2025 Summer School of the N3BG Group
30th April 2025
Event Wrap-Up
The Third N3BG (Neuroinformatics, Neural networks, Neurcomputers) Summer School 2025, held on the 30 April at the TU Sofia, brought experts from academia, industry, embassies, and public institutions to explore the future of AI. The Key topic for 2025 was "From neuroscience and neural networks to AI machine consciousness with applications".
The event welcomed over 150 participants onsite and online from Bulgaria, Europe, UK, USA, and New Zealand.
We were honoured to have the opening talk by Prof. Carlo Morabito (INNS President), followed by 13 lectures and 3 panels addressing machine consciousness, quantum and hybrid computing, explainable neural architectures, cognitive architectures, neurocomputers, and AI applications in health and society. Panel discussions focused on fostering AI start-ups, promoting AI in schools and universities, and ethical technologies for sustainable AI future.
"Congratulations on the remarkable success of the N3BG 2025 Summer School – truly an outstanding event that has added so much value to the entire scientific community in Bulgaria!"
We would like to acknowledge and thank all presenters for their devoted time and shared expertise. We are making as many as possible of the presentation available for download here:
Download Presentations
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What is missing in the current AI revolution: The FAIR Project (C.Morabito, INNS President)
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Towards machine consciousness: A brain-Inspired approach (N.Kasabov; A.Yang, I. AbouHassan)
Event Archive Information
Key Topic: From neuroscience and neural networks to AI machine consciousness with applications
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the world, yet it remains limited by the absence of conscious perception and decision making.
AI decision-making is based on static, pre-learned patterns, lacking the ability to adapt, interpret meaning, learn dynamically, become aware of itself and the environment it operates in, manifesting emotional intelligence, as humans do. In contrast, the human brain continuously constructs internal models of reality, updating its understanding through experience and associative learning, building emotional and moral values.
This is the first summer school that discusses openly the future of AI and machine consciousness that can make the future AI safe and sustainable and to enhance human welfare.
Key Information
Where (link opens GoogleMaps): TU-Sofia, Campus Darvenitza, Bloc 7, Auditorium 701
When: 30.04.2025, Time: 9:30am- 5:30pm (EEST)
Cost: Free
Registration: prior-registration required by emailing Iman Abouhassan, iabouhassan@tu-sofia.bg or directly on-
Attendance Type: hybrid, onsite and online on Zoom (link to be sent to registered participants before the day)
Contact Person (for information and registrations): Iman Abouhassan, iabouhassan@tu-sofia.bg
Partners

The Program
The programme includes short presentations of 20-30 min by leading academics and business leaders from UK, USA, Italy, New Zealand and Bulgaria, followed by panel and public discussions.
Attendance is free for all participants, with prior-registration required, including on the site registration.
The summer school will be held in a hybrid mode, both on-site and on-line and the Zoom link will be announced on the N3BG site.
To register in advance, please send the name and the email address of the participant(s) to Iman (iabouhassan@tu-sofia.bg.
All members of the N3BG group and presenters are automatically registered for the event. The summer school will be held in a hybrid mode, both on-site and on-line and the Zoom link will be announced through an email to all participants.
30.04.2025, Start 9:30am EEST (Bulgarian Time)
Part I: Methods and systems
Session chair: N. Kasabov (AUT NZ, IICT/BAS, KECL, TUS)
9:30-10:00 What is missing in the current AI revolution: The FAIR Project (C.Morabito, INNS President) Download Presentation
10:00-10:30 Anomalous consciousness: brain mechanisms underpinning hallucinations in schizophrenia? (A. Sumich, NTU UK)
10:30-10:50 Conscious decision making: A case on neuromarketing (Z.Doborjeh, AUT, NZ)
10:50-11:15 Break
Session Chair: I.Abouhassan, Technical University of Sofia
11:15-11:45 Towards machine consciousness: A brain-Inspired approach (N.Kasabov; A.Yang, I. AbouHassan) Download Presentation
11:45-12:00 Bioinspired neural networks (G. Momcheva, IMI, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences)
12:00-12:30 Quantum computers and their hybrid implementations (R.Jha, U.Ulster, UK)
Lunch break: 12:30-13:30
Part II: Applications
Session Chair: R.Trifonov, Technical University of Sofia
13:30-14:00 AI Verification and Machine Consciousness (T. Lappas, Conscium Ltd., UK)
14:00-14:30 Design of brain- inspired computational models and applications (P.Koprinkova and S. Jordanov, IICT, BAS, BG) Download Presentation
14:30-15:00 A new explainable, computationally efficient and novelty-detecting neural network (G.Mengov, Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, BG) Download Presentation
15:00-15:20 break
Session chair: G.Pavlova, Technical University of Sofia
15:20 -16:00 Panel: AI in Health, including: AI decision support during labour and delivery (I.Jordanov); AI in mental health (E.Kenderov, psychologist, BG); presentations from the audience
(Moderator I. Jordanov, U. Portsmouth, UK.)
