News
ELLIS Pre-NeurIPS Fest 2024: Celebrate, Connect, Collaborate
Discover the latest research from top AI minds at multiple locations across Europe during the weeks leading up to NeurIPS
ELLISsites NeurIPS
ELLIS and CIFAR Join Forces to Expand ELLIS PhD & Postdoctoral Program in AI Research
At the Learning in Machines & Brains (LMB) Review & Program Meeting in Toronto, Canada, the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) and the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) announced an expanded collaboration to enhance global AI research and training through the PhD and Postdoctoral Program for Learning and Intelligent Systems.
CIFAR MoU ELLISPhD
Launch of New ELLIS Institute Finland Marks Another Milestone in Driving European AI Leadership Forward
The European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) is going to launch its second institute, ELLIS Institute Finland, marking a major step in its mission to strengthen Europe’s AI landscape through connecting excellent researchers, attracting talent, and enabling strategic collaborations.
ELLISInstitutes ELLISsites
First ELLIS Coordinators' Retreat in Sofia, Bulgaria
The first in-person ELLIS Coordinators’ Retreat was held in Sofia from September 3-5, 2024, marking a significant step towards strengthening the collaborative efforts of unit coordinators across the European ELLIS network. Organized by the ELLIS Unit Sofia at INSAIT (Institute for Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Technology), the event aimed to further define the role of coordinators, foster stronger internal coordination, and explore future strategies that will advance the mission of ELLIS. The retreat brought together key stakeholders to focus on improving communication, sharing best practices, and aligning efforts across various units.
ELLISUnits
ELLIS PhD Program: Call for applications 2024
Apply by November 15, 2024, to join the ELLIS PhD Program in 2025
*The call is closed*
ELLISPhD
Call for proposals - Organisation of ELLIS Summer/Winter Schools (2025) or ELLIS Doctoral Symposium (2026)
Deadline: November 1, 2024 - Who can apply: ELLIS Sites
As a grassroots initiative, the ELLIS network thrives on the distributed efforts of its members and units. As part of this strategy, the ELLIS Society is now issuing a call for the organization of summer/winter schools for 2025, to be held over one week.
ELLISPhD
Over 100 PhD students from across Europe gather in Paris for this year’s ELLIS Doctoral Symposium
Five days of networking and insightful exchanges on the latest machine learning research: Paris was the location of this year’s ELLIS Doctoral Symposium (EDS) under the theme of ‘AI and Sustainability’. More than 100 PhD students from institutions all over Europe gathered in the French capital for a vibrant conference featuring keynotes by top AI experts, poster sessions, an industry fair and numerous opportunities to exchange ideas and discuss each other's research.
ELLISPhD
“I am very excited about the way in which ELLIS provides a network for scientific exchange in Europe.”
In just a couple of weeks, at the beginning of October, the central ELLIS PhD application portal will open again for young researchers from around the world. They will have the opportunity to apply to numerous machine learning labs across Europe with a single application. One of the outstanding scientists who has already completed the ELLIS PhD Program is Nikola Konstantinov. The 30-year-old alumnus and ELLIS member was among the first to join the program and now leads the machine learning group at INSAIT in Sofia, Bulgaria, where his research focuses on critical areas such as robustness, fairness, and the societal impact of AI.
ELLISPhD
AI Insights: Conversations with the scientists from the ELLIS Institute Tübingen
ELLIS is creating a network of research sites distributed across Europe and Israel consisting of ELLIS Units and ELLIS Institutes. The new ELLIS Institute in Tübingen (Germany) is the first one in Europe and celebrated its Grand Opening in June. It is set to become a world-renowned center for pioneering basic research in the field of artificial intelligence and aims to attract the world's best machine learning talent, providing them with outstanding conditions to conduct research in a state-of-the-art facility.
ELLISUnits
ELSA Industry Call
ELSA IS FUNDING INNOVATIVE INDUSTRY PROJECTS ON SAFE AND SECURE AI
For the second time, ELSA is calling on up-and-coming start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises to collaborate with ELSA’s top experts in the field of secure and safe artificial intelligence and receive up to 60,000 Euros in funding from the European Union.
ProjectsBuildingOnELLIS
Inside the ELLIS PhD Program: PhD student Marvin Schmitt shares impressions from his research visit at Aalto University in Helsinki
Exchanging ideas face-to-face, getting to know new research environments and initiating collaborations are crucial for scientific excellence and innovative research in the cutting-edge field of modern AI.
ELLISPhD
“Machine learning methods have the potential to drastically reduce the time and cost involved in molecular discovery.”
The discovery of new molecules with desired functions holds immense potential for addressing global challenges such as pandemics, food security and climate change. It leads to new medicines, secures the world’s food supply via agrochemicals, and enables a sustainable energy conversion. However, the discovery of new molecular materials optimized for a particular purpose often takes up to a decade and is highly cost-intensive.
ELLIS Programs
“Being a PhD student in Europe is one of the best experiences of my life.”
The ELLIS PhD Program is rich with inspiring stories of young AI scientists and their impressive research journeys, and this is one of them: Zhijing Jin, an ELLIS PhD student nearing the end of her dissertation phase, is about to embrace a new challenge. She will soon begin her career as an Assistant Professor in Natural Language Processing (NLP) at the University of Toronto in Canada, where she will hold a CIFAR AI Chair and be a faculty member at the Vector Institute. Originally from Shanghai, she studied in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the USA before joining the ELLIS network, benefiting from joint supervision at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) in Germany and ETH Zurich in Switzerland. In this interview, she shares her experiences as a young researcher in Europe, her future plans, and her reflections on the ELLIS PhD Program.
