On the occasion of the Day of the National Enlighteners, the Technical University - Sofia opened a cybersecurity laboratory at the Center for Excellence /UNITE/

The laboratory was established with the assistance of the Zonta Club Sofia as part of the project - "No to Cyber Violence Against Women and Children"".

The event was attended by the Rector of the Technical University – Sofia, Prof. Dr. Eng. Ivan Kralov, the President of Zonta Club Sofia, Vanya Petrova, the Past President of Zonta Club Sofia, Bistra Ilieva, Prof. Lidia Galabova, Deputy Rector for Scientific and Applied Activities at the Technical University – Sofia, Prof. Daniela Gotscheva, Dean of the Faculty "Computer Systems and Technologies", Prof. Ognyan Nakov, many students and pupils from two high schools in Bulgaria, from the cities of Petrich and Sopot.

The event today was dedicated to supporting the development of Bulgarian science and building a developed electronic society. At the same time, it demonstrated the benefits of scientific research in solving socially significant issues, such as protection against cyber violence in the process of digitalization and building an electronic society.

Traditionally, the Technical University – Sofia collaborates with businesses and various public organizations such as the Zonta Club Sofia. Fulfilling its socio-economic role, the university helps link research and educational activities, significantly contributing to achieving beneficial scientific results for people and society in areas of priority for the country and sought after by industry.

At the official ceremony, Prof. Králov stated that the Technical University – Sofia fulfills its social commitment to set the standards for education and research in technical fields across the entire region, in accordance with a clear social engagement. "In recent years, we have implemented a number of innovations in the field of education and research. Primarily in education, we have introduced broad-profile specialties such as artificial intelligence, intelligent security systems, and data analysis, alongside standard profile specialties like mechanical engineering, energy, electrical engineering, and computer science. These meet the requirements of society and, above all, of the European Union. We already have sufficient achievements in this area. Leading specialists in our country are trained in them. They enter the university with the highest scores from secondary education, but even more so, even in Bulgarian-language programs, there is a requirement for English proficiency. All of this motivates young people to come and become excellent specialists. The new laboratory-research base and infrastructure are also of great importance. This is one of the centers where we are located, the Center of Excellence. As you will see for yourselves, we have delivered top-tier equipment. Some of the machines and technologies are first in the world; indeed, we are involved in the development of the technologies and tools for them. The top graduates remain to work here, which is a guarantee that we are on the right path and developing guarantees for sustainability. Not only the opportunities we provide for career development, but also the social and financial benefits are extremely attractive, giving us confidence that we are indeed fulfilling our commitments well. We are creating a professional, technical elite of the nation, and moreover, this elite will be capable of transferring new technologies and new solutions from the university to the development of higher education as a whole, and from there to industry, regions, and business."

At the end of his speech, Prof. Králov encouraged secondary school graduates to devote themselves to engineering sciences. He addressed them and encouraged them to boldly move forward. He emphasized that knowledge is a great power. "It gives strength, it gives independence. Acquire knowledge, dream, and strive to turn your dreams into reality. Events like today's and many others provide a good foundation. Today you are getting acquainted with the opportunities that higher education offers, and you can make not only an informed choice for your future development but truly realize the power of knowledge and technology, and always strive to work through them for the good of society and for the well-being among nations. Happy holiday, and let us move towards bright futures with an enlightening spirit," concluded Prof. Králov's greeting.

The President of the Zonta Club Sofia, Vanya Petrova, congratulated the full hall with the words: "Our presence today at this event is clear evidence of our empathy for the fate of young people. The desire to protect them from the dangers to which they are exposed on social media and to help the victims of cyber violence. On behalf of the members of the Zonta Club Sofia, I thank everyone who contributed to the creation of this laboratory as part of the project - "No to cyber violence against women and children." I wish health to all modern enlighteners and success in the work of the laboratory. May it achieve the goals for which it was created. Happy holiday to everyone."

"Today, the times in which the development of information and communication technologies, digitalization, and artificial intelligence lead to a qualitative leap in economic and social relations. Providing a secure and safe digital environment is more than necessary," noted Prof. Galbova. "The creation and development of a cybersecurity laboratory at the Center of Excellence 'Universities for Science, Informatics and Technologies in an e-society' (UNIte) is just one of the steps towards implementing the Bulgaria 2030 Development Program," she added.

The Academic Leadership of the Technical University - Sofia awarded Zonta International an honorary plaque and certificate for active cooperation with the university and for contribution to the building ofand a modern infrastructure and support in implementing the most up-to-date equipment in classrooms and laboratories.