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ELIAS Unveils Winners of 2nd Open Call: Accelerating AI Solutions for European Sustainability and Resilience

ELIAS Unveils Winners of 2nd Open Call: Accelerating AI Solutions for European Sustainability and Resilience

Aug 20, 2026 | Press Release

Press Release: ELIAS Unveils Winners of 2nd Open Call: Accelerating AI Solutions for European Sustainability and Resilience

Trento, Italy – August 20th, 2026

The European Lighthouse of AI for Sustainability (ELIAS) has officially selected four high-impact winning projects for its 2nd Open Call. These innovative initiatives receive funding, expert support, and pilot validation to advance AI technologies addressing wildfire prevention, energy-efficient digital infrastructure, edge-computed energy management, and sustainable building renovation across Europe.

By translating frontier AI research into real-world applications, the winning projects support the goals of the European Green Deal by prioritising energy efficiency, carbon reduction, data privacy, and resource awareness.

Interest Extending Well Beyond Europe

ELIAS Call Results

The call attracted remarkable interest, highlighting the vibrant European and global AI innovation ecosystem committed to tackling pressing societal and environmental challenges.

285 Submissions
34 Countries

Targeted Use Cases (UCs)

UC1: AI for Building Optimisation 64
UC2: AI for Monitoring the Virtual Infrastructure 38
UC3: Responsible User-centric Advertising 14
UC4: Mitigating misinformed migrant perception in EU 12
UC5: AI for Forecasting Vegetation State 48
UC6: Open Materials Discovery Project 10
UC7: Personalised Co-piloting Systems 87
Other Relevant Topics 56
Each selected project will enter a six-month development programme, receiving up to €60,000 in funding, alongside visibility through ELIAS channels and events.

Thorough Evaluation Process

Each proposal underwent a rigorous assessment by consortium members and two independent experts. Final selection was reserved strictly for the highest-scoring projects, with tie-breakers taking into account diversity, broader environmental and social impact, and submission timing.

Excellence Technical ambition and innovation.
Impact & Scope Sustainability alignment and market potential.
Implementation Team execution capability.

Meet the Winners

RenovAIte (AI for Data-Driven Energy Renovation)

By NOBATEK — France | Focus Area: UC1 – AI for Building Optimisation 

Addressing Europe’s ageing infrastructure, NOBATEK’s RenovAIte platform harnesses domain-specific Natural Language Processing (NLP) and generative AI to modernise construction workflows. The tool reduces document processing times by 60% and generates context-aware renovation scenarios that lower operational energy costs by up to 30% for tenants, tackling energy poverty and reducing embodied carbon footprints.

AdaptiveSight (AI for Sustainable Digital Out-of-Home)

By LIBRA AI Technologies P.C. — Greece | Focus Area: UC1 – AI for Building Optimisation 

AdaptiveSight uses on-device computer vision to cut the energy consumption of Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) advertising screens by 30–50%. Developed by LIBRA AI Technologies, the attention-aware system dynamically adjusts brightness and refresh rates only when spectators are looking at the display. All biometric processing occurs locally on Jetson Orin Nano edge nodes, ensuring complete compliance with European privacy standards.

HOTSPOT (Hybrid Orbital and Telemetric Sensors for Predicting On-site Threats)

By IoTique (Igloo Srl) — Italy | Focus Area: UC5 – AI for Forecasting Vegetation State 

Developed by Trentino-based IoTique, HOTSPOT combines satellite imagery with low-cost LoRaWAN environmental sensors measuring temperature, humidity, and vegetation dryness to prevent wildfires. By applying foundation models (such as TimesFM) for anomaly detection and geospatial optimisation, the system alerts local authorities early via a simple online dashboard while engaging citizens directly in environmental stewardship.

