Theme Development Workshop on Sustainability & AI
2025-03-07 08:00 - 12:00 (Europe/Rome)
Theme Development Workshop on Sustainability & AI
Date & Time: March 7th, 2025, 9.00 – 13.00 (GMT +2)
Location: Bucharest, Romania (Hybrid Event)
Overview: Join us for the Theme Development Workshop on Sustainability & AI, a 4-hour hybrid event designed to explore the powerful intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Sustainability. This workshop will focus on how AI can address global environmental challenges, promote sustainable societies, and ensure trustworthy AI for individuals. The event will feature a series of 5 sessions, each with two 15-minute keynote presentations followed by interactive discussions and a Q&A segment.

Objectives:

Explore AI’s contributions to global sustainability.
Discuss AI’s role in creating sustainable societies and equitable solutions.
Examine how trustworthy AI can benefit individuals while advancing sustainability goals.
Foster collaboration between AI experts, sustainability professionals, and policymakers.
Address the ethical considerations in the development of AI for sustainability.

Agenda

Responsive Table

Time
Duration
Session name

09:00 – 09:10
10 mins
Welcome & Introductions

Opening remarks
Introduction to the workshop’s theme: AI and Sustainability
Overview of the sessions and objectives

Nicu Sebe (UNITN), Filareti Tsalakanidou (CERTH)

09:10-09:30
15 mins
Session 1: Regulatory and Ethics Aspects

Keynote: Marko Milosaljevic (University of Ljubljana, Slovenia)

5 mins
Q&A and Discussion

09:30-10:10
30 mins
Session 2: AI for a Sustainable Planet

Keynote: Saso Dzeroski (Jozef Stefan Institute, Slovenia)
Marius Leordeanu (National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest, Romania)

10 mins
Q&A and Discussion

10:10-10:50
30 mins
Session 3: AI for a Sustainable Society

Keynote: Nicolò Cesa-Bianchi (University of Milan, Italy)
Ioana Manolescu (INRIA, France)

10 mins
Q&A and Discussion

10:50-11:10
20 mins

Break

11:10-11:40
30 mins
Session 4: Trustworthy AI for Individuals

Keynotes:

Lorenzo Baraldi (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy)
Nicu Sebe (University of Trento, Italy)

10 mins
Q&A and Discussion

11:40-12:00
20 mins
Session 5: Fostering the Next Generation of AI Talents

Keynotes:

Charlotte Delage (Institute Polytechnique of Paris, France)

5 mins
Q&A and Discussion

12:00-12:40
30 mins
Session 6: Entrepreneurship and Tech Transfer

Keynotes:

Nina Peters (University of Tubingen, Germany)
Isabelle Siegrist (ETH Zurich, Switzerland)

10 mins
Q&A and Discussion

12:40-12:55
15 mins
Conclusion & Wrap-up

Summary of key takeaways
Final remarks and next steps

Nicu Sebe (UNITN), Filareti Tsalakanidou (CERTH)

Privacy Notice: Pursuant to the EU Regulation No. 2016/679 (GDPR) and to the Privacy Policy for ELIAS event participants, we inform you that the event will be recorded and disclosed on the ELIAS project channels.

Details

Date: March 7, 2025
Time: 9.00 - 13.00 (GMT +2) (Hybrid Event)

Venue

UNSTPB Central Library
Room 2.1 on the Second Floor
Splaiul Independenței, 313
Bucharest, 060042
Romania

2025 ELLIS Winter School on Foundation Models (FoMo)
2025-03-18 08:00 - 2025-03-21 17:00
The ELLIS Unit Amsterdam is excited to announce the 2nd ELLIS Winter School on Foundation Models in 2025. This year we have 250 seats available. Secure your spot!
The FoMo presents a valuable opportunity to explore the intricacies of foundation models and to highlight how Europe is establishing its own path beyond the widely-known Big Tech narrative. Notable insights and innovative approaches are emerging from Europe in both academia and industry. Thus, one of the main objectives of this winter school is to highlight these perspectives and provide a thorough understanding of how Europe is shaping its research agenda with unique directions while fostering community collaboration. Participants can expect a diverse lineup of speakers, including Tim Rocktäschel (UCL and Google Deepmind), Amir Zamir (EPFL), and Fahad Khan (MBZUAI, Linköping University Sweden)– more to be announced soon, and the opportunity to engage with like-minded individuals.

