Projects Building on ELLIS
Explore nationally and EU-funded projects that build on and extend the ELLIS network—connecting researchers, providing training and mobility opportunities, and contributing to policy work.
ELSA
ELSA - the European Lighthouse on Secure and Safe AI connects excellent researchers from 26 top research institutions and companies in Europe to pool their expertise in the field of AI and machine learning, and to spearhead efforts in foundational safe and secure AI methodology research. The network builds on and extends ELLIS, and is coordinated by the CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security in Saarbrücken (Germany) which is part of the ELLIS Unit Saarbrücken.
Similar to ELLIS, it rests on three pillars: selected research programs, local research units, and a PhD and postdoc program. ELSA is funded under the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation program and will establish a fluid two-way communication between academic research and real-life application scenarios through the creation of the ELSA Innovation Lab.
ELIAS
The European Lighthouse of AI for Sustainability (ELIAS) - a consortium of top European institutions coordinated by the University of Trento - celebrated its kick-off in September 2023. Funded by the EU, ELIAS aims at establishing Europe as a leader in AI research that drives sustainable innovation and economic development. It creates a Network of Excellence connecting researchers in academia with practitioners in industry to differentiate Europe as a region where AI research builds towards a sustainable long-term future for our planet, contributes to a cohesive society, and respects individual preferences and rights.
The foundation of ELIAS is built upon ELLIS. The new network aims to refine and expand upon ELLIS’ excellence criteria while taking actionable steps to support AI researchers and emerging talents at all stages of their careers.
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101120237.
ELIZA
ELIZA - the Konrad Zuse School of Excellence in Learning and Intelligent Systems is a graduate school in the field of AI funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and coordinated by the Technical University of Darmstadt. ELIZA’s research and training activities focus on four main areas: the basics of machine learning (ML) - including ML-driven fields like computer vision, Natural Language Processing (NLP) or robot learning -, machine learning systems, applications in autonomous systems, as well as trans-disciplinary applications for machine learning in other scientific fields, from life sciences to physics.
ELIZA connects seven German ELLIS Units (Berlin, Darmstadt, Freiburg, Heidelberg, München, Saarbrücken, Tübingen) including their academic institutions and industry partners, and aims to become the leading German brand for research and research training in machine learning-driven AI.
ELLIOT
The new EU-funded initiative, ELLIOT (European Large Open Multi-Modal Foundation Models for Robust Generalization on Arbitrary Data Streams) aims to develop open, multimodal foundation models that can generalize robustly across real-world, noisy, and dynamic data streams. With €25 million in funding under the Horizon Europe programme, ELLIOT brings together 30 research and industry organisations across 12 countries and will run from July 2025 to June 2029. Built for real-world impact and aligned with European values, ELLIOT aims to make Europe a global leader in robust, ethical AI.
Concluded Projects
ELISE
ELISE - the European Network of AI Excellence Centres was a network of artificial intelligence research hubs and associated Fellows which originated from and built on ELLIS. The EU-funded project concluded in August 2024.
Based on the highest level of research, it spread its knowledge and methods in academia, industry and society. The network invited all ways of reasoning, considering all types of data applicable for almost all sectors of science and industry. It did this while being aware of data safety and security, and striving for explainable and trustworthy outcomes. ELISE contributed to ELLIS on many fronts, for example through mobility programs for researchers, PhD and postdoc students, research program workshops, company collaboration, and policy work. It’s part of the EU Horizon 2020 ICT-48 portfolio and was coordinated by Aalto University which is part of the ELLIS Unit Helsinki.