NASA International Space Apps Challenge 2015 - Bulgaria

WHO WE ARE

The event Space Apps Challenge 2015 - Bulgaria is organised through collaboration and partnership among science community, universities representatives, business organisations, NGOs and students volunteers.

HOST ORGANISATION - SOFIA

 HOST ORGANISATION - BURGAS

CO-ORGANISERS

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  Ministry of Education, Youth and Science

  Ministry of Education, Youth and Science support the Space Apps Challeneg 2015 - Bulgaria: http://www.mon.bg/?go=page&pageId=12&subpageId=891

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  BAS - Space Research and Technology Institute

  The mission of SRTI-BAS is the conduct of fundamental and applied studies in the field of Space Physics, Remote Sensing of the Earth and Planets, and Aerospace Systems and Technologies. The priorities of SRTI-BAS are: solar-Terrestrial and Space Physics (solar wind, magnetospheric and ionospheric physics, high and middle atmospheric physics, space weather); high-energy astrophysics, galactic cosmic rays; medico-biological studies, space biotechnologies, heliobiology, telemedicine; design, development and transfer of methods, instrumentation and technologies for remote sensing of the Earth, regional and global monitoring of the environment and security; research in the field of obtaining and application of new superhard materials; development of innovative aerospace instrumentation and technologies, as well as their transfer to economy.

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  State University of Library Studies and Information Technologies

  In the last 7 years the State University of Library Studies and Information Technologies (SULSIT) has become one of the most prestigious higher education institutions in Bulgaria.  Alongside the traditional specialties – Library Studies and Bibliography, Library Management, Print Communications and Computer Sciences, the University offers unique specialties such as Information technologies, Information Brokerage, Information Security, Information Collections of the Cultural and Historical Heritage, Information Resources of Tourism, Information Technologies in the Court Administration, Software Engineering. SULSIT has all forms and degrees of education, including the so-called PhD School. The University supports huge scientific research in the different areas where it provides educational services.

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  Burgas Free University

  Burgas Free University /BFU/ was established with an Act of The Great National Assembly on 18 September 1991, and is one of the first non-state universities in the country. The University is accredited by the National Evaluation and Accreditation Agency and is certified under the International Quality Standard ISO 9001:2008. BFU is a modern and innovative university, caring for its students and their professional realization, and which has significant academic achievements and an internationally recognized status. BFU is a member of the European Universities Association /EUA/. It has signed Agreements of Cooperation with 36 universities and organizations in Europe, America, Asia and Africa. It works under joint international projects with more than 100 universities and organizations. BFU is a partner of UNESCO under the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Prpgramme, and is a host institution of UNESCO Chair on Culture of Peace and Human Rights.

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  "Education and demographic issues" Directorate, Municipality of Burgas

  „Education and demographic issues“ Directorate is part of the specialized administration of the Municipality of Burgas. The Directorate coordinateс the activity of the municipal schools, kindergartens and auxiliary units for organization of the education process and interacts with the Ministry of Education and Science, in accordance with the requirements of the Public Education Act. The Directorate ensures and controls the compulsory preschooling of children and compulsory schooling of students up to the age of 16, the funds for the maintenance, construction, furnishing and overhauling of schools, kindergartens and auxiliary units, the means requisite for the fulfilment of the state educational requirements, as well as for financing all sections of the curriculum in municipal kindergartens, schools and auxiliary units. It also provides conditions for canteen catering, for boarding houses, recreation, sports facilities and transport for children, students and teachers. The experts from „Education and demographic issues“ Directorate develop and create conditions for implementation of municipal, national and international educational programmes and projects.

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  Junior Achievement

  Junior Achievement is the world’s oldest, largest and fastest-growing non profit economic education organization. JA Bulgaria educates and inspires young Bulgarians to value free enterprise, business, and economics to improve the quality of their lives.It prepares them to succeed in a global economy. Established in 1997, Junior Achievement Bulgaria is a member nation of Junior Achievement Worldwide (JAW) and its regional entity Junior Achievement –Young Enterprise Europe (JA-YE). Junior Achievement Bulgaria is the first and foremost organization in Bulgaria offering top-notch programs and courses in business, economics and the development of the entrepreneurial spirit through educational and hands-on activities in economics, financial literacy, business skills, leadership and strategies for success. JA-YE enterprise and economic education programmes are designed for young people ages 6-25 and are implemented through a partnership between local businesses and schools.

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  NOVA Idea Foundation

  NOVA Idea Foundation supports young people in Bulgaria who want to turn their ideas into a successful business. We strive to create environment where entrepreneurs and young professionals flourish, to incubate companies with global outreach.