Format
The program’s composition remains consistent with 2-3 lectures per day. This year, reading sessions are added to the daily programs of the ELLIS Winter School, which allow the participants to dive deep into different foundation model topics. The late-afternoon slots are allocated for free-form collaboration, which we encourage to provide time for the participants to exchange with like-minded participants and prototype a novel idea. Social networking events are organized to officially give opportunities for the participants and speakers to get to know each other. The School also features a poster session showcasing participants’ latest works on foundation models. Feedback from the 2024 FoMo highlights how this session inspires valuable insights among proactive participants.

Application and cost
Last year, we had 150 participants from 90 different institutions and 40 different nationalities, and we are excited to see an even greater diversity this time. Preference will be given to ELLIS PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers, but applications are welcome from individuals around the world.
If you are interested, kindly complete your application here, the deadline is 26 January 2025 at 23:59 CET.

Register now!

The fee for participating in the winter school will be
MSc and PhD students: 350€Industry/ startup/ other participants: 550€The fees cover logistic costs, coffee breaks, lunch, and social activities (travel and accommodation are self-organized). The fee can be waived for applicants from underrepresented backgrounds who require financial assistance (see application form).
For more information, visit the official website.

2024 ELLIS Winter School
You can read the overview of the first ELLIS Winter School on Foundation Models in 2024 here.

Event Footer

Details
Start Date: March 18, 2025 at 09:00
End Date: March 21, 2025 at 17:00
Location: Tolhuistuin, Amsterdam
More Information: Event Website

Venue
Tolhuistuin
Amsterdam, Netherlands

© 2025 Event Organisation. All rights reserved.

ELIAS 1st Open Call: Q&A Session
2025-03-26 10:00 - 11:00
ELIAS 1st Open Call: Q&A Session

Are you interested in applying for the ELIAS 1st Open Call and have questions about the process? Join our live Q&A session to get all the details, clarify any doubts, and learn how your AI-driven project can secure up to €60,000 in funding for sustainability and societal impact.
📅 When? March 26, 2025 – 10 AM (CET)🔗 Join us on Zoom: Click here
This open session is your chance to connect directly with the ELIAS team, understand eligibility requirements, and explore how AI can drive positive change. No registration is needed—just join the call and get your questions answered!

ELIAS Open Call Presentation - DOWNLOAD

Join us

Learn More

ELIAS & IRCAI at GITEX Europe 2025: Workshop on Responsible AI and SDG Innovation
2025-05-21 08:00 - 2025-05-23 17:00 | GITEX Europe 2025, Berlin, Germany
ELIAS & IRCAI at GITEX Europe 2025: Workshop on Responsible AI and SDG Innovation

From 21 to 23 May 2025, the ELIAS project will be actively represented at GITEX Europe in Berlin, one of the largest industry–government–research gatherings focused on digital transformation and emerging technologies. In collaboration with the International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence (IRCAI), ELIAS will contribute to a range of activities centered around Responsible AI and innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Workshop: Responsible AI in Practice

On Thursday, 23 May, from 10:00 to 11:00, ELIAS and IRCAI, partnering with AI in Africa, will host a hands-on workshop entitled: “Responsible AI in Practice: Bias Testing, Privacy and Compliance”.

The session, taking place in the Training Room at GITEX Europe, is open to registered participants and will explore key aspects of responsible AI development, including:

Testing and mitigating algorithmic bias
Ensuring privacy and data protection
Navigating compliance with EU AI regulations
Presenting tools and outputs developed within the ELIAS project

This tutorial will also serve as a platform to disseminate ELIAS research and showcase practical use cases, reinforcing the project’s commitment to ethical, lawful and robust AI systems.

ELIAS in Panels and AI & SDG11 Innovation Activities
In addition to the workshop, ELIAS will be represented in other key moments of the GITEX Europe programme:

On 21 May at 16:00, 10 selected startups and SMEs will pitch their solutions on stage, following a competitives election process supported by IRCAI and AI in Africa partners. These innovators will also benefit from booth space and access to the GITEX investment programme throughout the event.
Panel discussions focused on AI for Resilient Cities and Communities, aligned with SDG 11, where ELIAS will contribute to the debate on AI’s role in the resilience and sustainability of cities and communities
AI & SDG11 SME Competition Award Ceremony, taking place on 23 May at 16:00, where Joao Pita Costa from ELIAS will be part of the jury, helping evaluate innovative AI-driven solutions from across Europe and beyond.

