Innovation’s Day: Autonomous Systems & Defence

EDIH-NWACB, Industry News

Automotive and Mobility EDIH are pleased to invite you to a free event on: Innovation’s Day: Autonomous Systems & Defence The event will be held in Bulgarian 🗓 Date: 25.02⏰Time: 09:00-13:30🔗 Registration link:Innovations Day – Autonomous Systems & Defense · Luma On February 25, 2026, Sofia Tech Park – The Venue Hall, Incubator will host Innovations Day: Autonomous Systems & Defense, an expert-level event dedicated to the advancement of autonomous unmanned systems, artificial intelligence, and airspace protection technologies. The forum will bring together approximately 50 participants, including security and defense experts, engineers, industry representatives, and members of the innovation ecosystem. Leading Experts from the Technology and Defense Ecosystem Throughout the event, prominent speakers from Bulgaria’s technology and defense sectors will present cutting-edge solutions and real-world applications in autonomous systems and security. Among the speakers: Tihomir Nedev, Co-founder and CEO of Fadron, will discuss the role of artificial intelligence and edge computing in achieving full autonomy in unmanned platforms. Ivo Karaneshev, Autonomous Systems Control Engineer at Grand Tour Tech, will present integrated Counter-UAS solutions for airspace protection, with a focus on civilian applications. AI-powered drone technologies and intelligent security systems will be explored by Ivan Ivanov, Software Architect, CEO, and Co-founder of Autonomous Monitoring Systems. Dimitar Nedov, CTO and Co-founder of SpearX, will showcase solutions for countermeasure systems and the protection of critical infrastructure and defense assets. He will demonstrate how autonomous drone platforms equipped with integrated Edge AI and computer vision enable real-time threat detection, monitoring, and protection of strategic facilities. A regulatory perspective on dual-use technologies and related challenges will be presented by Tomas Dimitrov, Deputy Executive Director at Logos and expert in European space policy, defense, and security. Format and Focus The event format is designed to encourage in-depth discussions, practical insights, and direct exchange between speakers and participants. Start time: 09:00 AM Organizer The event is organized by Automotive & Mobility EDIH Bulgaria, a European Digital Innovation Hub supporting the digital transformation of the automotive and manufacturing sectors through Industry 4.0 technologies, artificial intelligence, and sustainable innovation. EDIH NWACB represents a partnership initiative based on long-term cooperation with leading organizations from the region and nationally significant partners who work on the development and digital transformation of the automotive and manufacturing sector in Bulgaria.

Technical University of Sofia Announces Admissions to the Master’s Programme “Technologies and Applications of AI” in English