GUARDIAN (Green, User-guided, Auditable Resource-aware Deployment for Industrial AI Networks)

By Ratio1 — Romania | Focus Area: UC7 – AI for Sustainable Energy Operations 

Ratio1’s GUARDIAN introduces a reusable toolkit and benchmarking engine that shifts operational AI workloads away from power-heavy, centralised GPU clouds onto decentralised, CPU-first edge devices. Designed for renewable energy monitoring and operations-centre co-piloting, GUARDIAN minimises unnecessary computing and data transfer while ensuring human operators remain in full control through auditable outputs

Driving European Resilience

As extreme weather events, rising energy costs, and digital infrastructure demands test Europe’s infrastructure, the winning projects directly reinforce regional climate resilience and technological sovereignty. Moving from research concepts to operational pilots, these solutions demonstrate how lightweight, resource-aware AI can deliver tangible environmental protection and economic stability:

  • Climate Adaptation & Ecosystem Protection: Systems like HOTSPOT empower small municipalities and rural agencies with early-warning wildfire intelligence, safeguarding biodiversity, reducing emissions from burning vegetation, and strengthening community emergency preparedness.
  • Infrastructure & Energy Decarbonisation: Platforms such as RenovAIte and AdaptiveSight reduce structural energy waste across public spaces and built environments, accelerating building retrofits while supporting the EU Green Deal’s 55% emissions reduction target.
  • Technological Autonomy & Data Sovereignty: Architectures like GUARDIAN validate that complex AI operations can run reliably on local CPU edge networks, lowering reliance on energy-intensive cloud facilities while keeping critical operational data secure, private, and fully auditable under the EU AI Act.

The 2nd Open Call builds upon the achievements of the ELIAS 1st Open Call, which funded four pioneering projects addressing critical European sustainability challenges: https://elias-ai.eu/open-call/ 

Access press release here: ELIAS Unveils Winners of 2nd Open Call: Accelerating AI Solutions for European Sustainability and Resilience

For the full ranking list of evaluated proposals, visit: ELIAS 2nd Open Call – Ranking List

 

Contact

Aygun Garayeva, PR Manager, ELIAS

Nicu Sebe, Coordinator, ELIAS

elias-coordination@unitn.it

IDEASHACK 2026 Highlights the Power of European AI Innovation

IDEASHACK 2026 Highlights the Power of European AI Innovation

Aug 3, 2026 | ELIAS Alliance, Events, News

From its online launch on April 24, 2026, through weeks of intense development, to its high-energy Grand Finale in Warsaw on June 19, 2026, IDEASHACK 2026 has officially wrapped up. The pan-European “sciencepreneurship” hackathon—organized by the IDEAS Research Institute under the ELIAS project and ELLIS Unit Warsaw—brought together top emerging talent, researchers, and innovators to solve one of deep-tech’s biggest questions: How do we effectively translate cutting-edge scientific research into market-ready business solutions?

From Academic Labs to Real-World Impact

IDEASHACK 2026 set out with a clear mission: building a bridge between science and business. The initiative welcomed interdisciplinary teams from across Europe to design AI-driven concepts and platforms that map academic expertise and accelerate knowledge transfer.

Out of 20 squads competing from all over Europe during the online sprint, the top 5 finalist teams earned their spot at the high-stakes Demo Day in Warsaw. Presenting before a demanding jury of experts representing science, industry, and venture capital, the finalists demonstrated both scientific rigor and entrepreneurial potential.

Winner Spotlight & Awards

With a total prize pool of €12,000, the jury recognized the most feasible, original, and impactful solutions for accelerating Europe’s AI ecosystem.

  • 🥇 1st Place (€5,000):  Team Master Builders

  • Project Title: ResearchRadar

    • An AI-powered research intelligence platform designed to bridge the gap between industry R&D needs and academic research. Built entirely on open data (OpenAlex, CORDIS, ORCID), it allows users to describe an industry need in plain language and returns ranked academic papers mapped to calibrated Technology Readiness Levels (TRL 1–9) with transparent, explainable evidence paths.