GITEX Europe: A New Hub for Innovation and Investment
Making its debut in Berlin, GITEX Europe 2025 is bringing together 600 leading investors from over 50 countries, including some of Europe’s most active venture firms scouting disruptive startups. The event features a concierge-style matchmaking service connecting investors with over 750 exhibiting global startups, tailored to their interests, investment focus, and growth stage.
With a strong emphasis on co-investment opportunities, strategic partnerships, and fundraising collaborations, GITEX Europe presents a unique opportunity for participants—including ELIAS-backed innovators—to showcase their work at the intersection of cutting-edge technology and responsible AI development.

International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence (IRCAI)
The International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence (IRCAI), established under the auspices of UNESCO, is dedicated to applying cutting-edge science and advanced digital technologies to solve global challenges. IRCAI conducts both theoretical and applied research in artificial intelligence (AI) to support sustainable development, focusing on key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as quality education, gender equality, economic growth, and climate action. The Centre also works on developing open AI solutions, providing policy support, and fostering multi-stakeholder cooperation, particularly in the Global South. Through its research, capacity-building initiatives, and advocacy efforts, IRCAI aims to promote ethical, transparent, and inclusive AI development to address societal challenges and contribute to a more sustainable future.
IRCAI is part of the Jozef Stefan Institute, one of the members of the ELIAS consortium using LLMs to explore multi-agent simulations and research on cognitive bias.

Details
Date: 21 to 23 May 2025
More Information:
View More Information

Venue
Messe, Messedamm 22, 14055 Berlin, Germany

Natural Language Processing and Speech Recognition Workshop
2025-06-04 13:00 - 16:30
The ELLIS Workshop on Natural Language Processing and Speech Recognition is co-organised by the ELLIS Unit Prague and the ELLIS Associate Unit Lviv and supported by ELIAS. This online event will bring together researchers and experts to discuss recent advancements in NLP and speech recognition.
Date: June 4, 2025Time: 13:00 – 16:30 CESTLocation: Online (via Zoom)
🔗 Register here to receive the Zoom link a few days before the workshop.

Workshop Objectives
This workshop will focus on recent scientific progress in natural language processing (NLP) and speech recognition, fostering discussions on emerging trends and challenges in the field.
Organisers
For any inquiries, please contact:

Rostyslav Hryniv (ELLIS Associate Unit Lviv)
Josef Sivic (ELLIS Unit Prague)

Agenda
Each presentation slot is 30 minutes, with 20–25 minutes for the talk and 5–10 minutes for questions and discussion.All times are in Central European Summer Time (CEST).

Time

Duration

Session

13:00 – 14:30

30 mins each

Session I

Iryna Gurevich – Title TBA

Barbara Plank – Title TBA

Mykola Trokhymovych – Title TBA

14:30 – 15:00

Coffee Break

15:00 – 16:30

30 mins each

Session II

Alessandro Raganato – Title TBA

Oldřich Plchot – Title TBA

Yehor Smoliakov – Title TBA

Event Details

Date: June 4, 2025

Time: 13:00 – 16:30 CEST

Location: Online (via Zoom)

Organised by: ELLIS Unit Prague & ELLIS Associate Unit Lviv

Registration: Click here to register

ELIAS, ELLIOT & ELSA Theme Development Workshop on Foundation Models
2025-07-10 09:00 - 13:30 | Thessaloniki, Greece, Thessaloniki, Greece
Date & Time: July 10th, 2025, 9:00 – 14:15 EEST (GMT+3)
Location: Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Thessaloniki, Greece (Hybrid Event)
Overview: The emergence of Foundation Models and Large Language Models is transforming the way AI systems are developed and applied in various industry sectors. Trained on massive amounts of data of different modalities and using transfer learning to apply the knowledge learned from one task to another, models such as ChatGPT, GPT-4, BERT, CLIP, DALL-E, etc. can be adapted to a wide range of downstream tasks from media content generation to climate change modeling, healthcare monitoring, autonomous driving and many more.
The ELIAS, ELLIOT & ELSA Theme Development Workshop on Foundation Models aims to highlight the opportunities offered by Foundation Models, explore relevant technical challenges, consider legal & ethical aspects, and present application examples.
Objectives:

Explore technical aspects of Foundation Model training such as generalisation, scaling, benchmarking, security, and computational resources.
Address ethical considerations in the development and deployment of Foundation Models.
Highlight different applications domains and discuss relevant adaptation challenges of Foundation Models.

This hybrid 4-hour event will feature 3 sessions, each including 20-min keynote presentations from renowned experts in the field, followed by interactive discussions and a Q&A segment. Light lunch will be served after the end of the workshop.