ELLISPhD ProjectsBuildingOnELLIS
“With advances in AI, we have better tools to act against the climate crisis”
From the “ELLIS/ELISE AI for Learning Weather and Climate” workshop, Gustau Camps-Valls, Co-Director of the ELLIS Program ‘Machine Learning for Earth and Climate Sciences’, highlights the crucial role of Artificial Intelligence in addressing climate change.
ELLIS Programs
Inauguration of the new ELLIS Unit Barcelona: A key initiative to boost AI research excellence in Catalonia
The ELLIS Unit Barcelona, essential for establishing Catalonia as a leading hub for AI research and innovation in Europe, was officially presented at an event held at the Institut d’Estudis Catalans in Barcelona. As part of the network of 43 local sites of the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS), the new unit brings together 23 top-tier AI researchers from 9 Catalan research institutions. This initiative aims to attract talent and foster economic and technological development in Catalonia.
ELLISUnits Press Release
Open Call for Proposals – ELIAS Nodes
The European Lighthouse of AI for Sustainability (ELIAS) calls for a 1st round of proposals for the creation of ELIAS nodes fostering European Leadership in Innovation with AI and Science with close ties to ELLIS, the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems. ELIAS nodes will recognize and accelerate locally developed AI and science-based innovation while serving as local nodes of the ELIAS Alliance, a pan-European AI-preneurial network that aims at boosting academic education around the open source development of foundation models with a network of incubators and startups for European value creation.
ProjectsBuildingOnELLIS
Major European AI/ML Conference organised by ELISE held in Helsinki
In late June, 200 members of the ELISE and ELLIS community met in Helsinki for the ELISE Wrap Up Conference and ELLIS Community Event. Organised by ELISE, the event brought together top European researchers in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), outstanding PhD students, ELLIS and ELISE coordinators, and representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), who are developing innovative applications supported by ELISE. The meeting was also joined by the Finnish Member of Parliament and former Minister of Transport and Communications, Timo Harakka, and leading Canadian computer scientist, Yoshua Bengio, who gave the closing keynote address remotely.
ProjectsBuildingOnELLIS Press Release
ELLIS PhD Program attracts global AI talent to Europe: 120 early-career researchers join the network in 2024
The ELLIS PhD Program has once again set a new record: more than 3,160 interested candidates from around the globe responded to the 2023/2024 central recruitment call and registered on the application portal - an increase of roughly 60 percent compared to last year. Following a thorough evaluation process involving over 220 machine learning researchers from the ELLIS network, 120 excellent applicants were finally accepted into the program. For these talented individuals, a new chapter in their careers will soon begin. Supervised by some of the best academic and industrial AI scientists in Europe, they will work on cutting-edge research projects across a diverse spectrum of machine learning-related fields, and have the opportunity to expand their professional networks through exchanges within the ELLIS community.
ELLISPhD
Grand Opening of the ELLIS Institute Tübingen
Distinguished guests, scientific workshops and groundbreaking research – the ELLIS Institute Tübingen’s Grand Opening took place last week.
ELLISUnits Press Release
Combating the climate crisis with AI
ELLIS Unit Jena improves the prediction of extreme weather events.
At the ELLIS Unit Jena, under the leadership of Prof. Dr Markus Reichstein and his colleague Prof. Dr Joachim Denzler, researchers are striving to predict the impact of extreme weather events with the help of AI. This should make it possible to provide advance warning to the people likely to be affected.
ELLISUnits
Cross-border collaboration in Machine Learning and Computer Vision: ELLIS program directors share insights
Computer vision is a transformative technology with large implications for our everyday lives. It empowers computers to analyze and interpret visual data such as images and videos, and forms the backbone of numerous applications. From medical imaging and improved diagnosis in healthcare to self-driving cars, photo filters on social media and QR code scanners: Computer vision has become indispensable across industries.
ELLIS Winter School in Amsterdam showcases Europe’s top expertise on Foundation Models
150 participants from 90 different institutions and with 40 different nationalities: The ELLIS Winter School on Foundation Models organized by the ELLIS Unit Amsterdam was a vibrant gathering place for young scientists and top AI researchers from all over Europe. During three days, the school provided an in-depth look into how Europe is guiding its own research agenda in the crucial field of foundation models and contributed to bringing the European research community closer together.
ELLISPhD
New Associate Unit Lviv in Ukraine becomes part of the ELLIS network
The European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) creates a new Associate Unit in Lviv, Ukraine.
Press release ELLISUnits
"You meet top researchers and build up a network"
For early-career researchers, exchanging ideas with top scientists in their research field is crucial. It allows them to benefit from senior researchers’ experience, understand current research trends and deepen their own knowledge through dialogue. The ELLIS PhD & Postdoc Program connects PhD students and postdocs from all over Europe with top experts in all areas of machine learning - both in research and industry. The program also enables its participants to spend six months at a partner institution abroad. PhD student Tobias Lorenz is currently enjoying the benefits of the ELLIS PhD & Postdoc Program in Oxford. Tobias usually works at the CISPA Helmholtz Centre for Information Security, in the research group of Professor Dr. Mario Fritz, who also coordinates the ELSA Network of Excellence. ELSA researchers like Fritz support and expand the PhD & Postdoc Program of ELLIS.
ELLISPhD ProjectsBuildingOnELLIS
ELLIS Vice-President Nuria Oliver joins International Scientific Expert Advisory Panel on Advanced AI Safety
The 32-strong panel is led by AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio and will publish a global landmark report expected to shape the future of AI Safety.
Nuria Oliver, Director of ELLIS Alicante and ELLIS Vice-President, has been appointed to serve in an international advisory body to provide expert feedback on the “International Scientific Report on Advanced AI Safety”. Nuria Oliver is Spain’s representative alongside 32 experts from 30 nations, as announced earlier this month by the Department of Science, Innovation & Technology of the British Government.
press release
ELLIS Board Members discuss the future of AI in Europe at a workshop organized by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in Brussels
Representatives of the ELLIS Board recently shared their vision for AI in Europe during a high-level workshop in Brussels organized by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The event brought together experts from politics and science to discuss elements of a sovereign AI research policy for Europe, including joint efforts to promote young international AI talent.
