Call for Proposals: Organisation of ELLIS Winter/Summer Schools (2027) or ELLIS Doctoral Symposium (2028)

Proposals for ELLIS Winter & Summer Schools in 2027

ELLIS Schools are organised by the hosting ELLIS Site and will focus on deep diving into research topics, showcasing the work at that Site, and providing essential training and networking activities to the program participants.  ELLIS Schools are the largest and most significant events for ELLIS students and other young researchers during the year. As such, they offer a perfect opportunity for Sites to spotlight their own research and achievements, and promote it among ELLIS' network. 

Browse the full schedule of ELLIS Winter & Summer Schools that took place in 2025 and 2026:

Organisation & Funding

While Sites will be given maximum flexibility in organisational matters, general guidelines and support will be offered by the central program coordination and PhD Committee. The ELLIS Society currently does not have a dedicated budget for the organization of PhD events so Sites contribute their own resources. 

Guidelines for Proposals

The proposal should not exceed 2 pages, and should contain the items below. Proposals will be selected based, amongst other things, on criteria of excellence, topic and geographical diversity; priority will be given to new themes (as compared to previous years) and Sites that have not hosted a summer/winter school in the past. 

• Contact details and short bio of the main organizer 

• List of members of the organizing committee 

• Local partners (institutions, industry) 

• Proposed dates 

• Motivation for organizing the school/symposium at your unit 

• Prior experience in organizing scientific events 

• An outline of the program (incl. proposed format and specific research topics unit faculty aim to cover) 

• Maximum number of participants 

• Venue and logistics (facilities, lecture halls capacity, housing, etc.) 

• Budget overview (estimated costs, expected and/or confirmed funding from the hosting institution and sponsors, estimated student fee if any) 

• Dissemination and outreach activities 

• A brief note on how the unit envisions its contribution to the ELLIS criteria of (1) excellence and (2) diversity, which also apply to our educational activities.

ELLIS Sites willing to organise an ELLIS Winter or Summer School in 2027 should submit a brief proposal to phd@ellis.eu by 1 November 2026. Proposals will be reviewed by the PhD & Postdoc Program Committee. 

Proposals for ELLIS Doctoral Symposium in 2028

The ELLIS PhD and Postdoc Program will host a one-week-long school or symposium per program-year at alternating ELLIS Sites focused on research and training in machine learning-driven fields. The ELLIS Doctoral Symposium (EDS) is organised in collaboration with the central PhD and Postdoc Program Coordinators.

EDS is the cornerstone event in the ELLIS PhD & Postdoc program and gives ELLIS PhDs and postdocs (and other young researchers) the chance to meet, collaborate and interact with each other in person through content-driven poster sessions and presentations, and facilitate interactive moments for networking with each other, but also with more senior researchers who give keynote talks. 

Informal proposals to host EDS in 2028 should be sent to phd@ellis.eu.

Browse past editions of EDS:

Read recaps of some past winter and summer schools: