The first big data Centre of Excellence in Eastern Europe takes off

The €15 million Teaming project was launched last week in Sofia (Bulgaria). Being the only big data centre of excellence in Eastern Europe, GATE will play a strategic role for disseminating the best practices and innovative models to the so-called Widening Countries.

This ambitious Teaming project intends to sustain big data growth, through an attractive and stimulating research environment and advanced infrastructure supporting open innovation.

Based in Sofia, this autonomous Centre of Excellence is to be established as a joint initiative between Sofia University (Bulgaria), Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden) and the foundation Chalmers Industrial Technology; a leader in innovation management, university-industry collaboration and technology transfer.

Being the only big data centre of excellence in Eastern Europe, GATE will bridge the gap between the 55 centres dealing with big data present in Western and Eastern Europe, and will play a strategic role for disseminating the best practices and innovative models to the so-called widening countries – performance in R&I below the EU average.

GATE is receiving €15 million from the Horizon 2020 “Spreading excellence and widening participation” programme together with a matching fund of €15 million from the European Structural and Investment Funds, and €3 million from  leading international IT companies.

With this start of the GATE project, Horizon 2020 is now providing important funding to 25 Centres of Excellence, boosting research and innovation (R&I) in Widening Countries that have so far had a limited access to international R&I networks and low participation in the EU research framework programmes.

More information:

Teaming 

GATE website