  • 🥈 2nd Place (€4,000): Team Lockedin

  • Project Title: LabConnectors

    •  An operating system and ecosystem designed to turn research events (hackathons, conferences, meetups) into structured pipelines for pilots, partnerships, and investments. It features AI-ranked talent discovery with commercial intent signals, EventOps workflows, and automated warm introductions between scientists, corporate R&D teams, and investors.

  • 🥉 3rd Place (€3,000):  Team Fjaka

  • Project Title: ScienceBridge

    • A translation and trust platform aimed at connecting orphaned, cross-domain scientific research with commercial industry applications. It utilizes an interactive 3D knowledge graph (GraphRAG), AI-generated synthesis cards that turn research fragments into business hypotheses, and an agentic verification system that provides tamper-proof “credibility passports” for researchers.

Ecosystem Synergy & Strategic Partnerships

IDEASHACK 2026 stands as a testament to the power of cross-border and cross-sector collaboration. By connecting emerging researchers with industry leaders, the initiative reinforces Europe’s vision for trustworthy, sustainable, and high-impact AI.

The success of this year’s edition was made possible through the support of key ecosystem partners:

  • Strategic Partner (IDEAS Research Institute): ORLEN S.A.

  • Partners: Swissnex, Google, Polish Development Fund (PFR), ELIAS Project

  • Patronage: Ministry of Digital Affairs of the Republic of Poland, Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP)

  • Media Partner: ITwiz

Relive the Energy: Official Recap Video

Check out the official video recap below to experience the highlights, pitching moments, and vibrant energy from Demo Day in Warsaw:

▶️ Watch the IDEASHACK 2026 Recap Video on YouTube

From Research to Innovation: Key Insights from the Workshop on Multimodal Foundation Models

From Research to Innovation: Key Insights from the Workshop on Multimodal Foundation Models

Jul 27, 2026 | Events, News, TDW

On 1 July 2026, ELIAS co-organised the workshop “Multimodal Foundation Models: From Research to Innovation” at the Institut d’Estudis Catalans in Barcelona, bringing together nearly 150 on-site participants and 100 livestream viewers. The event provided a platform to explore how open, sovereign, and trustworthy multimodal AI models can transition from frontier academic research into real-world applications across Europe.

The event is hosted by the Computer Vision Center (CVC), co-organised by ELIAS, ELLIOT, ELLIS Unit Barcelona, the ELLIS Programme on Multimodal Learning Systems, ELIAS, and XARXA RDI-IA, and supported by the city council of Barcelona.

Frontier Research & Technical Advances

The morning sessions delivered deep dives into the capabilities of multimodal systems—from egocentric perception to efficient model architectures:

  • Human Behaviour Analysis: Prof. Ioannis Patras (QMUL / Tavus) presented multimodal adaptation and generation techniques for digital humans combining voice, facial dynamics, and emotional intelligence.

  • Egocentric World Modelling: Prof. Dima Damen (University of Bristol / Google DeepMind) discussed action understanding and object interactions from wearable sensor streams, leveraging benchmarks like EPIC-KITCHENS.

  • Model Merging: Dr Joost van de Weijer (CVC) introduced training-free methods to combine task-specific models into single multi-task foundation models.

  • Robot World Models: Jai Bardhan (CIIRC CTU Prague) showcased how pretrained video diffusion models serve as data-driven alternatives to simulators for robotic planning and policy evaluation.

  • Medical Diagnostic AI: Prof. Vittorio Murino (University of Verona / IIT) demonstrated few-shot adaptations of CLIP for image- and pixel-level anomaly segmentation across medical imaging modalities.

From Research to Innovation: Key Insights from the Workshop on Multimodal Foundation Models

Translating Science into Innovation

Industry applications took centre stage with an invited presentation by Eric Verdaguer (CEO of LogMeal), who detailed how computer vision and depth-sensing AI are deployed in healthcare settings to monitor hospital nutrition and reduce food waste.

A dedicated panel on commercialising frontier AI—moderated by Prof. Dimosthenis Karatzas (CVC / ELLIS Barcelona)—featured insights from Jordina Torrents (HP Inc. AI Lab), Isabelle Siegrist (Sandborn / ETH AI Center), Lukas Fischer (NXAI), and Eric Verdaguer. The discussion highlighted strategies for bridging technical research with enterprise needs, venture creation, and trustable deployment.