Challenges in natural language processing require coordination across a large scientific network
Voice assistants, translation services, chatbots and large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT: The rapidly evolving field of Natural Language Processing (NLP) has long found its way into our everyday lives and is transforming the way humans communicate with each other and with machines. To further advance this field of science, the ELLIS Program ‘Natural Language Processing’ aims to facilitate collaboration across leading NLP scientists and labs in Europe, and to encourage closer interactions between the NLP and Machine Learning communities.
ELLIS Programs
Rebalancing the global AI landscape: ELLIS becomes a founding member of the International Computation and AI Network (ICAIN)
The European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) joins forces with international partners to launch the International Computation and AI Network (ICAIN) – an initiative addressing global inequality in AI. The launch of ICAIN was announced during a joint press conference at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos today.
press release
ELLIS Pre-NeurIPS Fest 2023: Units across Europe showcase conference contributions during poster sessions
11 ELLIS Units, 152 NeurIPS posters, 230 posters presented in total and about 900 participants
11 ELLIS Units, 152 NeurIPS posters and numerous lively discussions about the latest cutting-edge AI research: In the run-up to the NeurIPS conference taking place in New Orleans (USA) this week - one of the most important annual events for the global machine learning community - ELLIS units across Europe organized poster sessions to showcase and discuss conference contributions from the ELLIS network and the units’ local research environments.
ELLISUnits
The ELLIS PhD Award 2023 recognizes two young scientists from the universities in Copenhagen and Tübingen
This year’s ELLIS PhD Award goes to two young exceptional machine learning researchers from universities in Denmark and Germany: Pepa Atanasova from the University of Copenhagen and Robert Geirhos from the University of Tübingen each receive 2,500 euros for their outstanding dissertations in the field of modern AI. The award is sponsored by the Kühborth Stiftung GmbH and recognizes outstanding PhD students and their research achievements.
“Our societies needed to be prepared for synthesized images becoming ever more difficult to distinguish from real ones”
The emergence of tools like ChatGPT, DALL-E, and Stable Diffusion has brought the rapidly evolving field of generative AI into the public eye. Generative AI stands for algorithms that - starting from a certain input - create new content such as images, text or audio in a matter of seconds. The technology holds immense potential for a wide range of applications across society and industries, and is significantly influencing the way we approach content creation.
German Federal Ministry of Education and Research establishes ELLIS as a European and international networking platform for young AI researchers
AI excellence meets international reach
The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is establishing ELLIS, the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems, as a European and international networking platform for young AI researchers. This is part of the BMBF's AI action plan, which was presented by the Federal Minister of Education and Research, Bettina Stark-Watzinger, at Germany's AI strategy press conference on November 7th. ELLIS brings European research excellence to the German AI strategy.
New ELLIS unit in Warsaw joins the network
The European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) keeps growing further and welcomes its 41st unit to the AI excellence network. The new unit is the first one in Poland and is hosted by IDEAS NCBR - an AI research and development center in Warsaw.
Press release ELLISUnits
ELLIS Fellows appointed to the UN High-Level Advisory Body on AI
ELLIS is represented in the prestigious UN High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence: ELLIS Fellows Petri Myllymäki, member of the ELLIS Unit in Helsinki and Professor at the Department of Computer Science of the University of Helsinki, and Andreas Krause, Director of the ELLIS Unit Zurich, Chair of the ETH AI Center and Professor at ETH Zurich, were appointed to the newly formed body to advance recommendations for the international governance of AI.
33 outstanding machine learning researchers join ELLIS as Fellows and Scholars
ELLIS was founded to promote scientific excellence in modern AI research and to secure Europe’s leadership in this crucial field. Outstanding individuals who advance science are essential to achieve this goal. ELLIS has welcomed 33 new exceptional researchers to its ranks. They enrich the network with their expertise and advice, and will play a major role in shaping the future of machine learning in Europe. In total, ELLIS now counts 412 Fellows and Scholars from 20 countries.
3rd ELISE/ELLIS Research Program Meeting on ‘Machine Learning for Earth and Climate Sciences’ starts in Valencia today
19 October 2023 - Today and tomorrow, the city of València (Spain) gathers world-renowned experts in two interconnected fields: climate change and artificial intelligence. The meeting is organized by the ELLIS Program ‘Machine Learning for Earth and Climate Sciences’ and the ELISE project, which connect outstanding researchers in these fields across Europe. The discussions will focus on detecting, analyzing, and understanding extreme weather events, such as droughts, heat waves, floods, fires, and hurricanes, and applying artificial intelligence in this context.
ELIAS: Forging a Path Towards Sustainable and Trustworthy AI Innovation
The ELIAS Project, a groundbreaking initiative building upon ELLIS and dedicated to advancing artificial intelligence (AI) innovation and sustainability, held its official kick-off meeting in Trento, Italy, in September.
ProjectsBuildingOnELLIS
Call for proposals - Organisation of ELLIS Summer/Winter Schools (2024) or ELLIS Doctoral Symposium (2025)
Deadline: October 31, 2023 - Who can apply: ELLIS Units
As a grassroots initiative, the ELLIS network thrives on the distributed efforts of its members and units. As part of this strategy, the ELLIS Society is now issuing a call for the organization of summer/winter schools for 2024, to be held over one week.
