Virtual reality project for architects, doctors, teachers and more… Maria Kazakova in front of FACTI

A project with Bulgarian participation was awarded the Strategic Technologies Seal (STEP seal) for the introduction of strategic technologies for the EU that will defend technological sovereignty and fight Europe's lagging behind in the context of increased competition with powers like the USA and China. What's next… Dr. Maria Mateeva-Kazakov, director of the RAS institute, speaks to FACTI.

- Ms. Kazakova, the “Virtual Innovation Consortium“ (VIC) project, which has Bulgarian participation, will protect Europe's technological sovereignty vis-à-vis the USA and China, but with virtual reality included. Tell us more about the project?
- This is a project that the European Commission (EC) has declared key for the EU and awarded it with the Strategic Technologies Seal (STEP seal). At a time when the liberal globalized order is on the verge of collapse, Europe is trying to protect itself from excessive external dependence in terms of digital infrastructure, information and technology.

The project aims to make up for the critical shortage of ICT skills in the EU at an accelerated pace by preparing highly qualified personnel in other fields, outside of information technology, on how to apply the latest opportunities in the field of virtual and augmented reality.

We are talking about doctors, engineers, architects, teachers. In this respect, Bulgaria is one of the most lagging countries in lagging Europe, especially when it comes to the general level of digital skills of society.

About 35% of the population in our country has basic digital skills, compared to an average of about 50% for the EU.

Regarding the percentage of specialists in information technology alone, the picture is relatively better, but there is much to be desired. VIC will create and implement a unique Master's program for specialists outside the field of information technology, such as doctors and engineers, which will be taught simultaneously in three EU countries. As part of the project, intensive certified short-term training in the same subject will also be organized, and modules for self-study online will also be created.

- What kind of people will be able to benefit from the program. What specialists, from what professions…
- An example of a specific application of these technologies in medicine is, for example, the ability of surgeons to improve their skills on 3D models of patients. Medical students will also be able to study the human body through 3D glasses in anatomy classes, instead of being taught on deceased people in morgues.
The opportunities for teachers, who will be able to teach children through the experience of historical events, are also significant. Instead of images in a classic textbook, for example, Bulgarian students will be able to “experience“ the Russian-Turkish liberation war, surrounded by militias and Turkish military units.
As for the many applications in architecture, the use of this technology will make it possible for future owners to walk around their new home even before construction work begins.

- Which other EU countries are included in the program?
- A total of 11 participants will work on the project during the period 2025-2029, including the most prestigious polytechnic university in Italy, based in Milan, PoliMI, ISTEC (Portugal), EUNEIZ (Spain), UNINT (Italy), ENTI-UB (Spain), Cacttus Education (Kosovo), Simplon (France), Khora (Denmark), Youbiquo (Italy), UNICIS.Tech (Estonia) and RAS institute (Bulgaria). A chance for Bulgaria is that the connections with business to create internship and partnership opportunities will be led by one of our leading partners. I am talking about the most respected polytechnic university in Italy, based in Milan - PoliMI. This is an opportunity for our country to work with the best and to quickly fit into the rapidly developing ecosystem in the field of innovation.

- How will the project itself develop, how will the training go…
- The project started two months ago and intensive development of the programs is currently underway. In October, there will be a major scientific event in Lisbon in connection with its launch, as well as an online press conference with participants from all over the world, including outside the EU, because the goal of the support received is for Europe to regain its lost strategic initiative on the world stage. A major event is also planned in Sofia, which will provide an opportunity for Bulgarian academics to establish contacts with the leading scientists developing the project, with the aim of discussing the future introduction of such a Master's program in one of the Bulgarian universities.

- It is mainly about virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). Are we increasingly falling into the “captivity“ of new technologies…
- Like any technology, it has at least two sides, if not more. That is why modules on ethics and psychology are provided as part of the training. The mixing of the living and the virtual world will be approached with responsibility and experience.

- The project has the status of a STEP seal. The “Strategic Technologies for Europe“ (STEP) platform increases the competitiveness of industry in the EU, but how...
- The STEP platform focuses on the development of critical technologies for a sustainable and competitive future. It tests new strategic measures and strengthens the EU's industrial policy. The total value of the project is 7,612,054.06 euros. A total of 50% of the funding has already been provided under the DIGITAL program. According to the EC recommendations, the remaining funds should be provided by EU funds managed at the national level or the Recovery Plans without additional procedures due to the particularly high quality of the project. Here comes a delicate moment of potential institutional myopia, which could make the institutions in our country work against their own population and innovations fly over Bulgaria again despite the individual breakthroughs of prepared Bulgarians. It is within the competence of the Ministry of Innovation and Growth to comply with the EU recommendations for the “rescue”, quick steps that the EU must take in order to maintain its competitiveness in the stormy sea of modernity. This is expressed in the allocation of the second part of the funds under the project, which is already in the process of intensive implementation, based on the selection already made in Brussels. For the moment, however, Bulgaria is responding with a weak response, firstly about the delay due to a lack of readiness at the national level, as well as the setting of unclear criteria formulated in non-transparent conditions for the secondary selection of already selected projects.

Hopefully, we will not kill our own success once again.

Such a development would lead to a project in which strategic control over the quality of management and communications is a Bulgarian responsibility, namely Bulgarian doctors, teachers and architects not being given the opportunity to be informed and, if they wish, to receive training with a scholarship in the Master's Program or to take advantage of distance learning, due to a possible cut in funds by Bulgaria.

- How long do you expect virtual reality to increasingly enter our everyday lives?
- Especially in our country, this depends largely on the factors mentioned above. Will this technology be used only for games, or will it save lives… This depends on the measures that will be taken. Globally, the trend is positive and it is expected to become part of the daily life of the mass of people by 2040.

- Are there other projects with Bulgarian participation that have such a seal and have received funding under the DIGITAL EUROPE program?
- Yes, there are several smaller projects. There are also those in which there is some potential, but they have not received funding. The areas in which they will develop their work are different and it is not just about virtual reality.

- How many people will be able to undergo such training. If there are more applicants, how will the selection be made?
- The goal is to prepare 300 students in the Master's program, 300 participants in the independent modules, as well as 100 students in the specialized Summer School by the end of the project period. The project will work actively with Bulgarian universities and businesses.

VIC's ambition is to reach at least 1,000 Bulgarian doctors, architects and teachers,

who will receive information about the opportunity to start applying virtual and augmented reality in their work in Bulgaria, if they complete one of the offered forms of training. The selection will be based on the available starting qualification. Priority will be given to candidates from professions other than narrow specialists in information technology, in order to build precisely this highly qualified workforce with the capacity to apply the acquired skills in key areas for societies.

- What knowledge and what qualification will this course bring to a person who completes it?
- The training will empower doctors, architects, teachers to expand potential applications literally on a daily basis. Thanks to the significant additional training they will receive, they will be able to create models applicable in their specific field– from buildings to hearts and everything else needed for their work.