Strengthening Collaboration Across Europe: The 2nd ELLIS Coordinators Retreat
Bringing together representatives from 21 ELLIS Units, the ELLIS Institute Finland, the ELLIS Operations Team, and the Area Coordinators, as well as projects building on ELLIS from ELSA – the European Lighthouse on Secure and Safe AI and ELIAS – the European Lighthouse of AI for Sustainability, the retreat offered a unique opportunity to align efforts, exchange best practices, and strengthen collaboration in research management across the network.
Day 1 – Radboud University, Nijmegen
The retreat opened with a warm welcome from Marcel van Gerven, ELLIS Fellow and Director of ELLIS Unit Nijmegen. The day featured engaging talks, a panel discussion, and a poster session where ELLIS Units and local PhD students and postdocs showcased their latest research, collaboration opportunities, and ongoing initiatives — setting the tone for an inspiring and forward-looking meeting.
The scientific talks were delivered by:
Madelon Hulsebos, ELLIS Member in Amsterdam, on neural models and systems for tabular data
Jens Kober, ELLIS Fellow & Co-director of ELLIS Unit Delft, on reinforcement/hybrid learning for robotics
Nasir Ahmad (Radboud University) in Nijmegen, on improving the efficiency of neural network training and inference
Day 2 – Mondai | House of AI, Delft University of Technology
The second day began with opening remarks from Frans Oliehoek, Director of ELLIS Unit Delft.
ELLIS President Serge Belongie and Chief Operations Officer Celia Sánchez San Juan shared updates on the broader ELLIS ecosystem and its strategic direction, followed by insights into the ELLIS PhD and Postdoc Program, Membership, Communications, and Mobility Programs. ELLIS Fellow and ELSA Coordination Lead Mario Fritz shared an overview of the ELSA Network and Cecilia Zanazzo and Giulia Clerici led a hybrid presentation about the ELIAS Alliance.
In the afternoon, roundtable discussions explored new models, action priorities and ideas for inter-unit collaboration.The day concluded with a networking dinner — a fitting setting for the community spirit that defines ELLIS.
Day 3 – LAB42, University of Amsterdam (UvA)
The final day focused on university–industry collaboration. ELLIS Fellow Maarten de Rijke, Director of ICAI – the Innovation Center for Artificial Intelligence, delivered an inspiring keynote on building effective partnerships between academia and industry, followed by presentations from three ICAI-labs affiliated with the three Dutch units:
Christian Andersson Naesseth (ELLIS Member, University of Amsterdam) - The UvA-Bosch Delta Lab: Partnership between UvA and Bosch
Mahnam Saeednia (TU Delft) - The AILogLab: TU Delft partnership with ALICE, CBS, Municipality of Rotterdam, OptiPort, ORTEC, Port Authority Rotterdam, Nextepoch, ProRail, Rijkswaterstaat, SmartPort, and SmartwayZ
Ensieh Hosseini (Alliander) - The AI for Energy Grids Lab: A collaboration between Alliander, Delft University of Technology, HAN University of Applied Sciences, Radboud University, and University of Twente
Presentations in the afternoon focused on industry-related ELLIS programs, including ELLIS corporate sponsorship program, the Industry Track of the ELLIS PhD & Postdoc Program, and examples of university-industry collaboration from ELLIS Units by Artur Kołodziejczyk-Skowron (Unit Warsaw), Meritxell Bassolas Ribas (Unit Barcelona) and Emma van Holthe (Unit Munich).
The retreat concluded with a canal cruise through Amsterdam, celebrating shared achievements and the strong sense of community among ELLIS coordinators.
Building on a Growing Tradition
Following the success of the first ELLIS Coordinators Retreat in 2024 — initiated by Conrad Philipp (ELLIS Unit Jena Coordinator) and hosted by ELLIS Unit Sofia at INSAIT — this year’s retreat was warmly organized by Taylor Stone (ELLIS Unit Delft Coordinator), Adela Pranindiati (ELLIS Unit Amsterdam Coordinator), Esther van Straten (Managing Director of Radboud AI), and Inge Wortel (Assistant Professor at Radboud University), both members of the ELLIS Unit Nijmegen Coordinator Team.
Thanks to their dedication, the event fostered meaningful exchange and renewed commitment to advancing ELLIS’s mission of excellence in AI research through European collaboration.
With each retreat, the network grows stronger — laying the groundwork for lasting impact in shaping the future of AI made in Europe.
Check out the recap video created by Albert Stevanus