Registration Deadline
Online Attendance → July 9th, 2025 – 18:00 CET

Registration for in-person attendance has been closed on June 18th, 2025, (midnight CET).
Register here

This workshop is jointly organised by the ELIAS, ELLIOT & ELSA projects.

ELLIOT – European Large Open Multi-Modal Foundation Models For Robust Generalization On Arbitrary Data Streams (GA No. 101214398 ) aims to enhance general-purpose AI by developing large-scale, open multimodal foundation models with strong spatio-temporal understanding. Led by top European academic and industrial labs from the ELLIS and LAION communities, the project targets underrepresented time-relevant modalities such as industrial time series, remote sensing, and health data. Both real and synthetic data will be used, sourced from consortium partners and European Data Spaces, with synthetic data generated using current and novel generative AI methods. European HPC resources are integrated to support large-scale model training.

ELSA – European Lighthouse on Secure and Safe AI (GA No. 101070617) is a growing network of excellence that spearheads efforts in foundational safe and secure AI methodology research. ELSA’s founding members include European experts in all aspects of safe and secure AI, with particular focus on technical robustness, privacy preserving techniques and human agency and oversight. In addition, ELSA brings on board research and industry experts in six different sectors that are key application areas of safe and secure AI. ELSA builds on and extends the internationally recognized and excellently positioned ELLIS (European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems) network of excellence. For more information, please visit: www.elsa-ai.eu

Speakers & Moderators

Jenia Jitsev
JSC & LAION
EC projects: ELLIOT, openEuroLLM, LLMs4EU

Frank Hutter
PriorLabs & University of Freiburg
EC projects: ELLIOT, openEuroLLM, LLMs4EU

Cees Snoek
University of Amsterdam
EC projects: ELLIOT, ELIAS, ADRA-e

Mario Fritz
CISPA & Saarland University
EC projects: ELSA, ELLIOT

Flavia Giglio
KU Leuven
EC projects: ELLIOT

Marc Pollefeys
ETH Zurich & Microsoft
EC projects: ELLIOT, ELIAS

Matthieu Cord
Sorbonne University & VALEO
EC projects: ELLIOT

Dario Garcia-Gasulla
Barcelona Supercomputing Center
EC projects: ELLIOT, AI4Europe, AIFactories, DARE

Elisa Ricci
University of Trento & Fondazione Bruno Kessler
ELIAS, ELLIOT

Lorenzo Baraldi
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia
ELIAS, ELLIOT, ELSA, MINERVA

Dimosthenis Karatzas
CVC-CERCA & Autonomous University of Barcelona
ELSA, ELLIOT

Agenda
Please note that the agenda is subject to slight changes and will be updated accordingly.

All times are local (Greece) time (EEST = GMT+3, e.g. 10:00 EEST = 09:00 CEST)

Workshop Agenda

Time
Duration
Session Name

09:00 – 09:15
15 mins

Welcome & Introduction to Foundation Models

Opening remarks
Introduction to Foundation Models
Overview of the sessions and objectives

Elisa Ricci (UNITN & FBK)

09:15 – 10:30
Session 1: Training Foundation Models

Moderator: Elisa Ricci (UNITN & FBK)

20 mins

Keynote: Jenia Jitsev (JSC & LAION)
Open Foundation Models: Scaling Laws and Generalisation
To study transferable learning and generalisation, derivation of reproducible scaling laws is crucial, as they not only predict model function and properties on unseen scales, but also have potential to enable systematic comparison of various learning procedures. The talk will discuss why open foundation models and datasets are essential for this research and highlight challenges in properly measuring generalisation.

5 mins
Q&A and Discussion

20 mins

Keynote: Frank Hutter (PriorLabs, ELLIST)
Tabular Foundation Models

Tabular data, spreadsheets organized in rows and columns, are ubiquitous across healthcare, business and finance. Although deep learning has revolutionised learning from raw data and led to numerous high-profile success stories, gradient-boosted decision trees have dominated tabular data for the past 20 years. In this talk, I will demonstrate how we changed this with the first foundation models for tabular data, in particular TabPFN and TabPFN v2.

5 mins
Q&A and Discussion

20 mins

Keynote: Cees Snoek (UvA)
NeoBabel: A Multilingual Open Foundation Model for Visual Generation

Text-to-image generation advancements have been predominantly English-centric, creating barriers for non-English speakers and perpetuating digital inequities. This talk introduces NeoBabel, a multilingual image generation foundation model that sets a new Pareto frontier in performance, efficiency and inclusivity, natively supporting English, Chinese, Dutch, French, Hindi, and Persian.

