ELLIS Unit NRW Launches Scientific Collaboration at Kick-off Event

Bringing together more than 40 principal investigators and over 300 doctoral researchers and postdoctoral scientists, ELLIS Unit NRW connects one of Europe’s largest regional AI research ecosystems with international research networks and advanced computing infrastructure.

Strengthening North Rhine-Westphalia’s Role in European AI Research

ELLIS Unit NRW brings together the state’s scientific strengths, emphasized Ina Brandes, Minister of Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia: “You are bringing together the strengths of our universities and research institutions and creating new opportunities for joint research.” In doing so, North Rhine-Westphalia can build on internationally recognized institutions: “With the Lamarr Institute, the RWTH Center for Artificial Intelligence and the Forschungszentrum Jülich, we have institutions that play an important role in AI research internationally,” Brandes said. The state aims to actively shape the development of artificial intelligence and is therefore investing strategically in expanding its AI research capabilities. Beyond scientific excellence, a particular priority is developing applications that deliver tangible benefits to people. As an example, Brandes highlighted the AI4CancerCure research project, which illustrates the potential of AI in cancer medicine.

Open AI Models and Joint Research at the Core

“With ELLIS Unit NRW, we are establishing a framework that enables researchers to work together across institutional and disciplinary boundaries on fundamental questions in artificial intelligence. What matters is bringing together open AI models, scientific expertise and the computing infrastructure needed for internationally competitive research,” said Prof. Dr. Jürgen Gall of the University of Bonn, Director of ELLIS Unit NRW.

The Unit pursues two main research tracks: the study of open, general-purpose AI foundation models and the advancement of machine learning methods for specific application domains, particularly robotics and sustainable agriculture. The full-day kick-off event, featuring a keynote by ELLIS researcher Samuel Kaski, Founding Director of the ELLIS Institute Finland, and presentations from the participating research institutions, provided an initial opportunity to discuss scientific approaches, research questions and future joint activities within the Unit.

More information

You can find the original versions of this recap article here and here, on the websites where they were first published.

Learn more about the ELLIS Unit NRW, its mission, all participating institutions, directors and researchers here.

Credit header image: Max Waidhas | University of Bonn