Industry News

The Technical University of Sofia announces admissions for the Master’s programme “Technologies and Applications of Artificial Intelligence” for the 2025/2026 academic year. The education was created as a response to the dynamically changing technological environment and was developed in collaboration with leading international companies Bosch and IBM. The programme is modern, engineering-oriented, and practice-driven, developed in response to the rapid pace of digital transformation, automation, and the widespread adoption of intelligent systems across industry and society. It is designed for professionals seeking to reskill or upskill and deepen their expertise in Artificial Intelligence through a strong engineering foundation. The programme is developed with the active involvement of Bosch Engineering Center Sofia and IBM experts, ensuring strong alignment with real industry needs. Practice-Oriented Structure and Curriculum The programme has a duration of one year and leads to the award of a Master’s degree and the professional qualification “Master Engineer.” The curriculum covers key areas of contemporary Artificial Intelligence, including: fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence and data-driven approaches; Machine Learning and Deep Learning; Computer Vision; processing and analysis of text, images, and multimedia data; concepts of Language Models (LLMs); design, evaluation, and integration of AI applications. From the first semester, students begin working on a real-world AI project, which is further developed in the second semester and can be directly applied in a professional or industrial environment. Career Opportunities Graduates of the programme are well prepared for professional careers as AI engineers and specialists, capable of designing, developing, and deploying intelligent solutions across a wide range of economic and societal sectors. The acquired knowledge and practical skills enable career development in industrial enterprises – intelligent manufacturing, automation, and robotics; engineering and design companies; the information technology and services sector – AI solutions, intelligent systems, machine-learning-based software; rapidly digitalising sectors such as energy, transport, healthcare, construction, agriculture, defence, and space technologies, among others. Student Mobility Opportunities The Master’s programme provides an excellent foundation for international student mobility, as its content is fully aligned with leading European and global trends in engineering and AI education. Students have opportunities to: participate in international exchange programmes and academic partnerships; undertake training or project work in an international environment; collaborate with companies and organizations operating globally; and build professional networks with academics, researchers, and industry experts from different countries. Student mobility enhances academic experience, supports the development of a global professional profile, and helps establish valuable international connections that often serve as a basis for a successful international career. Who Is the Programme For? The Master’s programme is suitable for: ICT professionals and software engineers; engineers from various technical disciplines; and professionals with an interest in engineering and information technologies seeking career development in Artificial Intelligence. Eligible applicants must hold a higher education degree in one of the fields such as: Technical Sciences; Mathematics as well as Informatics and Computer Science Key dates and fees The application deadline is February 24th 2026. More information about the key dates and application details can be found here: https://tu-sofia.bg/specialties/preview/943 Through its partnership with the Technical University of Sofia and its support for the “Technologies and Applications of Artificial Intelligence” Master’s program, Bosch Engineering Center Sofia reaffirms its long-term commitment to advancing educational ecosystem. This collaboration actively contributes to creating an innovative learning environment and preparing the next generation of highly qualified specialists. Irena Raycheva-UdrevaCorporate Communications This content has been automatically generated from the original source. Please note that the original source may have been modified since the content was generated.