5 mins
Q&A and Discussion

10:30 – 11:20
Session 2: Ethical & Safe Foundation Models

Moderator: Lorenzo Baraldi (UNIMORE)

20 mins

Keynote: Mario Fritz (CISPA)
Security and Safety of Foundation Models

The talk will focus on the security and safety of Foundation Models, covering topics such as LLM security, prompt injection, data-instruction separation, multi-agent setups, AI for (vulnerable) code, and auto red teaming.

5 mins
Q&A and Discussion

20 mins

Keynote: Flavia Giglio (KUL)
Ethical and Legal Aspects of Foundation Models

The talk will revolve around legal and ethical challenges posed by foundation models, including an overview of the latest EU legislative developments in the AI field and how it concerns the design and deployment of such models.

5 mins
Q&A and Discussion

11:20 – 11:40
COFFEE BREAK

11:40 – 12:55
Session 3: Application of Foundation Models

Moderator: Dimosthenis Karatzas (CVC-CERCA & UAB)

20 mins

Keynote: Marc Pollefeys (Microsoft & ETHZ)
Spatial AI

The talk will focus on the challenges of using AI in 3D spatial settings for real-world AI assistants and robotics.

5 mins
Q&A and Discussion

20 mins

Keynote: Matthieu Cord (VALEO)
Driving through Generative Video Pretraining

Presentation of an end-to-end driving Video-Action Model that harnesses the power of generative video pretraining, learning unsupervised rich video representations from large driving video datasets and applying these representations for control via imitation learning.

5 mins
Q&A and Discussion

20 mins

Keynote: Dario Garcia-Casulla (BSC)
Training and Evaluating LLMs in European HPC centers

Review of current practices on post-training LLMs (SFT, instruct, merge and align) for multiple tasks in healthcare, and discussion of current limitations in model evaluation, also for other domains such as LLMs for Chip Design or code generation. Includes details of computational access and cost within existing and incoming (AIFactories) European HPC infrastructure.

5 mins
Q&A and Discussion

12:55 – 13:15
20 mins

Conclusion & Wrap-up

Summary of key takeaways
Final remarks and next steps

Elisa Ricci (UNITN & FBK), Dimosthenis Karatzas (CVC-CERCA & UAB), Lorenzo Baraldi (UNIMORE)

13:15 – 14:15
60 mins
LUNCH

Venue
The ELIAS, ELLIOT & ELSA TDW on Foundation Mode will take place at the campus of the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH) in Thessaloniki, Greece. CERTH is located at the 6th km of the Charilaou-Thermi Road in Thermi, Thessaloniki. It is about 10 km from the centre of Thessaloniki and about 8 km from “Makedonia” International airport. You can reach CERTH by bus/metro, car or taxi.
The workshop will take place at the Amphitheatre of the central administration building of CERTH. Coffee and lunch breaks will take place in the entrance hall (foyer), outside the Amphitheatre. As you enter the campus, the central administration building is on your right, the last building with the red bricks at the end of the road (<1 min walk from the gate). You can always ask the guard at the gate of the campus for instructions. Signs will also be put out.

Details
Date: Thursday, July 10th, 2025
Time: 9:00 – 14:15 EEST (GMT+3)
Format: Hybrid Event
Duration: 4 hours (with a 20-minute coffee break) + 1 hour light lunch at the end

Venue
Location (English):
CERTH (“EKETA” in Greek)
6th km Charilaou - Thermi Road
570 01 Thermi
Thessaloniki, Greece

Τοποθεσία (Ελληνικά):
Εθνικό Κέντρο Έρευνας και Τεχνολογικής Ανάπτυξης (ΕΚΕΤΑ)
Τεχνολογικό Πάρκο Θεσσαλονίκης
6ο χλμ οδού Χαριλάου - Θέρμης
Θέρμη, Θεσσαλονίκη