ELLISPhD
ELLIS Doctoral Symposium 2023: Top European AI minds convene in Finland
It was an eventful week of inspiring interactions about machine learning: The ELLIS Doctoral Symposium (EDS) was held for the third year, this time hosted by the ELLIS Unit Helsinki at Aalto University in Finland. The symposium is the highlight of the year in the ELLIS PhD Program, giving young researchers from the European machine learning community an opportunity to discuss their research during keynote talks and poster sessions, to network with leading machine learning experts, and to interact with each other at social events.
ELLISPhD
ELLIS welcomes INSAIT - its new stronghold in Eastern Europe
The European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) further expands in Eastern Europe: With INSAIT, the new unit in Sofia, Bulgaria, the AI network expands once again and keeps promoting excellent working environments for outstanding scientists from around the globe. The new addition not only strengthens the network’s presence in the eastern parts of Europe, but also opens up further opportunities for pan-European research cooperations and collaborations with industry. In total, ELLIS now counts 40 units in 15 countries.
ELLISUnits Press release
ELLIS PhD Program: Call for applications 2023
Apply by November 15, 2023, to join the ELLIS PhD Program in 2024
* The call is closed *
ELLISPhD
Second ELLIS UnConference: European scientists gather in Paris to discuss cutting-edge AI research
Five days of thought-provoking lectures, poster sessions and interdisciplinary exchanges: At the end of July, 75 members of the ELLIS community met at the HEC Paris campus for the second ELLIS UnConference. The participant-driven event not only provided the opportunity to delve deeper into cutting-edge AI topics in person, but also offered live connections to ICML 2023 tutorials which took place in Hawaii at the same time.
Europe's first ELLIS Institute is launched in Tübingen
Top European location for artificial intelligence: Europe's first ELLIS Institute is launched in Tübingen (Germany)
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AI Foundation Models: A Roadmap for Europe
The development and deployment of large-scale machine learning systems such as GPT-4 have ushered in a new era of computational requirements. The recently discovered scaling laws indicate that performance continues to increase as training sets grow, and the best performance can thus only be obtained using large-scale machine learning on vast computational resources.
Our view on the global conversation about the societal risks of AI
Artificial Intelligence is a transversal discipline that can be applied to any field and thus it is profoundly changing all aspects of society. It has a significant potential to generate sustainable economic growth and help us tackle the most pressing challenges of the 21st century, such as climate change, pandemics and inequality.
New talent on board: More than 70 young scientists join the ELLIS PhD Program in 2023
The ELLIS PhD Program welcomes a new cohort of outstanding early-career researchers: Following the 2022/2023 call, more than 70 graduates will join the pan-European flagship program this year. They are offered the opportunity to conduct cutting-edge AI research in the ELLIS network, working closely with some of Europe’s leading scientists and labs in this field. Since its inception in 2020, the ELLIS PhD Program has recruited 285 candidates.
ELLIS Program ‘Robot Learning: Closing the Reality Gap!’ - An interview with one of the Directors
Autonomous robots that can assist humans in situations of daily life have been a long-standing vision of robotics, artificial intelligence, and cognitive sciences. In recent years, learning techniques have triggered tremendous progress in various areas including self-driving cars, logistics, manufacturing, and home automation. Several transport systems are largely autonomous, such as commercial aircrafts, metros, some trains, and drones. The driver, when there is one on-board, is providing only sporadic guidance.
ELLIS Programs
“Something remarkable is taking shape in the European Machine Learning community”
In 2018, a group of leading European researchers in the field of machine learning joined forces to establish ELLIS - an AI network of excellence which aims to secure Europe’s sovereignty in the field of modern AI by creating a multi-centric laboratory consisting of units and institutes across Europe offering outstanding research conditions for the best talent from around the world. This grassroots initiative quickly gained international attention and inspired other scientists to follow the ELLIS vision. Today, the network counts more than 1,000 members and is represented by 39 units in 14 countries. The first ELLIS institute is currently being established in Tübingen (Germany), and further institutes are expected to be set up at other locations in Europe in due course, enabling scientists to conduct pioneering basic research in the field of modern AI.
Four new units join the ELLIS network
The European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) welcomes four new units to its growing network: Barcelona (Spain), Graz (Austria), Potsdam (Germany) and Trento (Italy). In alignment with the ELLIS vision, the new units will promote excellence in machine learning research, represent the ELLIS network in their respective regions, foster strong links with industry, and train the next generation of outstanding AI talent. In total, ELLIS now counts 39 units in 14 countries, all striving towards the same objective: securing Europe’s sovereignty in the field of modern AI research.
ELLISUnits Press release
ELISE Mobility Program for PhD students and postdocs: Two participants share their experiences
Fostering cooperation and exchange among outstanding AI researchers in Europe is a key objective of the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS). The opportunity to meet in person is essential in this context, as it stimulates scientific discourse, helps pool resources and strengthens professional relationships. To facilitate the mobility of junior researchers across Europe, the ELISE network runs the ELISE Mobility Program for PhD students and postdocs. It is aimed at PhD students and postdocs in the ELISE network who want to initiate a collaboration with a Fellow or Member at another site. We asked two researchers who participated in the program to share their experiences with us.
ELLISPhD
Members of the ELLIS community meet for the first ‘unconference’ in Spain
Exchanges on the future of AI, plenty of cross-program discussions and many ideas for future collaborations: Those were the outcomes of the first ELLIS Unconference which took place on La Palma (Spain) in January 2023. European machine learning researchers from the ELLIS community came together for an intensive in-person exchange on current machine learning (ML) challenges and scientific advances.
Two outstanding young researchers from France and the Netherlands receive the ELLIS PhD Award 2022
An international committee of renowned scientists has selected the winners of the ELLIS PhD Award 2022: Mathilde Caron from France and Taco Cohen from the Netherlands receive the prize for their outstanding achievements during their dissertation phases. Sponsored by the Küborth Stiftung GmbH, the young researchers are awarded a prize money of 2 500 euros each. The award was announced during the ‘ELLIS Unconference 2023’ which took place on La Palma (Spain) in January.