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  Space Challenges

  This is the biggest educational program in the field of space science and high-technologies in Bulgaria. The main idea is to create a stable and adequate space education at national level and foster innovative business solutions, led by young people. The initiative involves a range of leading experts from NASA, ESA, Caltech, MIT, Stuttgart University, French National Space Program, United Nations, Stanford University, University of Oxford and others. The goal is to develop creative solutions that would foster a strong connection between education and the economy. Our efforts are aimed at helping young people to acquire knowledge and skills and to apply those at creating innovative companies and organizations.

SPONSORS

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  ICN.Bg

  ICN.Bg (Internet Corporated Networks) is the biggest Bulgarian web hosting company, specialized in providing state-of-the-art web hosting solutions for corporate clients as well as individuals. ICN.Bg offers shared hosting, cloud hosting, VPS, dedicated servers, colocation, domain names and much more. All our services are with world class quality and supported by a professional 24/7 technical support team, friendly attitude and competitive prices. 

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  Hacker School BG

  Hacker School BG is a training environment free of any charge for talented, young people with motivation, who like challenges and seek them, and for all those who want to keep moving forward everyday. The team of Hacker School BG offers free of charge qualified education and training in the area of programming and new technologies. We, Hacker School BG, believe that people's capacities are limitless and we are ready to provide all of our knowledge and energy so that they can achieve their dreams. A leading role in Hacker School BG have our partners - high-tech companies ready to give the best students the opportunity to practice the gathered skills in real-life projects. Hacker School BG is a project of Telebid Pro. Telebid Pro is a software company providing expertise in the area of private cloud technologies and server solutions. Driven by technologies, innovations and creativity, the company has established a qualified team of 14 specialists with more than 10 years of experience in software design and development. The systems developed by Telebid Pro operate in more than 10 countries and continuously evolve in order to meet new opportunities and challenges.

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  CloudSigma

  CloudSigma is an innovative Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) provider based in Zurich, Switzerland. CloudSigma was founded to meet the growing need for a pure IaaS that places little or no restrictions on how its users deploy their computing resources. We are proud to have been chosen as a 2013 Cool Vendor by Gartner and a Top 25 cloud company in both 2010 and 2012. The founders of CloudSigma were frustrated with the current market offerings which required users to jump through hoops to migrate their current server setups to the cloud. We fixed that problem by building our own cloud stack that delivers real utility computing in the cloud for the first time.

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  digimark

  DigiMark is a mobile software development company providing tailor made applications for the four major mobile platforms iOS, Android, Blackberry and Windows Phone. The company's specialty is in developing cloud based cross platform apps, which are available for large variety of devices and platforms providing dynamically manageable solution in the same time.  The DigiMark team is powered by inspired and motivated young software developers and managers. The company is providing tailor made mobile solutions for clients all around the world including American, European and Asian market. 
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  Persy Ltd.

  Persy Ltd. is a system integrator and a manufacturer of high quality server and computer systems. The company has over 20 years of market presence and continuously implements leading ideas and technologies in its production. Persy has an ISO 9001:2008certificate, which guarantees excellent organization of the trade, manufacturing and service processes. The registered trade mark„STINGER”, possessed by Persy, gives the customers uncompromised 36 warranty on labor and components. All server and computer systems pass checks for quality, stability and compatibility with the most popular operating systems. The qualified specialists of the company offer to the customers a comprehensive service – from the evaluation and formulation of the requirements through the design and assembly of the systems to their full integration. 

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  MAKSOFT.bg

  Maksoft is a leading web design company in East Europe. We have created and maintain hundreds web sites with the unique Content Managment System. We have an alogrythms for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Online Reputation Managment (ORM). Maksoft is a wholesaler and importer of promotional pens, I-Pens, usb flash, lighters, keyholders, bags.  

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  EUROCOM

  Eurocom is a Bulgarian television channel with a national coverage. Eurocom is a private and an independent media that have launched a broadcasting since the 1996. The channel of Eurocom covers more than 6 million viewing audience in Bulgaria. Eurocom offers a thematic selection of various programs - news, talk show, series and sports. 

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  Megalan

  Megalan Ltd. is rapidly growing company working in various fields such as - copy shops Mania Print, Internet hall Mania, Advertising Studio Mania Design, Computer and IT services are just some of the directions in which we successfuly develop
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  Setelis Labs

  Setelis Labs provides software development services. The company is focused on helping their clients plan, build and expand their software products. Its skilled and highly motivated team have the expertise to handle complex custom software projects using a vast array of technologies and software processes. Besides the most-used programming languages today, the Setelis Labs team is proficient in less popular technologies such as Erlang and WebRTC.