ELLIS Doctoral Symposium #EDS2025: Robust AI
2025-08-25 08:00 - 2025-08-29 17:00 | University of Warsaw Faculty of Modern Languages, Ul. Dobra 55,, Warsaw, 00-312, Poland
The ELLIS Doctoral Symposium (EDS) is back this summer for its fifth edition in the vibrant city of Warsaw, Poland! From August 25 to 29, immerse yourself in an exciting week of cutting-edge scientific discussions, valuable networking opportunities, and a chance to experience Poland’s warm and welcoming culture.
🎓 What is EDS?
The ELLIS Doctoral Symposium is the highlight of the year for the ELLIS PhD Program, gathering ELLIS PhD students alongside others in the field for an enriching exchange of knowledge in machine learning. The theme for EDS 2025 is Robust AI—a critical area in AI research focused on creating systems that are both reliable and adaptable.
👥 What to Expect?
EDS 2025 will focus on “Robust AI,” bringing together PhD students, researchers, and leading experts from across Europe. This prestigious symposium offers a unique platform for young researchers to present their work, exchange ideas, and engage in discussions on advancing artificial intelligence. Expect a dynamic series of talks, workshops, and networking events designed to foster collaboration and drive innovation. Join us to shape the future of AI and contribute to the creation of safer, more reliable, and adaptable AI systems.
Second round registration is currently open and accepting submissions until July 31st, 2025.

Speakers

Serge Belongie

University of Copenhagen

Petri Myllymäki

University of Helsinki

Nuria Oliver

ELLIS Alicante

Tomasz Trzciński

ELLIS Unit Warsaw

Piotr Sankowski

ELLIS Unit Warsaw

Dario Floreano

EPFL

Pau Rodríguez López

Apple Machine Learning Research

Davide Scaramuzza

University of Zurich

Ewa Szczurek

University of Warsaw

Agenda

25 August 2025 (Monday)

Time

Duration

Session Name

12:15–13:00

45 mins

Registration & Welcome Coffee

13:00–13:30

30 mins

Kick-off Ceremony

13:30–14:15

45 mins

Keynote Speaker – Petri Myllymäki

14:15–15:00

45 mins

Social Responsibility and Ethics in AI – Panel

15:00–17:00

2 hours

Welcome Reception

26 August 2025 (Tuesday)

Time

Duration

Session Name

09:15–09:30

15 mins

Welcome Coffee

09:30–10:30

1 hour

Keynote Speaker – Dario Floreano: "Challenges and Opportunities for Robust AI in Biologically Inspired Drones"

10:30–11:30

1 hour

Discussion Panel

11:30–12:30

1 hour

Presentations of Robotics Companies
(Short elevator pitch type presentation – around 5 min. each)

12:30–13:30

1 hour

Lunch

13:30–14:30

1 hour

Keynote Speaker – Davide Scaramuzza

14:30–15:30

1 hour

Spotlight Session (12 Posters – each presentation 5 minutes)

15:30–17:00

1.5 hours

Coffee Break + Academy & Industry Companies Fair + Poster Session

19:30–23:00

4.5 hours

Gala Dinner

27 August 2025 (Wednesday)

Time
Duration
Session Name

09:00–09:15
15 mins
Welcome Coffee

09:15–10:30
1 hour 15 mins
Keynote Speaker – Ewa Szczurek

10:30–11:00
30 mins
Coffee Break

11:00–12:30
1.5 hours
Keynote Speaker – Pau Rodríguez López

12:30–13:30
1 hour
Lunch

13:30–15:00
1.5 hours
Poster Session

From 17:00
As scheduled
Guided Tour of Warsaw

28 August 2025 (Thursday)

Time

Duration

Session Name

09:15–09:30

15 mins

Welcome Coffee

09:30–11:00

1.5 hours

Keynote Speaker – Serge Belongie

11:00–11:30

30 mins

Coffee Break

11:30–12:30

1 hour

Keynote Speaker – Nuria Oliver

12:30–13:30

1 hour

Lunch

13:30–15:30

2 hours

Poster Session

15:30–16:00

30 mins

Coffee Break & Winning Poster(s) Announcement

29 August 2025 (Friday)

Time

Duration

Session Name

09:15–09:30

15 mins

Welcome Coffee

09:30–11:30

2 hours

“How to Popularize Research and Talk About Science” Workshops

11:30–12:15

45 mins

Presentation of IDEAS Institute and University of Warsaw

12:15–13:00

45 mins

Wrap-up Ceremony and Announcement of EDS 2026 Location

13:00–14:00

1 hour

Lunch

Call for Posters



I. General Information
The ELLIS Doctoral Symposium (EDS) 2025 provides a unique platform for early-career researchers to share their findings, exchange ideas, and receive feedback from peers and experts in the field.



II. Topics of Interest
We welcome submissions from all PhD students, especially those participating in the ELLIS PhD Postdoc Program, regardless of whether their primary research focus is Robust AI.