Strengthening Europe’s AI Network

Featuring opening and closing remarks from Javier Selva and Rafael González (Department of Research and Universities, Government of Catalonia), the workshop emphasised Barcelona’s role as a major hub for AI transfer.

Hosted by the Computer Vision Center (CVC), the workshop was co-organised by ELIAS alongside ELLIOT, ELLIS Unit Barcelona, the ELLIS Programme on Multimodal Learning Systems, and XARXA RDI-IA, with municipal support from the Barcelona City Council.

Watch the event recording here!

Check out the previous editions: Theme Development Workshops

ELLIOT – European Large Open Multi-Modal Foundation Models For Robust Generalization On Arbitrary Data Streams (GA No. 101214398 ) aims to develop the next generation of open Multimodal Generalist Foundation Models (MGFMs): AI systems designed to learn general knowledge and patterns from massive amounts of data of various types — from videos, images, and text to sensor signals, industrial time series, and satellite feeds — and efficiently transfer the generic knowledge learned in generalist manner to a wide variety of downstream tasks. Unlike current foundation models that face significant challenges in terms of generalisation capabilities and support for multimodal data, ELLIOT’s models will be capable of robust generalisation across conditions not seen during the training, coping well with dynamic, noisy, and temporally-evolving multimodal data streams. Real and synthetic data will be leveraged for training MGFMs and for further adapting them for specific downstream tasks in domains like media, earth observation, robot perception, mobility, computer engineering and workflow automation. European HPC infrastructure is directly included in the consortium to ensure the availability of the necessary computing resources. www.elliot-ai.eu

AI Launchpad Batch #4

AI Launchpad Batch #4

Jul 23, 2026 | AI Launchpad, ELIAS Alliance, Opportunities

Batch #4

Are you elegible?

Teams of 2-4 entrepreneurial students/researchers.

Completing higher education at a European University.

Aiming to develop AI technologies into marketable products/services.

Goal: Launch a VC-fundable start-up with European/global impact.

Our Programme

Visiting Hub Program

The two-week immersive program designed specifically for AI startups looking to navigate and strategize their entry into the European market. This initiative offers participants a deep dive into the unique challenges and opportunities of the European landscape, facilitating tailored growth and expansion strategies

Market Exploration
Network Building

Understand Market Dynamics

Analyse the current trends and economic conditions in the German and broader European markets.

Engage with Thought Leaders

Participate in discussions with leading thinkers in the AI and tech industries.

Identify Sector Opportunities

Pinpoint sectors with high growth potential and demand for your AI solutions.

Form Strategic Alliances

Explore opportunities for forming alliances with established businesses that can offer complementary strengths.

Assess Competitive Landscape

Evaluate local competition to strategize positioning of your AI startup.

Cultivate Relationships with Local Entrepreneurs

Forge connections with local startups and entrepreneurs for cross-cultural insights and collaboration.

Recognise Regulatory Challenges

Learn about specific regulatory requirements and hurdles in Europe that could impact market entry.

Initiate Investor Dialogues

Meet potential investors to discuss funding possibilities and gain financial insights.

 

The local accelerators

Participants can apply to one of our 10 local hubs to be part of a 1-2 week visiting hub program, allowing them to fully immerse themselves in a vibrant ecosystem. This period is crucial for deep engagement with the community and iterative refinement of innovative projects.

Choose between one of ten local accelerator hubs, each offering a unique and tailored programme for your start-up:

INiTS | Vienna, Austria
DTU Skylab | Lyngby, Denmark
Campus Founders | Heilbronn, Germany
ETH AI Center &| Zurich, Switzerland
KTH Innovation | Stockholm, Sweden
XPLORE Venture Creator | Munich, Germany
HPI – ELIAS Node Potsdam | Potsdam, Germany
CVC – ELIAS Node Barcelona | Barcelona, Spain
Yes!Delft | Delft, Netherlands
Cyber Valley – ELIAS Node Tübingen | Tübingen, Germany

How does it work?

