The new scholarship recipients of the EXPLORER programme at the Institute for Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Technology (INSAIT) were presented at an official ceremony at the Council of Ministers on Monday. The programme provides opportunities for outstanding Bulgarian talents in mathematics, computer science, artificial intelligence, and the natural sciences to continue their education and development in Bulgaria at a world-class level.
This year, 15 young talents have been selected for the programme’s third edition – more than in the previous editions of EXPLORER combined. The programme provides the selected students with scholarships of just over EUR 1,000 per month and the opportunity, even while still in school, to combine their studies at the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics at Sofia University with research work at INSAIT and practical experience at leading technology companies that fund the initiative.
Attending the ceremony were Prime Minister Rumen Radev, Minister of Education and Science Georgi Valchev, the Rector of the St Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia, Prof. Eliza Stefanova, the Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics, Prof. Maya Stoyanova, Prof. Martin Vechev, founder and Scientific Director of INSAIT, and INSAIT Executive Director Borislav Petrov.
Prime Minister Radev said that INSAIT, established just a few years ago, had a clear strategic goal: to advance artificial intelligence and high technology in Bulgaria. In just a few years, this goal has been surpassed. “What you are all doing together – INSAIT, Sofia University, the Olympic movement, Bulgarian schools, and innovative Bulgarian companies – is propelling Bulgaria into a new orbit,” Radev added. He noted that while just ten years ago a country’s power was measured by the size of its industry and financial capacity, with the advancement of artificial intelligence, a nation’s economic potential is now measured by its talent, its research in artificial intelligence, and the models it develops. “These are profound, fundamental changes, and I am pleased that Bulgaria, through this exceptionally effective symbiosis and the strong ecosystem that has been built around INSAIT, is now at the centre of this process,” Radev added.
Minister Valchev said that the third edition of the EXPLORER programme shows that Bulgaria cares for its young minds. He called on the scholarship recipients to be bold and become a shining example for those who come after you. “Someone along your path has supported you – those are your parents; someone has opened a door you did not even know existed – those are your teachers. Do this so that Bulgaria can take its rightful place in the world,” he added.
The Rector of Sofia University said that in Bulgaria, “we have the opportunity to create world-class conditions for the development of science for our young Bulgarian talents and minds.” “We believe that you are the country’s future technology leaders who will ensure that Bulgaria becomes not only a regional but also a global centre for innovation,” she told the scholarship recipients. In her words, the EXPLORER programme is a synergy that unites the academic traditions and authority of the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics, the exceptional scientific strength of INSAIT, and the commitment of the Bulgarian State and the business community, which supports the development of science.
INSAIT founder Vechev said that over the past 40 years, there has been a belief in Bulgaria that, in order for talented Bulgarian children to develop to a world-class level and fulfill their potential, they must go abroad to elite Western universities – and that is what has been happening. Now, with the EXPLORER programme, this basic assumption is no longer true or valid, and talented Bulgarian children can stay in Bulgaria and receive an education at a level that is equivalent to and comparable with that of leading Western universities, he noted. To fulfill this mission, INSAIT’s EXPLORER programme brings together the best that Bulgaria has to offer in the fields of artificial intelligence and computer science. The programme has been running for three years now and the results are evident, Vechev said, giving an example with Maria Drencheva, who was part of the programme’s first cohort. Her results place her in the top 0.01% of students at the world’s most elite institutions, he underscored.
Drencheva also welcomed the programme’s new scholarship recipients. “Three years ago, I made this choice, and I am sure you have received tempting offers from universities all over the world. I congratulate you on your decision to stay and develop your careers in Bulgaria,” she said. “I assure you that if you make the most of the opportunities at INSAIT, you will achieve great success here. Proof of this is that many of our scholarship recipients have already presented papers at international conferences,” added Drencheva.
The Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics (FMI) at Sofia University expressed the belief that that with the scholarship recipients’ decision to stay in Bulgaria, they will make the faculty a better and even more elite place for acquiring high-quality fundamental knowledge, which, with the help of their mentors, they will apply to develop practical skills to advance artificial intelligence and address the challenges of today.
New Scholarship Recipients of INSAIT’s EXPLORER Programme Introduced at Official Ceremony THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-10-05 09:29:00
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