III. Submission Guidelines
In the registration form, available on the ELLIS Doctoral Symposium 2025 website, authors will be required to provide:

Affiliation
CV
Title of the planned poster(s) and abstract(s) (max. 500 words, clearly outlining the research problem, methodology, and preliminary results).

Posters must represent original research (published or unpublished) conducted by the author(s). All accepted posters will be presented during dedicated poster sessions at EDS 2025.



IV. Evaluation Criteria
Submissions will be reviewed based on the following criteria:

Clarity & Structure – Is the abstract well-organized and easy to follow?
Scientific Contribution – Does the research provide new insights or advancements?
Methodological Rigor – Are the methods appropriate and well-explained?
Potential Impact – How significant are the findings for AI research and practice?

Priority will be given to the author(s) participating in the ELLIS PhD & Postdoc Program.



V. Important Dates

First registration round: May 12 – 31, 2025
Verification of submissions: June 2 – 16, 2025
Acceptance notification: June 16, 2025
Payment deadline: June 17 – 30, 2025
Second registration round: June 17 – July 31, 2025 (rolling review)
Final payment deadline: July 25, 2025



VI. How to Submit
Submissions will be accepted through an online submission form, which will be made available on the ELLIS Doctoral Symposium 2025 website at the latest before the end of the first/second registration round. For any questions, contact us at eds@eds2025.pl.

Fees
The participation fee for the ELLIS Doctoral Symposium 2025 is 100 EUR per person. The fee covers access to all conference sessions, coffee breaks, lunches, and social events. Details regarding payment methods and deadlines will be provided shortly.

Registration form
The second round of registration has begun and will remain open until July 31, 2025.

Register here

EDS Mobility Grants
Students may be eligible for travel funding through the following option:
ELIAS Mobility Program is open to participants who are employed by an ELIAS Beneficiary (see the list provided in the Terms and Conditions).

EDS25 Mobility grant (guidelines)
EDS Mobility Grant (ELIAS) Application
EDS Reimbursement Report (ELIAS Beneficiary)

ELSA Mobility Program is open to PhD and postdoctoral students, as well as experienced researchers whose home institutions are either official members of the ELSA Network, or located in the EU or EU associated countries.
Links to the application form and Terms & Conditions of the mobility program can be found at:

for PhDs & Postdocs
for experienced researcher

For any questions regarding the ELSA mobility grant, please contact: elsa-travel@cispa.de
Please note: Double funding is not permitted.

Learn More

EDS 2025 Official Website
Summary of Last Year’s EDS Event
Learn About the ELLIS PhD Program

Details

Start: August 25, 2025

End: August 29, 2025

Event Categories: Symposium, Workshops

Event Tags: #eds2025, #robustai, #symposium

Website

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Organisers

ELLIS Unit Warsaw & University of Warsaw

Venue

University of Warsaw

Faculty of Modern Languages

Ul. Dobra 55, 00-312 Warsaw, Poland

Location

The conference will take place at the Faculty of Modern Languages of the University of Warsaw, located in the Powiśle district by the Vistula River, easily accessible by public transportation. The venue is fully equipped to accommodate individuals with special needs.

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How to be a (Startup-) CTO
2025-09-08 08:00 - 2025-09-10 17:00 | HPI Engine Hasso Plattner Institut, August-Bebel-Str. 88, Potsdam, 14482, Germany
Ready to lead in tech? Join the Summer School 2025 by HPI Engine & ELIAS!
Are you ready to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and real-world technology leadership? HPI’s annual Summer School, with support from ELIAS, is your chance to gain essential skills and insights for a successful IT career. This year, we’re focusing on the pivotal role of the Chief Technology Officer (CTO), offering a dynamic blend of theoretical knowledge, practical experience, and invaluable networking.
Gain a competitive edge with 3 ECTS credits as you delve into the intricacies of business management, project leadership, and the comprehensive skillset required of a CTO. This isn’t just about lectures; it’s about first-hand learning from experienced founders and CTOs who have personally navigated these challenges. Expect interactive sessions, including mock situations, real world case studies, and practical checklists (e.g., for GDPR compliance), ensuring that interactivity is key to your learning experience. You’ll also have ample opportunities to connect with fellow students and field experts, fostering a vibrant environment for personal exchange and future collaborations.

Summer School 2025
The course aims to shed light on central aspects of corporate management and role models in the field of startups and digital companies. The three central questions that will be answered are:

What defines the role of a CTO in a startup and which are the most important roles she has to work with
How does the role of a CTO change over the growth phase of companies?
What makes a CTO? What skills does a CTO need and how can one acquire them? What is the difference between a Developer and a CTO?

