Unit NRW

Established on April 1st, 2026

Unit Mission

The goal of the ELLIS Unit NRW is to establish a unified and world-class ecosystem for machine learning research in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). By connecting the state’s leading AI institutes, we aim to create one of Europe’s most comprehensive hubs for open, trustworthy, and high-impact AI research.

Participating Institutions

Bielefeld University
Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ)
Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU)
Lamarr Institute for Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence
Paderborn University
Ruhr University Bochum (RUB)
RWTH Aachen University
RWTH Center for Artificial Intelligence
University Hospital Aachen
University Hospital Essen
University of Bonn
University of Cologne
University of Siegen
Radboud University
TU Dortmund University (TU Dortmund)
LAION
OWL University of Applied Sciences and Arts (TH OWL)

Research Agenda

  • Advancing open-source foundation models with open access to data, models, and source code.
  • Advancing the trustworthiness of foundation models for rare events like extremes and in domains such as healthcare with a focus on underrepresented groups like persons with special needs. 
  • Adapting foundation models for embodied AI with a focus on applications in home-care and sustainable agriculture.

Members

Latest News
18/05/26
Seven New Units Join the ELLIS Network: Czechia, Denmark, Franconia, Grenoble, NRW, Slovenia & Sweden
ELLIS is proud to announce that seven new Units have been officially added to the network.
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