ELLIS research programs: Two new proposals accepted
The range of ELLIS research programs is expanding further: The proposals ‘Machine Learning for Molecule Discovery’ and ‘Learning for Graphics and Vision’ have been accepted as new ELLIS programs. They will push the scientific boundaries of their respective areas by fostering exchange and research collaborations among outstanding researchers in Europe.
ELLIS Programs Press release
Elise 2nd Open Call
ELISE calls out for the best Artificial Intelligence SMEs! ELISE is a network of artificial intelligence research hubs. Based on the highest level research, it spreads its knowledge and methods in academia, industry and society.
ELLIS PhD Program: More than 1,900 interested candidates in 2022
The ELLIS PhD Program is gaining popularity: This year’s call for applications attracted more than 1,900 interested candidates from 81 countries around the world. Following the ongoing selection process, the most talented young researchers will be offered the chance to advance their scientific career as an ELLIS PhD student co-supervised at two labs in a European AI network of excellence.
ELLISPhD
ELLIS Alicante Unit Foundation awarded the Social Innovation Prize by the AEF
The jury of the annual Awards of the Spanish Association of Foundations (AEF – Asociación Española de Fundaciones) has awarded the ELLIS Alicante Unit Foundation | 'Institute of Humanity-centric AI' with the Social Innovation Prize 2022.
ELLISUnits
ELLIS PhD Program: Call for applications 2022
Apply by November 15, 2022, to join the ELLIS PhD Program in 2023
ELLISPhD
Interactive Learning and Interventional Representations (ILIR) Program Workshop
Connecting researchers in machine learning and modern AI across Europe is one of the main objectives of the ELLIS excellence network, and in-person meetings play an indispensable role for fruitful exchanges and the establishment of long-term collaborations. Members of the ELLIS program ‘Interactive Learning and Interventional Representations (ILIR)’ recently gathered for a two-day workshop in the Black Forest in Germany to discuss the latest research in their field as well as new ideas for future projects.
ELLIS Programs
“AI is mighty and efficient for this”
In 2022, a series of heat waves, droughts and wildfires marked a summer of extremes in Europe. Understanding such events, the Earth’s climate and climate change as a whole requires contributions from a great variety of scientific disciplines - and modern AI plays an increasingly important role in this. With the ELLIS program ‘Machine Learning for Earth and Climate Sciences‘, leading researchers from across Europe join forces to advance our understanding of the Earth system and to foster excellence in this field.
Earth and Climate Sciences ELLIS Programs
ELLIS Doctoral Symposium 2022: 150 PhD students and leading AI researchers discuss the latest findings in Alicante
It was the highlight of the year in the ELLIS PhD Program: 150 PhD students from 18 countries gathered at the ELLIS Unit Alicante in Spain for the second ELLIS Doctoral Symposium (EDS22). Focusing on ‘AI for Good’, the five-day event marked a unique opportunity for young researchers to meet with world-renowned machine learning experts and innovative tech companies to discuss the latest research in a field that will help tackle some of the greatest challenges of the 21st century.
ELLISPhD
ELLIS Alicante hosts the ELLIS Doctoral Symposium on Artificial Intelligence at the University of Alicante
In cooperation with the ELLIS PhD Program, the ELLIS Unit Alicante is organizing the second ELLIS Doctoral Symposium (EDS) from September 19th to 23rd. The focus of the event lies on Artificial Intelligence for Social Good. The Symposium will bring together 150 PhD students, world-renowned experts in Machine Learning such as Nuria Oliver (ELLIS) and Lama Nachman (INTEL), and 18 technology companies. It’s the first ELLIS doctoral conference in Spain.
ELLISPhD
10 million euros of funding for the development of the virtual center of excellence ELSA
A large network of top European experts in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) is to promote the development and deployment of cutting-edge AI solutions in the future and make Europe the world's lighthouse of secure and safe AI. The EU is funding the project with around 7.5 million euros, with a further 2.5 million euros coming from the United Kingdom and Switzerland.
ProjectsBuildingOnELLIS
ELLIS members elect a new board for the next two years
The European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) has a new management board: During the latest general assembly in July, ELLIS members elected five new ELLIS Fellows to the board and confirmed four current board members in their roles. The ELLIS board is the main decision-making body in the pan-European AI network of excellence and defines its strategic agenda for the years to come.
ELLIS Press release
Call for proposals - Organisation of ELLIS Summer/Winter Schools or ELLIS Doctoral Symposium
Deadline: August 31, 2022 - Who can apply: ELLIS Units
ELLISPhD
ELLIS Theory Program Workshop: Leading scientists discuss abilities and limits of modern learning systems
Expert talks, poster sessions and many fruitful discussions: 50 researchers from across Europe joined a three-day workshop organised by the ELLIS research program “Theory, Algorithms and Computations of Modern Learning Systems” in Arenzano, Italy. Sponsored by the European Network of AI Excellence Centres (ELISE), the workshop particularly focussed on deepening the understanding of the behavior, limits and abilities of modern learning systems.
ELLIS Programs ELLIS
ELLIS expands further: New unit in Madrid added to the network
The European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) has added another unit to its excellence network: The ELLIS Unit Madrid - a partnership of professors and researchers from the six public universities in the Autonomous Region of Madrid - is now the 35th ELLIS Unit and the 2nd ELLIS Unit in Spain.
ELLISUnits Press release
ELIZA selected as ‘Konrad Zuse School of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence‘
The graduate school ‘Konrad Zuse School of Excellence in Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELIZA)‘, a network of 14 partners led by the Technical University of Darmstadt, has been awarded a grant by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) to establish a ‘Konrad Zuse School of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence‘. ELIZA was founded by seven ELLIS Units in Germany to provide the highest level of academic training to the next generation of AI researchers.