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  Komfo

  Komfo is the leading IT company in Scandinavia that provides an innovative subscription-based social media management system. From the outset, Komfo has focused 100% on the commercial opportunities offered by Facebook’s platform and, for that reason, was the first Scandinavian company to be accepted onto Facebook’s Preferred Developer program at the beginning of 2010. Our product has a very strong position in the Scandinavian market with more than 450 customers, including 7-Eleven, Audi, Maersk, Microsoft, EA Games, Sony Ericsson, Bestseller, L’Oreal, Red Bull, ECCO, HBO, The Body Shop, Siemens, Sony Playstation, Samsung and more.Our offices in Denmark and Bulgaria currently employ 65+ experienced and motivated professionals.Now Komfo is looking for such people in Burgas and we strongly believe we will find you. Check out our open positions at: http://komfo.com/careers

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  TechnoLogica Ltd.

  ТехноЛогика ЕАД, водеща българска софтуерна фирма, която от 1990 г. развива комплексна дейност в сферата на информационните технологии и която в рамките на своите обществено-отговорни дейности е реализирала различни проекти в помощ на образованието, обявява награда за предложения за бъдеща експозиция на Детски интерактивен център за наука и техника TechnoMagicLand.

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PARTNERS

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  Bulsatcom

  Bulsatcom  is a Bulgarian  Technology Company investing in innovations and modern technologies. It is the largest pay TV provider in Bulgaria offering over 100 digital TV channels (incl. exclusive content) as well as internet  access.

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  IDG.BG

  IDG.BG is a media web site focused on the geeky, nerdy side of life. Created by tech & science enthusiasts, its content covers various science,tech, web and sci-fi topics and the business news and trends related to them. In IDG.BG, you can find all sorts of red-hot geeky and nerdy stuff, like what new exciting discoveries NASA and ESA have just made, what happens on Mars, which are the newest mobile technologies and why it is fun to have them, what are the coolest web trends right now, which great sci-fi movie you should watch, how amazingly high is the price paid for the most expensive comic book ever, etc. The site also offers an Apps section where you can find a catalogue of lot of different kinds of apps for various OSs. Note that the application grants access to the latest news in the web site. It offers easy navigation and an option for quick sharing on Facebook and Twitter.elta 3 Real Estate TM is designed to meet the demand of individuals and corporate clients in real estate. The main activity of the company is consulting and brokerage for buying and selling, renting and leasing of apartments, offices, garages, houses, land, buildings, retail space. For this purpose, Delta 3 Real Estate has a young and ambitious team of professionals with extensive experience in real estate. DELTA 3 seeks to protect the interests of its customers. We strive to take out the stress and make buying/selling/renting/leasing real estate in a pleasant and rewarding process. 
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  U.S. Embassy in Bulgaria

  The men and women of the United States Mission to Bulgaria are committed to strengthening the partnership between the United States and Bulgaria. Using the highest standards of professional excellence and personal integrity, we focus our efforts in three priority areas: Security: As NATO allies, we seek to enhance our mutual security as well as regional and international stability; Prosperity: As commercial partners, we work to increase bilateral trade and investment that promote stable growth in both economies; and Democracy: As democratic societies, we cooperate to expand good governance and strengthen the rule of law within Bulgaria.

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  "I, Engineer"

  “I, Engineer” is the first common initiative of Inter Expo Center – Sofia and “Dreams in action” Foundation. The aim of the Youth Career Forum "I Engineer" is to bring together leading technology companies on the Bulgarian market, and meet them with young professionals, students and high school students across the country. The organizers want to show them that SCIENCE and INNOVATION are happening in our country, and opportunities for professional development in Bulgaria are many.

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  AIESEC

  AIESEC is a global platform for young people to explore and develop their leadership potential. AIESEC is a non-political, independent, not-for-profit organisation run by students and recent graduates of institutions of higher education. Its members are interested in world issues, leadership and management. AIESEC provides environment to the students that helps them develop trough learning by-doing. AIESEC in Bulgaria has 3 programmes for students-Global Talen, Global Citizen and Futute Leaders. AIESEC was founded in 1948, Stockholm.Over 65 years later AIESEC is  present in 126 countries and territories. In Bulgaria AIESEC was founded in 1990 and today has representatives in Sofia, Ruse, Plovdiv, Veliko Tarnovo, Svishtov, Varna and Blagoevgrad. 

