At dAIEDGE, we continue to consolidate meeting spaces that allow us to share visions, experiences and learnings around AI in Europe. On this occasion, as previously announced, we are preparing and organising the second session of AI NoEs Horizons | Q&A Sessions, a meeting that will take place on 20 January, from 12:00 to 13:00 CET, and which will once again place Networks of Excellence (NoEs) at the centre of the debate.
The richness of this second session lies, to a large extent, in the diversity and complementarity of the participating European projects, all of which play an active role in building a more robust, responsible and collaborative AI ecosystem.
One of the invited projects is NoLeFa, represented by Laurent Romary. NoLeFa-84 is a two-year pilot project that began in late 2024, tasked with laying the groundwork for these facilities. Coordinated by Inria, it involves public bodies, SMEs, start-ups and an EU research network. Its activities include:
- Standardisation and compliance: Contributing to the development of harmonised standards in CEN-CENELEC and ISO/IEC by 2025, supporting the compliance of high-risk AI.
- R&D and testing tools: Developing testing tools for AI system performance, but also criteria such as bias, robustness and data quality, with quarterly updates on GitHub from January 2025.
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Support and training for authorities: Creation of collaborative networks, organisation of workshops, and provision of technical advice and training to market surveillance authorities.
We will also have the participation of EUSAiR, represented by Antonino Rotolo. EUSAiR is a two-year project, funded by the European Union's Digital Europe programme, which will support the implementation of AI regulatory sandboxes across the EU to foster AI innovation and competitiveness, improve legal certainty for innovators and facilitate regulatory compliance with the AI Act.
EUSAiR aims to coordinate and support the implementation of AI regulatory sandboxes across the EU as mandated by the AI Act. The project focuses on providing standardised frameworks, enhancing technical and legal capacities, and promoting cooperation among Member States. It seeks to ensure broad access to sandboxes for AI innovators, particularly SMEs and startups, by reducing compliance costs and market barriers.
The ethical, legal and social dimension of artificial intelligence will be represented by ELSA, with the participation of Sandra Engel. ELSA is a growing network of excellence that spearheads efforts in foundational safe and secure AI methodology research. ELSA builds on and extends the internationally recognised and excellently positioned ELLIS (European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems) network of excellence.
Astik Samal will participate on behalf of Horizon ENFIELD, contributing the vision of a project focused on developing AI solutions that address challenges in sectors such as healthcare, energy, manufacturing, and space, while promoting sustainability and ethics. ENFIELD will create a unique European Centre of Excellence that excels in fundamental research in the pillars of Adaptive, Green, Human-Centric, and Trustworthy AI that are new, strategic and of paramount importance to successful AI development, deployment, and acceptance in Europe.
The session will also feature Kurt Tutschku, who will act as our project representative, providing the perspective of the host project.
Together, this second session of the AI NoEs Horizons | Q&A Sessions will offer a plural and complementary view of the current and future role of NoEs, focusing on both the structural challenges and the opportunities for collaboration between projects, regions, and communities.
At dAIEDGE, we invite everyone interested in the development of European AI, researchers, project managers, public decision-makers and other stakeholders in the ecosystem to join this meeting and actively participate in the dialogue. The combination of projects, speakers and interactive format makes this session a unique opportunity to delve deeper into how Networks of Excellence are shaping the future of AI in Europe.