Nomination

Startups are referred by local facilitators. No open calls, just quality.

Onboarding

Join 2–3 online workshops to align goals, prepare assets, and connect early.

Immersion

Spend 2 weeks in a new European hub, engage in curated meetings, events, and VC introductions.

Centralised Application Process

Say goodbye to the hassle of applying to multiple incubators. With AI Launchpad, you can apply through our central portal and gain access to a network of premier AI startup ecosystems.

A Network of AI Experts and Entrepreneurs

Leverage a pan-European network of AI experts and entrepreneurs. Access centralised learning from ten hubs, bridging the gap between science and entrepreneurship

Immersion and Expansion

Participate in either the Spring or Fall season by joining a curated 1–2 week visit to a leading European AI hub. The program is tailored to your market goals and maturity, connecting you with investors, corporate partners, and key ecosystem leaders. To maximise impact, you’ll also take part in targeted sessions before and after your visit.

What to Submit

  1. A pitch deck or one-pager that clearly presents your startup
  2. A 1-minute video introducing your team — keep it simple, real, and authentic. Upload it to Loom or YouTube and share the link with us

    Deadline: September 1st, 2026 at 23:59 CET

    We can’t wait to discover your story — and learn how your AI venture is shaping the future.

    Get Nominated for the Fall Season!

    More info under: www.ai-launchpad.eu | For enquiries regarding nominations, programmes, or collaborations, please contact:

    Contact

     entrepreneurship@ai.ethz.ch

    ELIAS Network Expands Virtual Centre of Excellence to Advance Sustainable and Trustworthy AI Across Europe

    ELIAS Network Expands Virtual Centre of Excellence to Advance Sustainable and Trustworthy AI Across Europe

    Jul 6, 2026 | News, Press Release

    ELIAS Network Expands Virtual Centre of Excellence Across Europe — Part 1

    The ELIAS (European Lighthouse of AI for Sustainability) project is proud to announce a significant expansion of its Virtual Centre of Excellence (VCE). By integrating a new cohort of leading European research institutions and universities, ELIAS continues to strengthen its mission of developing a connected, inclusive, and sustainability-oriented AI ecosystem fully embedded within the ELLIS Network.

    The ELIAS VCE serves as a shared framework for collaboration, focusing on advancing machine learning methods that address critical challenges across three core dimensions: the planet, society, and the individual. This expansion reinforces Europe's position as a global leader in high-impact, trustworthy and Sustainable AI research through increased interdisciplinarity and geographical inclusion.

    This evolution is visually captured across our network maps, reflecting a substantial widening of the project's pan-European footprint. While ELIAS originally consisted of 35 top European organisations across 17 countries, the integration of this new cohort adds 15 more organisations—bringing the network to a total of 50 members. This growth successfully bridges regional gaps, weaving a much stronger and more cohesive scientific ecosystem across the continent.

    15
    New member organisations approved
    7
    Countries newly represented
    10
    ELLIS Units engaged
    3
    Core research dimensions: planet, society, individual
    ELIAS Network
    Virtual Centre of Excellence — before & after the July 2026 expansion
    50 organisations 20 countries +15 new members
    Scroll to Zoom / Click Node to Inspect

    Newly Approved Member Organisations

    Following a rigorous, excellence-driven selection process, the following organisations have been recommended for inclusion in the ELIAS VCE:

    🇦🇹 Austria 🇩🇪 Germany 🇮🇹 Italy 🇪🇸 Spain 🇧🇪 Belgium 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇺🇦 Ukraine
    Graz University of Technology (TUG)
    ELLIS Unit Graz · Austria
    Advances foundational ML research in brain-inspired ML, resource-efficient deep learning, human-centred computing, trustworthy AI, visual computing, and probabilistic ML.
    University of Freiburg (UFR)
    ELLIS Unit Freiburg · Germany
    Advances autonomous learning at the intersection of machine learning, robotics, computer vision, and reasoning, spanning automated ML, robot learning, and automated reasoning.
    Politecnico di Torino (POLITO)
    ELLIS Unit Turin · Italy
    Provides institutional expertise and research capacity as a leading technical university engaged in education, research, and innovation.
    Computer Vision Center (CVC)
    ELLIS Unit Barcelona · Spain
    Conducts cutting-edge computer vision and AI research, combining fundamental research with technology transfer in smart mobility, healthcare, industry, and digital heritage.
    Pompeu Fabra University (UPF)
    ELLIS Unit Barcelona · Spain
    A research-intensive university with strong international rankings, conducting interdisciplinary research across engineering, computational systems, economics, and data-driven fields.
    Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
    ELLIS Unit Barcelona · Spain
    Through IIIA, conducts research across machine learning, multi-agent systems, reasoning, and natural language processing, backed by strong technology transfer activities.
    University of Barcelona (UB)
    ELLIS Unit Barcelona · Spain
    The AIBA group develops trustworthy and efficient AI methods with strong societal impact in computer vision, multimodal learning, and biomedical AI.
    KU Leuven (KUL)
    ELLIS Unit Leuven · Belgium
    Hosts interdisciplinary AI research through the Leuven.AI Institute, with a strong focus on sustainability and societal relevance.
    Universidad de Alcalá (UAH)
    ELLIS Unit Madrid · Spain
    A public university with extensive academic and research infrastructure, offering programmes across multiple campuses and research institutes.
    Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M)
    ELLIS Unit Madrid · Spain
    A public university committed to innovation and high-quality teaching, with strong international recognition and cutting-edge research.
    Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA)
    ELLIS Unit Vienna · Austria
    A cross-disciplinary research institute combining fundamental science and graduate education across natural sciences, mathematics, and information sciences.
    Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU)
    ELLIS Unit Lviv · Ukraine
    Engages in AI research and education, with work in machine learning for medical imaging, computer vision, and navigation.
    Delft University of Technology (TUD)
    ELLIS Unit Delft · Netherlands
    Contributes to addressing societal challenges through engineering education, advanced research in technical sciences, and applied innovation.
    Berlin Institute for the Foundations of Learning and Data (BIFOLD)
    ELLIS Unit Berlin · Germany
    Conducts research on sustainable AI systems that ranges from efficiency aspects that directly affect the environmental footprint of AI systems, to transparency, explainability, and accountability.
    Friedrich Schiller University Jena (FSU)
    ELLIS Unit Jena · Germany
    Leverages computer vision and ML to extract actionable insight from complex sensor data, emphasising interpretable and causally grounded models.

    Driving Sustainable Innovation

    The inclusion of these institutions brings specialised expertise to the interconnected pillars of the ELIAS Strategic Research Agenda. From creating hybrid AI models for climate resilience to developing systems that ensure algorithmic fairness and safety, these new members will play a pivotal role in training the next generation of AI talent through joint doctoral tracks and mobility schemes.

    Through ELIAS, the network grows in a transparent and excellence-driven manner, supporting the inclusion of new ELIAS Members and ensuring compliance with rigorous scientific standards. Cecilia Zanazzo, Project Manager of ELIAS

    The collective impact of these new members will significantly advance research in sustainable AI, fostering innovation that aligns with EU values.

    15
    newly recommended member organisations join the ELIAS Virtual Centre of Excellence, extending the network's reach into nine ELLIS Units and adding capacity in climate resilience, algorithmic fairness, and safety research that will train the next generation of AI talent through joint doctoral tracks and mobility schemes.

    For more information about the ELIAS Virtual Centre of Excellence, please visit the the following page: ELIAS Network

    Access Press Release here:  2026-07-06 – Press Release: ELIAS VCE Expansion.pdf 

    Contact

    Aygun Garayeva, PR Manager, ELIAS

    Nicu Sebe, Coordinator, ELIAS

    elias-coordination@unitn.it