ELLISUnits ProjectsBuildingonELLIS
Experts gathered in Valencia for the 2nd workshop of the ELLIS Program ‘Machine Learning for Earth and Climate Sciences‘
A group of international scientists met at the University of Valencia in Spain for the second workshop of the ELLIS Research Program ‘Machine Learning for Earth and Climate Sciences‘.
ELLIS Programs
Call for Proposals - ELLIS Units
The ELLIS society calls for a new round of proposals for the creation of ELLIS units.
ELLISUnits
More than 50 outstanding talents join the ELLIS PhD Program in 2022
The ELLIS PhD Program is expanding once again: More than 50 exceptional early-career researchers from 20 different countries have joined the program following the 2021/2022 central recruitment round.
ELLISPhD Press release
Article about AI research in Italy and the ELLIS Unit Milan
The attached article, published in the German newspaper “WELT am SONNTAG”, outlines the state and importance of artificial intelligence research in Italy.
WamS_20220417_K%C3%BCnstliche-Intelligenz_file_from_publisher.pdf
New AI and computer science institute “INSAIT” launched in Bulgaria
INSAIT, a new Institute for Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Technology, has been launched in Sofia, Bulgaria, this week.
WeCREATE engagement series: Online event on International Women’s Day
The new WeCREATE engagement series for female students and young professionals will organise an online event on International Women's Day (8 March 2022) to spread the excitement for creative careers in engineering, computer science, applied maths, and beyond.
Ambitious multi-centric European AI lighthouse moving forward
ELLIS (European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems) is a European grassroots initiative in AI with a focus on scientific excellence, innovation and societal impact, working towards the creation of a multi-centric European AI Lighthouse.
Covid CXR Hackathon
Artificial Intelligence for Covid-19 prognosis: aiming at accuracy and explainability
Join data scientists from all over the world in an international virtual challenge on Covid-19 data starting on 1 February 2022. The online Hackathon is open to students, PhDs and teams of researchers that will be guided towards solving a real and compelling problem in medical imaging.
Hector foundation supports the establishment of an ELLIS institute with 100 million euros
Stuttgart/Tübingen, January 27, 2022: With a funding of 100 million euros over a period of 10 years, the Hector foundation paves the way for the establishment of an ELLIS institute in Tübingen, Germany. Today, the signature of the funding agreement took place in Stuttgart. The planned ELLIS institute aims to attract the world's best machine learning talent and will provide them with outstanding conditions to conduct pioneering basic research in the field of artificial intelligence.
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ELLIS PhD Award 2021
The members of the European Laboratory for Learning & Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) have announced the two winners of the ELLIS PhD Award 2021.
ELLIS continues to grow: four new units in Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom
The European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems expands its network even further and welcomes four new units in Jena, Stuttgart, Milan, and Manchester
Stuttgart/Tübingen, November 5, 2021 – The European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) recently added four new units: Jena and Stuttgart in Germany, Milan in Italy, and Manchester in the United Kingdom (UK). The ELLIS units strive towards a meaningful contribution to securing Europe’s sovereignty and leadership in the research field of modern artificial intelligence (AI). With its units in 14 European countries and Israel, the ELLIS network includes several world-class institutions.
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ELLIS launches Fellow Program on Multimodal Learning Systems
The European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) adds the 14th Program to the network.
ELLIS Programs
ELLIS awarded with the German AI prize
The German AI Award (Deutscher KI-Preis), which is sponsored by the German daily ‘Die Welt’, honors outstanding contributions in the field of AI. With prize money totaling 100,000 euros, the 2021 AI Innovation Prize went to the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) and the Confederation of Laboratories for Artificial Intelligence Research in Europe (CLAIRE).
ELLIS PhD Program: Call for applications
Apply by November 15, 2021, to join the ELLIS PhD Program in 2022
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ELLIS holds its first-ever PhD and Postdoc Summit
Have you ever wondered what role causality may play in addressing some of the core problems in machine learning, how industries use machine learning to optimize and scale business processes or what inspired the pioneers of the European machine learning community to do what they do today? These are some of the questions that the first cohort of ELLIS PhDs and Postdocs discussed with leading scientists at the first ELLIS PhD and Postdoc Summit in July
ELLISPhD PhD and Postdoc Summit ELLIS PhD program machine learning AI
ELLIS Research Programs: new call for proposals - Deadline 15th of July 2021!
The ELLIS society (https://ellis.eu) is soliciting proposals for ELLIS Research Programs. The goal of these programs is to increase the level of excellence in European research in Learning and Intelligent Systems by encouraging high-level interaction between the top researchers in a specific field. The program is modelled after the CIFAR research programs and has been launched in close coordination and with the institutional support of CIFAR, in particular the LMB program (https://www.cifar.ca/research/programs/learning-in-machines-brains) which, along with its predecessor NCAP, had a major impact on the field of deep learning. The existing ELLIS fellowship programs can be found here: https://ellis.eu/programs. The deadline is July 15, 2021 and the submission site is on EasyChair https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=ellis-programs-2021. Proposals for the creation of ELLIS Research Programs will be reviewed by the Program and Fellow committee, which are composed of an internationally diverse set of ELLIS fellows. Compilation of the evaluation can take several months. For questions please email daniela.diaconu@ellis.eu.
ELISE has issued its first open call for SMEs and Start-ups
Businesses that develop AI-based solutions and applications can apply for funding of up to 60,000 euros
The European Network of AI Excellence Centres (ELISE) will select 16 SMEs and start-ups in one of the ELISE/ELLIS focus areas.