Bosch has set a course for the future in the difficult 2025 financial year

Industry News

Stuttgart, Germany – Bosch, the supplier of technology and services, can look back on 2025 as an incredibly challenging financial year. According to preliminary figures1, sales revenue was up slightly on the previous year’s level at 91 billion euros (2024: 90.3 billion euros). After adjusting for exchange-rate effects, sales revenue grew by 4.2 percent. At around 2 percent, the EBIT margin from operations was below expectations (2024: 3.5 percent). “The economic reality is reflected in our results – 2025 was a difficult and sometimes painful year for Bosch,” said Stefan Hartung, chairman of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH, referring to the company’s published preliminary business figures. “In an unfavorable environment, we are continuing to work systematically on our growth strategy, which also requires us to strengthen our competitiveness. We are now setting our course for the future.” According to Hartung, Bosch plans to continue to benefit from its global presence, its strong brand, and its technological expertise. However, the company anticipates increasingly intense competition under adverse economic conditions. Bosch does not expect to see significant improvements in individual markets until 2027. The main reasons for the sluggish growth in the past financial year were the weak economic environment and the increasingly challenging market conditions. Result was negatively impacted by the lack of margins due to lower sales, as well as by increased tariffs and considerable provisions for necessary structural adjustments and the associated personnel measures. The aim of this restructuring is to ensure that the company remains economically robust, financially independent, and secure for the long term. To achieve this, Bosch still needs to generate annual sales growth of 6 to 8 percent with a margin of at least 7 percent. Given the current environment, the company now assumes that it will begin achieving its target margin of 7 percent in 2027 at the earliest, instead of in 2026. Competitiveness: Narrow the cost gap, strengthen investment capacity Bosch continued to systematically pursue its long-term Strategy 2030 over the past year. In addition to achieving the target margin, the strategy stipulates that the company must be one of the three leading providers in its key markets in all regions of the world. This currently requires competitive cost levels and demand-oriented capacities in particular. “We are working hard on our material costs, we are making even more intensive use of AI to increase our productivity, and we are weighing up every investment even more carefully than before,” Hartung said. “And yet, to secure our competitiveness and investment capacity in the long term, we need to do much more to reduce our personnel expenses and streamline our organization.” Above all, the structural shift toward electromobility and the extremely high price and competitive pressure in the global automotive industry is resulting in an annual cost gap of around 2.5 billion euros worldwide in the Mobility business sector alone – in relation to the target margin for the business. As a result, last year Bosch announced it needed to cut about another 13,000 jobs. Hartung emphasized that the board of management was aware of the implications of these decisions and was taking associates’ concerns seriously. “But even a foundation-owned company has to keep an eye on securing its existence and cannot ignore business realities.” He went on to say that Bosch aims to implement these unavoidable measures in close consultation with employee representatives and in as socially acceptable a manner as possible, even if that initially incurs high costs. Strategy 2030: Innovations and acquisitions will create business opportunities Despite the adverse environment, Bosch sees great opportunities for a business revival in many market segments. “We assume that market momentum in the crucial field of software-driven mobility will initially be restrained, but will then accelerate significantly, especially in the coming decade,” Hartung explained. The Vehicle Motion Management software for the central control of brakes, steering, powertrain, and chassis is already being very well received on the market, Hartung said. Last year, the supplier of technology and services was able to win customer orders for solutions for automated driving, the requisite sensor technology, and central vehicle computers worth 10 billion euros, and thus hold its own in global competition. The ongoing integration of the newly acquired areas in the HVAC solutions business ensures strong growth prospects: Bosch Home Comfort aims to nearly double its sales revenue to 8 billion euros in the medium term and is now one of the world’s largest suppliers in the market for heating, ventilation, and cooling in residential and light commercial buildings. The Power Tools division has accelerated its product development processes, thereby reducing time to market by an average of two months. As part of an innovation offensive, Power Tools plans to launch around 2,000 new products by 2027. Bosch is also systematically expanding the use of AI in all divisions. At the recent U.S. electronics trade show CES, it presented an AI-enabled high-performance computer for making the AI-controlled car cockpit a reality. By the end of 2027, the company plans to have invested a total of 2.5 billion euros in AI, which is already in use throughout the company. Europe as a business location: Technological skepticism jeopardizes prosperity When it comes to regional competitiveness, Bosch believes Europe has tremendous potential – provided policymakers and society can overcome the existing skepticism toward technological progress. Hartung expressed his concern regarding the latest results of the Bosch Tech Compass, a survey that reports on how people in key industrialized countries feel about new technologies. According to the survey, less than two-thirds of Germans believe that technological progress has a positive impact, and in France, the figures are even lower. “This is highly alarming,” Hartung said. “The only way a country, a society, can survive in global competition is if there is at least sufficient will to make technological progress.” To achieve this, businesses, society, and policymakers need to actively engage with new fields of technology such as hydrogen and AI with greater courage and decisiveness. As one of the…

