On 25–26 April 2026, the Underwater Heritage Institute participated as a partner in the FIRST® LEGO® League Bulgaria 2026 Robotics Festival – the largest international LEGO-based robotics and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) competition for children and young people held in Bulgaria.
The festival is organised by the Centre for Creative Training and is part of the global FIRST® LEGO® League programme, which encourages students to develop teamwork, scientific thinking, engineering design skills, and innovative solutions to real-world challenges. The theme of this year’s edition was dedicated to archaeology and cultural heritage.
As part of the festival programme, the Underwater Heritage Institute introduced participants to the world of underwater archaeology through the presentation “Treasures Beneath the Waves”, revealing the stories of ancient coastal cities and shipwrecks hidden beneath the waters of the Black Sea. Visitors also had the opportunity to explore underwater sites through virtual reality using materials from the Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project (Black Sea MAP) – one of the largest maritime archaeological projects ever undertaken. Our colleagues Dr. Zdravka Georgieva and Zhelyazko Zhelyazkov introduced young participants to the methods used by archaeologists to investigate, document, and protect underwater cultural heritage.
The Institute’s involvement, however, began well before the festival itself. During the preparation phase, our specialists provided guidance to several teams, introducing them to real challenges faced in underwater archaeology and heritage conservation.
We are particularly pleased by the success of Team Mechano from Burgas, which won the national FIRST® LEGO® League Bulgaria final. The team’s project focused on an innovative device for the automated desalination of archaeological artefacts recovered from marine environments – a process essential for their long-term preservation and conservation.
The idea was inspired by real challenges encountered daily by archaeologists and conservators working with underwater cultural heritage. A significant contribution to the development of the project was made by Dana Zlatanova, conservator at the National Museum of History and a long-standing partner of the Underwater Heritage Institute in numerous research and conservation projects. Thanks to her support, the students gained first-hand insight into the conservation of marine artefacts and successfully transformed a scientific challenge into a practical engineering solution.
Following their outstanding performance at the national finals, Team Mechano and the second-placed team Zentix will represent Bulgaria at the FIRST® LEGO® League Open International Greece 2026.
For the Underwater Heritage Institute, participation in the festival forms part of our broader mission to promote cultural heritage and inspire young people to engage with science. Through school visits, educational programmes, public lectures, and participation in a wide range of national initiatives, we strive to reach future researchers, engineers, and explorers from an early age.
We would like to thank the Centre for Creative Training for the invitation and the opportunity to be part of this inspiring initiative. We firmly believe that encounters between science, cultural heritage, technology, and education create the conditions for new ideas, innovation, and future success.