ELISE open call funding SMEs Start-ups AI machine learning ProjectsBuildingOnELLIS
Call for proposals – Organisation of ELLIS Summer/Winter Schools
Deadline: August 15, 2021 - Who can apply: ELLIS Units
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ELLIS PhD program to kick off its first cohort with more than 60 students from around the world
Launched in 2020, the program’s first central call for applications attracted more than 1300 applicants from more than 70 countries
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EPO and ELLIS sign Memorandum of Understanding
The MoU, which will take effect for an initial three-year period, reflects the shared interest of the ELLIS Society and the EPO in protecting and fostering scientific and technological innovation
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Dr. Nuria Oliver and her team take the grand prize in global pandemic response challenge competition
Oliver, co-chair of the ELLIS board, coordinated the winning Valencia IA4COVID19 project. The AI model aims to help decision-makers with pandemic intervention policy decisions to safely reopen society.
COVID-19 XPrize Nuria Oliver
ELLIS Units: new call for proposals - Deadline extended until 7th of April 2021!
The ELLIS society calls for a new round of proposals for the creation of ELLIS units. The deadline is on 7th of April 2021 and the submission site is on EasyChair (https://easychair.org/my/conference?conf=ellis-units-2021). Proposals for the creation of an ELLIS unit will be reviewed by the ELLIS units evaluation committee, which is composed of an internationally diverse set of ELLIS fellows. Feedback is expected to be given within 6 months after each deadline. For questions please email sites@ellis.eu.
ELLIS Units: new call for proposals - Deadline extended until 7th of April 2021!
The ELLIS society calls for a new round of proposals for the creation of ELLIS units. The deadline is on 7th of April 2021 and the submission site is on EasyChair (https://easychair.org/my/conference?conf=ellis-units-2021). Proposals for the creation of an ELLIS unit will be reviewed by the ELLIS units evaluation committee, which is composed of an internationally diverse set of ELLIS fellows. Feedback is expected to be given within 6 months after each deadline. For questions please email sites@ellis.eu.
ELLIS set to receive new funding to expand its activities in Tübingen
The Hector Stiftung has pledged to support the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) over a period of ten years.
The funds will finance the research of ELLIS Fellows at the Tübingen unit, thus serving as a decisive building block for the establishment of an ELLIS Institute.
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17 ELLIS units across 10 European countries and Israel established
Grassroots initiative assembling top European talent in machine learning mobilizes more than 200 Mio in funding across Europe for the next 5 years.
ELLIS adds 13th Fellowship Program to the network
The Semantic, Symbolic, and Interpretable Machine Learning Fellowship Programs comprises 13 fellows and two scholars from 15 institutions and organizations across Europe.
ELLIS PhD Program: Call for Applications
The ELLIS PhD Program opens call for applications. Application deadline: 1.12.2020
ELLIS launches NLP fellow program
With the Natural Language Processing Program, ELLIS now counts 12 Fellow programs
Recently approved by the ELLIS Fellow Committee, the new program for natural language processing includes fellows and scholars from 15 European institutions
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New centre for AI research opens at ETH Zurich
A core team of around 29 professorships, a new executive director, and a Fellowship programme aim to promote interdisciplinary research into this key technology.
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ELLIS PhD Award 2020
The members of the European Laboratory for Learning & Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) have announced the two winners of the ELLIS PhD Award 2020.
ELLIS inaugurates 30 research units at leading institutions across Europe
At a virtual event on Tuesday, the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems presented the broad scope of research its units will cover in the field of modern AI.
Official launch of ELLIS Units - 15th of September 2020!
The European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) is officially launching its 30 ELLIS research units on Tuesday, September 15. Since the first 17 units were announced in December 2019, the ELLIS initiative has gained significant momentum, adding another 13 units at top research institutions across Europe. To highlight this rapid progress toward securing the future of European AI research, each unit will be presenting its research focus. While an in-person launch was initially planned in spring at the Royal Society in London, the event was postponed as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic and will now take place online. The event will be will be open to the general public via livestreaming. A detailed agenda and the YouTube link will be posted shortly.
Bernhard Schölkopf holds keynote speech at online event “No one size fits all: Artificial Intelligence as Key Technology for Personalised Medicine”
Brussel/Tübingen – Artificial intelligence is one of the technologies that are key to Europe’s future. The areas of application are manifold, but not yet fully anchored in society. In the field of healthcare, the crucial role that data collection and analysis can play in the treatment of diseases has already been recognised. Personalised medicine is one out of many key applications of this modern data-driven approach to healthcare. Cross-disciplinary collaboration and a strong European network of AI hubs are needed to lever the full potential of AI.
EPFL launches Center for Intelligent Systems
EPFL’s new Center for Intelligent Systems (CIS) will act as a research promotion platform for bringing together experts in machine learning, data science, computer vision, cyberphysical systems, and robotics.
ELLIS fellowship program: call for proposals - Deadline 1st of March 2021!
The ELLIS society (https://ellis.eu) is soliciting proposals for ELLIS Research Programs. We welcome programs run by academic and industry researchers alike. In the case of industry researchers, we hope for assistance in approaching their employer for a financial contribution. The program is modelled after the CIFAR research programs and is being launched in close coordination and with the institutional support of CIFAR, including the LMB program (https://www.cifar.ca/research/programs/learning-in-machines-brains) which, along with its predecessor NCAP, played a major role for the field of deep learning. The existing fellowship programs can be found here: https://ellis.eu/programs.
ELLIS researchers screen a billion molecules for drugs against Covid-19
Researchers from the ELLIS Unit Linz have recently used a neural network called ChemAI to screen for new drugs against Covid-19. In a large effort, they have searched a database of a billion molecules for favorable properties and now provide the resulting list of 30,000 potential drugs to the public. They also computationally tested existing drugs for the for their potential use as a therapeutic for Covid-19.
