Fifteen of Bulgaria’s most outstanding young talents in mathematics, informatics, artificial intelligence, and the natural sciences are choosing to continue their education in Bulgaria with the support of EXPLORER, INSAIT’s four-year scholarship program at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. Among them are medalists from international olympiads in informatics, physics, astronomy and astrophysics, and linguistics, as well as winners and top performers in Bulgaria’s leading national competitions.
The new fellows were presented at an official ceremony at the Council of Ministers in the presence of Prime Minister Rumen Radev, Minister of Education and Science Prof. Georgi Valchev, Rector of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” Prof. Eliza Stefanova, Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics Prof. Maya Stoyanova, Prof. Martin Vechev – Founder and Scientific Director of INSAIT, Eng. Borislav Petrov – Executive Director of INSAIT, and representatives of the business community.
Even before starting their university studies, some of the new EXPLORER fellows (EXcellence Program in technoLOgy and REseaRch) have already worked with autonomous robots, contributed to the development of systems for training large language models, and built AI applications. They have participated in scientific projects, published at international scientific venues, and gained experience at technology companies and startups. Leading universities and technology centers around the world compete for young people with such achievements. EXPLORER gives them the opportunity to choose Bulgaria and, while still students, work on world-class research without leaving the country.
“The economic potential of a nation is no longer measured only by industrial achievements, but also by research and models developed through artificial intelligence. With this highly effective synergy and the strong ecosystem that has been built around INSAIT, Bulgaria is now at the center of this process,” said Prime Minister Rumen Radev at the official ceremony at the Council of Ministers, where the new fellows were presented.
The Prime Minister emphasized that when INSAIT was established several years ago, it had a clear strategic goal – to advance artificial intelligence and high technologies in Bulgaria. “I can say that in just a few years, this goal has been surpassed. What all of you are doing together – INSAIT, Sofia University ‘St. Kliment Ohridski,’ the Olympic movement, Bulgarian schools, and innovative Bulgarian companies – is ‘launching’ Bulgaria into a new orbit,” the Prime Minister said.
Minister of Education and Science Prof. Georgi Valchev emphasized that events like this demonstrate that Bulgaria can support and nurture its young talent. He recalled that when the EXPLORER program was first being discussed, its main goal was to give some of Bulgaria’s most talented students the opportunity to develop their potential at Sofia University while focusing entirely on their education.
“Become a shining example and do not forget that to get where you are today, someone supported you and opened a door you did not even know existed. Those people are your families and your teachers,” Prof. Valchev said.
He encouraged the fellows to draw knowledge from all fields – from information technology and artificial intelligence to the social sciences. “This will allow you to grow into knowledgeable and capable young people who understand the world they live in,” Prof. Valchev said.
Each selected student will receive a monthly scholarship of just over €1,000. This allows them to focus on their education and research without having to work to support themselves during their studies.
“The program has been running for only two years, but its results are already unique on a global scale, with participants achieving remarkable accomplishments – all entirely in Bulgaria,” emphasized Prof. Martin Vechev, Founder and Scientific Director of INSAIT.
The scale of EXPLORER is expanding significantly with its third edition. “During the first two years, a total of 13 fellows were selected, while the 2026 cohort alone now has 15 – more than in the first two cohorts combined,” Prof. Vechev added.
According to him, the expansion of the program has been made possible through the support of the technology industry and the state, allowing an increasing number of Bulgaria’s most outstanding young talents to access world-class education and research opportunities in the country.
This year’s partners and donors include Google, the Lead by example and “Chas za Nas” foundations, ING Bank, one of Europe’s largest banks, technology companies Man Group, Graphwise, LimeChain, DeepInfra, StorPool Storage, and Dark Matter Trading, as well as venture capital funds LaunchHub and PostScriptum Ventures.
The event also featured Maria Drencheva, a fellow from the first EXPLORER cohort who, at just 19, became the lead author of a research paper accepted to ICLR, one of the world’s leading conferences in artificial intelligence.
This year, she was also selected from more than 2,500 applicants worldwide for one of just 20 places in one of the most sought-after summer research programs – the Student Summer Research Fellowship at ETH Zurich.
“Take advantage of the opportunities at INSAIT and pursue research boldly. This will allow you to use your potential to contribute both to the development of artificial intelligence and to Bulgaria,” Maria Drencheva told the new fellows.
EXPLORER is a four-year scholarship program for developing young talent in informatics and artificial intelligence, created by INSAIT together with the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics at Sofia University and with the support of the technology industry.
Fellows study in the Bachelor’s program in Informatics at the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics while simultaneously participating in research projects at INSAIT. During the summer months, they have the opportunity to take paid engineering internships at leading technology companies.
The program thus combines the three key elements in developing young talent: strong university education, research experience, and practical experience in the technology sector.
“We are showing what the future of successful Bulgarian higher education can look like – when the state, university, science, and business join forces. In Bulgaria, we can create world-class conditions in which young talents can stay, develop, and work with leading scientists while still studying,” emphasized Sofia University Rector Prof. Eliza Stefanova.
Prof. Maya Stoyanova, Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics, congratulated the fellows on their choice and expressed confidence that they would make the Faculty an even stronger place for education and development.
Also attending the event were the principals of the schools from which the new fellows graduated, their parents, and program partners.
The 15 new EXPLORER fellows are:
Anton Hristov, alumnus of the Technological School “Electronic Systems” (TUES), Sofia
Ivaylo Vasilev, alumnus of Sofia High School of Mathematics “Paisii Hilendarski”
Kalina Ivanova, alumna of the National High School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences “Academician Lyubomir Chakalov”
Nermin Idiriz, alumna of the High School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences “Nancho Popovich,” Shumen
Venelin Tsenkov, alumnus of Sofia High School of Mathematics “Paisii Hilendarski”
Tolga Veli, alumnus of the High School of Mathematics “St. Kliment Ohridski,” Silistra
Boryana Manolova, alumna of the High School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences “Acad. Nikola Obreshkov,” Burgas
Yordan Todorov, alumnus of the High School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences “Acad. Nikola Obreshkov,” Burgas
Valentin Filipov, alumnus of the High School of Mathematics “Geo Milev,” Pleven
Konstantin Kolovski, alumnus of the High School of Mathematics “Acad. Kiril Popov,” Plovdiv
Nikolay Hranov, alumnus of the National High School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences “Acad. Lyubomir Chakalov”
Petar Popov, alumnus of the High School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences “Yane Sandanski,” Gotse Delchev
Yoan Hadad, alumnus of Sofia High School of Mathematics “Paisii Hilendarski”
Martin Shopov, alumnus of Sofia High School of Mathematics “Paisii Hilendarski”
Atanas Petkov, alumnus of the High School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences “Nancho Popovich,” Shumen