16:00-16:30 Panel: How to create successful AI start-ups?
(Moderator K.Eskenazi; Panelists: I.Trendafilov and the AI/Bio Clusters, BG)
16:30-17:00 Panel: Can AI machines discover misinformation? How to teach ethical AI in schools and Universities? Download Presentation
(Moderator S. Gyoshev, U.Exeter, UK; Panelists: L. Litov, C.Pirinski , C4BG team (USA)
The session includes introduction and demos on a new smart-phone enhanced board game developed by a team, including Vihar, the founder of Truth Detectives (https://truthdetectiv.es/) and Andrew Howes (https://experts.exeter.ac.uk/41016-andrew-howes).
17:00-17:25 Neurocomputers for AI (A.Dimitrov, Washington State University Vancouver, USA)
17:25 -17:30 Closing discussion
(Moderators: N.Kasabov, R.Trifonov, G.Pavlova, I. Abouhassan, P. Koprinkova-Hristova, I. Jordanov)
End 17:30pm
Organising Team
Organised By
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N3BG (Neuroinformatics, Neural networks and Neurocomputers Bulgarian Group): https://www.knowledgeengineering.ai/mission
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TU Sofia, https://tu-sofia.bg
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Conscium Ltd. UK, https://conscium.com
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International Neural Network Society (INNS), https://inns.org
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IICT, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS), https://iict.bas.bg
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Knowledge Engineering Cons. Ltd, https://www.knowledgeengineering.ai
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Health& Life Sciences Cluster BG, www.biocluster.bg; www.aicluster.bg
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C4BG (Citizens for Bulgaria), https://c4bg.org
Organising Committee:
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Nikola Kasabov – Chair and Founder of N3BG, nkasabov@aut.ac.nz; nik.kasabov@gmail.com https://academics.aut.ac.nz/nkasabov
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Roumen Trifonov, TU Sofia, Organising Chair, r_trifonov@tu-sofia.bg
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Iman Abouhassan, TU Sofia, Deputy chair and N3BG contact person, iabouhassan@tu-sofia.bg
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Galya Pavlova, TU Sofia, Deputy chair, raicheva@tu-sofia.bg
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Ivan Jordanov, U. of Portsmouth, UK, Deputy Chair, ivan.jordanov@port.ac.uk
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Petia Koprinkova-Hristova, IICT BAS, Deputy Chair, pkoprinkova@yahoo.com
Current Members of the Organising Committee:
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Carlo Francesco Morabito, President INNS, morabito@ieee.org
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Daniel Hulme, Conscium Ltd. UK, daniel@satalia.com;
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Daniela Gotseva, Dean, TU Sofia; dgoceva@tu-sofia.bg
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Milena Lazarova, TU Sofia, milaz@tu-sofia.bg
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Georgi Todorov, TU Sofia; gdt@tu-sofia.bg
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Galina Momcheva, IMI BAS, gmomcheva@gmail.com
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Theodoros Lappas, Conscium Ltd. UK, ted@satalia.com
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Kristina Eskenazi, Bulgarian Biocluster, kristina.eskenazi@biocluster.bg
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Christo Pirinsky, C4BG, cpirinsky@ucf.edu
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Alexander Gegov, U.of Portsmouth, alexander.gegov@port.ac.uk
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Trayan Trayanov, BG, t.trayanov@zaednovchas.bg
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Stanley Gyoshev, C4BG, S.Gyoshev@exeter.ac.uk
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Lubomir Litov, C4BG, litov@ou.edu
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Ivan Manev, C4BG, imanev@maine.edu
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Emilia Zankina, C4BG, emilia.zankina@temple.edu
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Alexander Sumich, NTU, UK, alexander.sumich@ntu.ac.uk
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Alexander Yang, ManaBridge, New Zealand, alexanderyanghx@gmail.com
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George Mengov, Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, g.mengov@feb.uni-sofia.bg
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Nikolay Gabrovski, Inst. Pirogov and BAS, gabrovsky@gmail.com
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Zohreh Doborjeh, AUT, New Zealand, zohreh.doborjeh@auckland.ac.nz
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Alexander Dimitrov, WSUV, USA, alex.dimitrov@wsu.edu
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Assia Kassabova, knowledgeengineering.ai, Switzerland; assia.k@protonmail.com