ELLIS Sites

ELLIS is establishing a network of research sites across Europe, comprised of ELLIS Units and Institutes. These sites serve as hubs for world-class AI research, bringing together top researchers and fostering collaborations with industry.

ELLIS Units

Hubs that bring together leading AI scientists at existing research institutions, fostering collaboration and excellence at a specific location.

ELLIS Associate Units

Emerging labs that show strong potential but lack the critical mass, resources, or recognition required to function as full Units.

ELLIS Institutes

Newly created centers designed to achieve international excellence, drive innovation, and attract top AI talent from around the world.

ELLIS Sites by the Numbers

42

Units

1

Associate Unit

2

Institutes

17

Countries

60

Associated Institutions

Find a Site

"The goal of becoming an ELLIS Unit was to foster excellence in AI research and strengthen collaboration with top European institutions for a stronger, united Europe in AI."

Tomasz Trzciński
Tomasz Trzciński

Director, ELLIS Unit Warsaw

Latest News from ELLIS Sites

Group of ELLIS Unit and Area Coordinators smiling for a photo
October 30th, 2025
Strengthening Collaboration Across Europe: The 2nd ELLIS Coordinators Retreat
From October 6–8, 2025, coordinators from across the ELLIS network gathered for the 2nd ELLIS Coordinators Retreat, hosted by the three Dutch ELLIS Units — Nijmegen,...
ELLIS PhD & Postdoc Program, Unit Warsaw: ELLIS Doctoral Symposium 2025 with a large photo of many students sitting on yellow bleacher seats
October 13th, 2025
Bright Minds, Robust Ideas: EDS 2025 in Warsaw
From 25 to 29 August 2025, Warsaw hosted the ELLIS Doctoral Symposium (EDS) on "Robust AI", bringing together nearly 180 participants, including PhD students, invited...
ELLIS Workshop on NLP and Speech Recognition ELLIS Sites with 5 people on a virtual call plus a room with people sitting in it
June 26th, 2025
Exploring the Frontiers of Language and Speech: Highlights from the 2025 ELLIS NLP & Speech Recognition Workshop
This year's ELLIS Workshop on Natural Language Processing and Speech Recognition took place on June 4, 2025, in a fully online format. The event was jointly organised...

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Background & Future of ELLIS Sites

The ELLIS Units were officially launched in September 2020, following the announcement of the first 17 units in December 2019. This marked a significant milestone in the ELLIS initiative, demonstrating rapid progress towards securing the future of European AI research. To promote world-class research environments, ELLIS established these Units through a stringent selection process aimed at assembling leading AI researchers and ensuring high standards of excellence. Each Unit unites top-tier researchers at its respective site and meets strict criteria designed to uphold excellence and maximize global competitiveness.

In addition to its grassroots efforts, ELLIS advocates for European countries to establish larger ELLIS Institutes capable of competing with leading academic and industry institutions worldwide. These Institutes will function as hubs of AI excellence, attracting top global talent and fostering innovation through close collaboration between academia and industry. ELLIS encourages European nations to invest in these Institutes to enhance their ability to compete on a global scale with the world’s top research centers.

Discover the Sites

Profiles of ELLIS Sites including their main research areas, accomplishments, and people.

September 26th, 2025
ELLIS Unit Munich: Tackling Key Challenges of Explainability, Reliability, and Trustworthiness in AI
Established in 2020, ELLIS Munich is one of Germany’s leading Units within the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) network. Jointly...
September 16th, 2025
ELLIS Unit Trento: Bridging Disciplines for Foundational and Applied AI
ELLIS Unit Trento conducts interdisciplinary AI research spanning machine learning, computer vision, remote sensing, and NLP, with a focus on both foundational...
Discover the Sites: ELLIS Unit Alicante plus a photo of Alicante
May 19th, 2025
ELLIS Unit Alicante: Committed to Responsible AI with Positive Social Impact
ELLIS Alicante is a private, non-profit foundation created in June 2020, committed to creating a world-class scientific team focused on responsible AI for Social Good....

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