Online Workshop on Covid19@ELLIS on April 1st
The world is facing a public health emergency caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. We all need to take this on, and science can make a major contribution. This online workshop will present projects on how to tackle Covid-19 using methods of machine learning and AI, carried out by leading international researchers.
Online Workshop on Covid19@ELLIS on April 1st
The world is facing a public health emergency caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. We all need to take this on, and science can make a major contribution. This online workshop will present projects on how to tackle Covid-19 using methods of machine learning and AI, carried out by leading international researchers.
The European Commission offers significant support to Europe’s AI excellence
The European Commission has decided to fund ELISE, a project proposal that specifically focuses on fundamental research in AI, driven by machine learning (ML), with 12 Million euros.
European Commission Vice-President Vestager visits Cyber Valley
Scientists from the ecosystem are making a decisive contribution to the future of European AI At a meeting with the European Commission’s Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, Baden-Württemberg’s Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann, and the state’s Science Minister Theresia Bauer, scientists welcomed the European Commission’s new Digital Strategy and demanded strong support for research in the field of learning AI.
Nuria Oliver, Co-Founder @ ELLIS: Facilitate Multi-nation Collaboration for AI Research in Europe
Nuria Oliver, Chief Scientific Adviser at the Vodafone Institute and Chief Data Scientist at DataPop Alliance shared ELLIS’ mission behind its latest announcement at NeurIPS 2019, and offered her advice on how individuals and organizations can get involved and support ELLIS.
FCAI: Helsinki and FCAI will host a new ELLIS unit for top AI research
Finnish artificial intelligence research received a significant acknowledgement. Finnish Center for Artificial Intelligence FCAI will host one of the new European units of top AI research, as the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems will establish one of its first units in Finland.
VentureBeat: ELLIS launches $220 million initiative to keep AI talent in Europe
The European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) is establishing a project to grow research institutes that focus on the societal impact of AI. Today the nonprofit announced 17 cities in 10 European countries and Israel that it has selected to participate in the project.
ELLIS sites: call for proposals!
The ELLIS society calls for proposals for the creation of ELLIS units.
ELLIS PhD Award
The members of the European Laboratory for Learning & Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) have announced the first six winners of the ELLIS Ph.D. Award.
ELLIS Programs launched
Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts of Baden-Württemberg invests 1 Mio Euros
SZ: "Es herrscht extremer Wettbewerb"
Artikel in der Süddeutschen Zeitung vom 12. April 2019
Spitzenforscher aus mehreren Staaten warnen: Europa könnte bei der künstlichen Intelligenz von den USA und China abgehängt werden. Sie fordern in einem Manifest stärkeres Engagement der Politik.
Leading European AI scientists issue a call to action
ELLIS initiative proposes concrete measures to advance AI research in Europe
Following their meeting with Baden-Württemberg's Minister-President Kretschmann in Stuttgart, Europe's leading AI researchers have formulated a set of recommendations that will promote the development of a strong European AI research network.
Baden Württemberg’s Minister President Winfried Kretschmann receives Europe's leading AI researchers
Scientists convene to advance European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems ELLIS
2019-04-04_ELLIS_Stuttgart_Press_Release.pdf
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Corriere: Ellis, l’Europa al lavoro per un centro unico sull’intelligenza artificiale
Lo European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems nasce come una società per permettere a ricercatori e dottorandi dei migliori istituti europei di lavorare fianco a fianco, per provare a competere con i colleghi americani e asiatici
L’Europa ora ha una carta in più per colmare il gap nella ricerca sull’intelligenza artificiale con Stati Uniti e paesi asiatici. L’Ellis, lo European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems, nasce proprio con l’obiettivo di unire le forze delle eccellenze europee nel campo dell’AI, creando dei percorsi di ricerca e dottorato transnazionali incentrati in particolare sul progresso economico dato dallo sviluppo di queste tecnologie.
Science Business: New artificial intelligence lab aims to keep top minds in Europe
US tech companies are raiding our computer science departments. A new initiative, Ellis, wants to give researchers a reason to stay in academe and in Europe. Meanwhile, the Commission is putting esh on its AI plans
Machine learning researchers and big industry players have teamed up to create multinational arti cial intelligence (AI) labs across Europe in a bid to reverse the brain drain of the brightest and best scientists to north America and China.
Nature: Europe’s AI researchers launch professional body over fears of falling behind
Universities on the continent are rapidly losing talent to industry in the United States and China, say scientists behind the initiative.
Some of Europe’s top machine-learning researchers have founded an organization to strengthen capacity in artificial intelligence (AI) technology on the continent. The need for such an organization was first described in an open letter written by almost 200 researchers and published in April. The letter warned that investment and expertise in AI technology in Europe is falling behind those in North America and China.
The Register: European AI researchers to create a new lab
A team of European AI experts are working together to support a new European research hub nicknamed ELLIS.
ELLIS, which stands for European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems, was previously proposed back in April to create new jobs and encourage academic research. USA and China are frequently seen as world leaders in AI and European countries want to remain competitive. Fast forward eight months, and it looks like the plan is slowly coming into fruition. The formation of the lab was announced at the NeurIPS (Neural Information Processing Systems) conference in Montreal.
Bloomberg: Top Computer Scientists Form European Lab Devoted to AI
A group of prominent computer scientists has come together to form a new pan-European laboratory devoted to artificial intelligence.
The European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems, or ELLIS, will run physical laboratories and create an education program for doctoral students studying a type of AI called machine learning, while building bridges between universities and companies in the region.
ELLIS Society Founded
Top European Machine Learning Scientists Join Forces to Establish European Excellence Network for Public Artificial Intelligence Research
