He adds robotics, biotechnology, renewable energy, and modern battery technologies to the key areas of great social and economic importance.
The selection of projects was made by the Cypriot partners based on publicly available information from the ISUN 2020 (Information System for Management and Monitoring of EU Funds in Bulgaria 2020) registers, within the framework of the project work packages “Signs of Cohesion Policy in Cyprus, Bulgaria, and Romania”. The presentation of the three Bulgarian benchmark projects is carried out under the IMREG program “Information Measures for the EU Cohesion Policy,” which is managed by the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) of the European Commission. The current project, “Signs of Cohesion Policy”, is coordinated by the Cypriot organization Aspon Consulting with the participation of the Bulgarian academic foundation “Prof. Dr. Minko Rusenov” and the Romanian Asotiatia SIMO, while the Cypriot television channel Alpha is the media partner.
The project, which brings together five universities and one association, is being implemented with a total budget of €15.227 million, of which €12.943 million is European co-funding, within the 2014–2020 programming period. In the period 2021–2027, the Center will receive additional support amounting to €8.027 million, including €6.823 million in European co-funding, which will ensure the sustainability and continuation of the activities.
The budgets for all three projects are co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
The Center of Excellence UNITe would like to express special thanks to the journalist Evangelia Nikolaou and the camera operators Christos Kyriakou and Doros Kakouris from Alpha TV Cyprus for their professionalism and excellent work during the filming and the interviews.
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