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  ABLE

  The Association of the Bulgarian Leaders and Entrepreneurs (ABLE) is a vibrant community of enterprising young people who are united by a common goal to contribute to the growth of the community and society. The members of the organization are alumni of the Bulgarian Young Leaders Program (BYLP), organized by America for Bulgaria Foundation. ABLE has around 250 members coming from different educational and professional backgrounds such as entrepreneurship, economics, law, technologies, architecture and many others. ABLE`s mission is to develop active civil society, inspire leadership and promote entrepreneurial culture in Bulgaria. Learn more about ABLE and its projects:  http://ablebulgaria.org/en/ and https://www.facebook.com/ABLE.Bulgaria.

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  District "Studentski"

  District "Studentski" is one of the twenty-four regions of Sofia Municipality.It is situated in the southeast area of the capital. The name comes from “Studentski grad”(meaning Student city), which is part of itsterritory. According to the urban plan of Sofia Municipalitythere are five residential complexes in the region: j. k. "Mladost 1"; j. k. Darvenitza; j. k. "Studentski grad"; j.k. "Malinova Dolina" and "Vitosha" square. District "Studentski" is unique with the territory of “Studentski grad”, where six universities, one college and two subsidiaries areconcentrated, and nearly 30,000 students educate. District “Studentski”  has two municipal,one state and two private schools, six kindergartens, a nursery and a babykitchen and lots of sports facilities and sports centers. Since 2007 Mayor of District"Studentsiki" is Mr. Dimitar Dilchev. 
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  Center for Creative Training

  Център за творческо обучение провежда образователни програми за деца, учители, както и редица други дейности. Фокусът на организацията е в балансираното и всеобхватно развитие на личността чрез интензивни програми за творческо обучение. Центърът сътрудничи успешно с редица училища, детски градини, също така и с общини и Регионални инспекторати по образование. От началото на 2014 г. Центърът развива своя проект и запазена марка „Креативна Класна Стая“, като подкрепя и насърчава учебни заведения от цялата страна да внедряват ефективно технологии за преподаване и администрация. Центърът за творческо обучение, също така, е единствен координатор за българия на "Space CampTurkey" в гр.Измир,. Космическият център годишно приема 100 българчета, някои от които участващи със стипендии. 

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  National Youth Forum - Bulgaria

  National Youth Forum - Bulgaria /NYF - BG/ is the biggest formal youth platform in Bulgaria, uniting 40 youth organizations representing through member organizations over 105 000 young people. The organization's mission is to represent the interests of young people in Bulgaria and their needs, putting forward the meaning and importance of youth organizations, their development and participation in social and socio-political processes and ensure effective structural dialogue through cooperation with relevant stakeholders institutions and decision-makers in the youth policy. 

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  Brain Workshop Institute

  Brain Workshop Institute is an organization, community and professional network of young seekers. We gather together to share professional and academic experience, to build contacts and friendships, to share expertise and know-how. The Institute is a nonprofit organization and it was created on 10.10.2010. Come check us out ... www.brain-workshop.org

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  BBC Knowledge

  BBC Znanie is a source of intelligible and interesting facts about the world around us. The interesting and comprehensible articles as well as the rich palette of photographs make the magazine attractive to both children and their parents. Not only BBC Znanie provides answers to many questions, but it also provokes new ones.  

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  Delta 3

  Delta 3 Real Estate TM is designed to meet the demand of individuals and corporate clients in real estate. The main activity of the company is consulting and brokerage for buying and selling, renting and leasing of apartments, offices, garages, houses, land, buildings, retail space. For this purpose, Delta 3 Real Estate has a young and ambitious team of professionals with extensive experience in real estate. DELTA 3 seeks to protect the interests of its customers. We strive to take out the stress and make buying/selling/renting/leasing real estate in a pleasant and rewarding process.

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  "Bulgarian Science"

  "Bulgarian Science" is an online magazine published by "Bulgarian Science" Ltd. and "Science Forum" Association. Since launched in the winter of 2005/2006, it has developed at a fast pace by offering the visitors various and interesting new information, opportunity for self-expression and connection with people with the same interests. The magazine quickly became the largest and most dynamic scientific online community in Bulgaria. After the launch of  "Bulgarian Science", it managed to win the readers and enthusiasts to post their own material and to offer ideas for improving the magazine itself. The main idea behind the project is to be distributed for free on Internet and to provide the best possible, interesting and detailed information about science, making it available to as many online users as possible. The content of the magazine is full of popular science articles and current research papers and studies. The magazine is getting more and more popular among the young people.