Guy Parmelin welcomes Bulgarian deputy prime minister

Swiss and Bulgarian prospects in the European research and innovation area were the focus of discussions during a working meeting in Bern. Guy Parmelin, a member of the Swiss federal government (Federal Councilor) and Head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER), and State Secretary Martina Hirayama invited Atanas Pekanov, Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister for EU Funds Management, and Sasho Penov, Minister for Education and Science, to attend these talks.

According to a press release, the two Bulgarian politicians reported on the successful start and ongoing development of the Institute for Computer Science, Artificial Art and Technology. This came about as a result of the collaboration between the Sofia University and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH) and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL). Federal Councilor Guy Parmelin was present at its inauguration on April 11, 2022. As competence centers for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and computer science, the Swiss universities continue to support the nascent Bulgarian institute with their scientific expertise. For this reason, Joël Mesot, President of ETH Zurich, and Katharina Füglister, Head of International Relations at EPFL, also took part in the talks.

Since 2013, the Swiss National Science Foundation has supported a total of 70 research projects involving Bulgarian researchers. The two countries are members of CERN and ITER/Fusion for Energy. Since 1964, 100 Bulgarian researchers and artists have received a Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship overall. ww