Project № 101037643
Integrated DigitaL Framework for Comprehensive MarItime dAta anD Information Services (ILIAD)
Total project cost: 18 956 630, 00 EUR
Budget of Bulgarian Ports Infrastructure Company: 177 500, 00 EUR
Start date: 01.02.2022
Project duration: 36 months
Bulgarian Ports Infrastructure Company is part of an international consortium under the ILIAD project, funded by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme. The ILIAD consortium includes 56 partners from 18 different countries in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa - Belgium, Portugal France, Israel, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria, Romania, Morocco, Tunisia, Greece, Norway, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Estonia, Greece, Germany, Armenia and Poland.
Coordinator is Netcompany-Intrasoft, Belgium.
The project partners are divided into several groups: industrial companies, end users, research and technology developers and private companies. Bulgarian Ports Infrastructure Company is included as a partner- end user, and the role of the company in the project is to be one of the main demonstration sites of ILIAD in the Black Sea.
The project activities are aimed at developing a Digital Twin of the Ocean, which will allow simultaneous communication with systems and models from the real world. The project envisages the creation of a digital twin of the Bay of Varna and the vessels connecting it to the Varna Lake. The other Bulgarian partner is Technical University-Varna, who will create computer models of processes in the Bay of Varna, as well as new technological prototypes using elements of artificial intelligence to help navigate ships in adverse weather conditions and improve the security of passing through the waterway connecting the bay with Varna Lake.
ILIAD will develop virtual models designed to accurately reflect the changes and processes that occur in the ocean. ILIAD aims to establish an interoperable, data-intensive and cost-effective Digital Twin of the Ocean (DTO). ILIAD will develop an operational compatible model using a large amount of real-time data and data available, provided by many different earth sources, advanced computing infrastructures (cloud computing, HPC, Internet of Things, Big Data, social networking, and more.
Project Manager: Capt. Milen Todorov, Ph.D. – Director of Vessel Traffic Services Authority, Tel: + 359 (0) 52 687 988; e-mail:
For more information: https://ocean-twin.eu/