site.btaUPDATED Sofia's INSAIT Institute for Computer Sciences and AI Awards Grants to Eight Students to Keep Them in Bulgaria

The first eight students awarded grants under the EXPLORER programme of the Institute for Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, and Technology (INSAIT) were presented at the St Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia on Tuesday. The aim of the programme is to keep the most talented high schoolers in mathematics and computer science in Bulgaria. Eligible to receive grants are graduates of high schools of mathematics and natural sciences across the country who have been admitted to renowned universities abroad but have chosen to study at Sofia University (SU) under INSAIT's EXPLORER programme.

The grants were presented at a special event by Education and Science Minister Prof. Galin Tsokov, SU Rector Prof. Georgi Valchev, the Dean of the SU Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics (FMI), Prof. Maya Stoyanova, INSAIT founder Prof. Martin Vechev, and INSAIT Executive Director Borislav Petrov.

"The program is unique, and it shows that when Sofia University, INSAIT, and business organizations work together and invest in the future of Bulgaria, things can work out. Each of these young people was admitted to renowned foreign universities but chose to stay in Bulgaria," Tsokov told the media.

The EXPLORER programme’s initial budget totals BGN 1 million, which will be disbursed as monthly grants of BGN 2,000 to each of the selected students for a four-year period. The aim is to encourage them to focus on their studies while working on projects in innovative areas, including large language models, computer vision, robotics, machine learning, and algorithms, among others.

Tsokov said that the development prospects for these grant recipients are limitless because INSAIT is emerging as one of the world's best institutes for artificial intelligence, attracting not only undergraduates and postgraduates but also world-renowned scientists in various fields of mathematics and computer science.

"The four-year INSAIT fellowship program in the fields of mathematics, informatics, and artificial intelligence is a unique opportunity for the most talented Bulgarian children in science to develop at a world-class level here, in Bulgaria," Vechev said. He added that the grant recipients will receive basic training at FMI's Informatics course, and will be able to participate in research projects at the world level at INSAIT, which is also part of Sofia University.

"The program is a fact; the funds for the grants are already available. I hope that this will be your conscious choice, because you will have better conditions than some well-established world universities can offer," Prof. Valchev added. He noted that the grant recipients should be aware of the major benefits that SU offers and the fact that they are not confined only to FMI and INSAIT. "I hope that you will be among the future leaders of the country and the world, but do not break the link with your high schools," the SU Rector said.

FMI Dean Prof. Stoyanova also congratulated the grant recipients for choosing to stay in Bulgaria and study under the EXPLORER programme.