Research
ELLIS fosters international collaboration across domains, connecting top researchers while investing in the next generation of AI talent.
Members
ELLIS Members are leading scientists in machine learning and AI, shaping Europe's global position in these fields.
About
ELLIS is a network of excellence connecting top AI researchers across European borders to strengthen the leadership of AI made in Europe.
Unit Edinburgh
Established on September 1st, 2020
Unit Mission
The ELLIS Unit Edinburgh, uniting the University of Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt University, advances world-leading AI research and training. With 23 ELLIS Scholars and Fellows, it combines excellence in NLP, machine learning, robotics, and human-centred AI with strong international leadership and competitive funding, including eight ERC investigators. The Unit co-initiated the ELLIS NLP Programme and drives cross-unit collaboration through workshops, joint publications, shared PhD supervision, and major projects such as UTTER, EuroLLM, AIHub, and CHAI. It also translates research into impact via industry ties, spinouts, and open models, while hosting flagship schools and conferences.
Participating Institutions
University of Edinburgh
Heriot-Watt University
Research Agenda
- Natural Language Processing
- Machine Learning Foundations
- Neuro-symbolic AI
- Explainable, and Trustworthy AI
- Reinforcement Learning, Planning, and Decision Making
- Robot Learning and Embodied AI
- Multimodal Modeling
Links & Social Media
Unit Directors
Members
Coordinators
Latest News
21/04/26
25 ELLIS Units Successfully Extended
ELLIS is proud to announce that 25 ELLIS Units have been successfully extended, following the reapplication process for Units that have been active for five years....
02/01/26
ELLIS Pre-NeurIPS Fest 2025: A Europe-Wide Research Showcase
From Nov 17 - Dec 18, 2025, the ELLIS Pre-NeurIPS Fest 2025 once again brought together the ELLIS research community in the weeks surrounding the NeurIPS 2025 conference.
20/12/24
ELLIS Pre-NeurIPS Fest 2024: Connecting AI Research Across Europe
The ELLIS Pre-NeurIPS Fest 2024 brought together 16 ELLIS Units and the Institute Tübingen to showcase hundreds of posters in the weeks surrounding the NeurIPS 2024...
Research
About