EU-wide new electric car registrations rise by 30%

Industry News

According to the industry association ACEA, a total of 1,880,370 electric cars were newly registered in the EU in 2025. That is an increase of 29.9 per cent compared to 2024. Electrified drivetrains now account for more than half of the market. With 1.88 million new battery-electric cars registered in EU markets, pure electric vehicles accounted for 17.4 per cent of all new registrations, according to the latest publication from the ACEA. In 2024, this figure stood at 13.6 per cent. With a 29.9 per cent increase in new registrations, electric cars grew significantly more than the overall market, which expanded by just 1.8 per cent in 2025—and remains below pre-Covid pandemic levels, as the industry association notes. In its report on the 2025 annual figures, the ACEA reiterates its well-known stance that there is still room for growth in electric vehicles. “The battery-electric car market share reached 17.4%, in line with projections for the year, yet still a level that leaves room for growth to stay on track with the transition,” the statement reads. “Hybrid-electric vehicles lead as the most popular power type choice among buyers, with plug-in hybrids consolidating their position in the market.” Plug-in hybrids achieved a market share of 9.4 per cent, surpassing pure diesel vehicles (8.9 per cent). Combined with battery-electric vehicles, this means 26.8 per cent of all new registrations featured a charging connection. The aforementioned hybrids, classified as Hybrid Electric Vehicles, hold a dominant 34.5 per cent share. However, the ACEA groups all hybridisation levels except plug-in hybrids into this category—without distinguishing between 48-volt mild hybrids and full hybrids capable of short electric-only distances. Image: ACEA Despite the decline in internal combustion engine registrations—petrol vehicles fell by 18.7 per cent and diesel by 26.6 per cent—the ACEA data does not allow for a reliable conclusion as to whether customers are truly shifting towards electric mobility. This is because a 48-volt mild hybrid with a small electric motor assisting the drivetrain still relies entirely on its combustion engine—yet it is counted as a hybrid in ACEA statistics, not as a pure ICE vehicle. The actual share of ‘true’ combustion engines is therefore higher than the 26.6 per cent market share for petrol or the 8.9 per cent for diesel. A closer look at pure electric cars reveals that the four largest EU markets, which together account for a substantial 62 per cent of the market, all recorded significant growth in 2025. In Germany, BEV registrations rose by 43.2 per cent, while the Netherlands saw an 18.1 per cent increase, Belgium 12.6 per cent, and France 12.5 per cent. Denmark also entered the six-figure range with 126,542 new electric cars (+42.0 per cent), as did Spain with 101,627 new electric vehicles (+77.1 per cent). Sweden narrowly missed the 100,000 mark with 99,723 electric cars (+5.7 per cent). The highest growth was recorded in Poland, where registrations more than doubled with a 161.5 per cent increase—from 16,564 electric cars in 2024 to 43,311 units. Overall, only five EU markets experienced a decline, most of which are smaller markets such as Croatia, Estonia, or Malta. In these cases, one-off effects—such as an incentive programme or a manufacturer’s discount campaign for a few hundred vehicles—can have a relatively significant impact. Battery-electric cars have also seen across-the-board growth in non-EU European markets. Among EFTA countries, Norway, the poster child for electric vehicles, leads with over 172,000 vehicles (+50.6 per cent), though Iceland achieved the highest growth rate at 125 per cent—albeit from a smaller base, increasing from 2,661 to 5,988 electric cars. The United Kingdom recorded a 23.9 per cent rise, with 473,348 new BEVs registered. In a pan-European comparison, the UK ranks second, behind Germany but ahead of France. When combining the EU, EFTA, and the UK, the ACEA recorded 2,585,187 new electric cars and a 19.5 per cent market share. In the manufacturer statistics, the ACEA does not differentiate further by drivetrain type. Thus, this analysis of battery-electric vehicle sales performance only provides insights for Tesla, as a pure electric car manufacturer, since all other manufacturers include plug-in hybrids or combustion engine vehicles in their figures. In December, Tesla achieved 21,485 new registrations in the EU, corresponding to a 2.2 per cent market share—but this represents a 31.9 per cent decline compared to the 31,567 Teslas registered in December 2024. For the full year 2025, Tesla registered 150,504 new vehicles in EU markets, a 37.9 per cent drop from the previous year. In 2024, Tesla had achieved 242,436 registrations and a 2.3 per cent market share, but this has now fallen to 1.4 per cent—on par with Suzuki. BYD, with its mixed portfolio of electric cars and plug-in hybrids, recorded 128,827 EU registrations and a 1.2 per cent market share, but saw a 227.8 per cent increase. In 2026, BYD is likely to overtake Tesla in the EU—though it remains unclear from this data whether this will be achieved solely with its electric cars or what share plug-in hybrids will contribute. acea.auto (PDF) This content has been automatically generated from the original source. Please note that the original source may have been modified since the content was generated.