The whole course will be broken up into seven central responsibilities of a CTO – and the questions which come with it:



1. Tech: Selecting the technology, testing and application architecture, including drafting the strategic vision behind it towards an MVP

The first goal of a startup is usually the MVP, and in the beginning the CTO builds it hands-on, which also means choosing a technology. Alone this choice is complicated: Do you want to reach the MVP fast and know that lots of code has to be rewritten later e.g. for scalability? Often CTOs fall into the trap of premature optimization or love for a technology which is rarely known and results in problems when hiring developers later. Also the question of how much technology to build inhouse and source from other vendors such als Cloud Computing providers (and a potential dependence on a certain provider) is important. Also the CTO has to manage the switch from actively getting involved in coding and technology decisions to a managing role quite quickly. Last but not least, often the advice from the ecosystem of the startup such as Angel investors and peer-group CTO’s is often neglected. This phase is also a very good connection to the academic research side of things. Selecting a technology and architecture is not just a “gut feeling” (as it’s often handled – “I used that technology before”) but should be handled as writing a scientific paper – weighing in all the pro’s and cons, the potential effects for the company in its different phases – and come to a methodic, well-thought conclusion in the end.



2. HR: Hiring, managing, growing and retaining the team, including budgeting

In today’s fast changing world, the challenge of hiring a great team is harder than ever. Just a large salary and stock options won’t cut it. Should developers be hired locally or should a CTO opt for a remote-first approach (and if yes, what administrative and communicative burdens do come with it). After hiring, a team needs to be managed, especially due to the fast growing pace of a modern startup. But often in growth, retaining talent and a healthy growth is often neglected. How should a CTO work together with HR? And how to budget for a developer?



3. Tracking: KPI definition and tools

You can’t manage what you can’t measure – Google might be an excessive prime example for that, but often developers build stuff without measuring it. Is the feature actually being used by the customer? Does it put additional burden to the performance of the application? Often CTOs start and postpone the KPIs to later (or choose some vanity metrics without any meaning). A small set of well chosen KPIs – and the transparency of those for all employees – can be often crucial for the business.



4. Product Management: Customer Input and interactions, including different setups to work with a CPO or for an integrated CTPO role as well as QA

As soon as a product gets more complex, it needs a formalized product management. Often certain roles are hired for that up to a CPO – but how does a CTO work with a CPO? Often it ends up that features get decided upon and thrown over the fence for implementation to the CTO. And what’s the role of QA? Does it belong to the CTO or the CPO? Is a joint CTPO role any good? Who reports to whom? There are many product manager roles in modern startups, but it’s often the crucial point where frustration sets in and the product doesn’t advance as fast as it should.

f

5. Operations: Ensuring smooth ops, including DevOps, security and GDPR

You build it, you run it – with the advent of DevOps and Cloud Computing the operations role changed a lot within the last 10 years. Besides the crucial stability of the operation itself, it is very important to bake in aspects of security and data protection from the beginning into the product and mindset to avoid terrible surprises. It is important that everybody in the team knows how to deal with different scenarios and be prepared for them – and the CTO needs a masterplan to ensure smooth operations. ‍



6. Communication: Public representation of the company, especially with investors, in front of employees and at public speaking opportunities

Traditionally, tech people are said to be bad communicators. This is true to a certain extent as this role requires not just tech but also business-related communication skills which are often nowhere taught. How do you talk with investors? What questions are asked in a Tech DD? How do you negotiate? What are typical deal terms in VC and angel deals to watch out for? How often should you update your employees with new information? How often should you talk with customers? How important is public representation, e.g. through conference talks? Great CTOs are usually great communicators to make complicated technology as transparent as possible for anybody inside and outside of the company.



7. Personal qualifications: Staying on top of the game, staying sane.

All those requirements often require immense focus from the person filling the CTO role. Besides all that, she still needs to stay on top of the game, learn about new technologies, get new inputs through talking with customers and other CTOs. As the day still has only 24 hours, prioritization and focus is key – also in order to keep mentally sane in times of pressure. Building a startup is a marathon, not a sprint, and you need to pace yourself to make it.

Examination

The course ends with an (non-multiple-choice!) examination covering all topics mentioned above, compiled by the speakers and curated by HPI. In the questions, certain scenarios will be laid out and the student needs to describe how to handle the situation.

Registration
We offer few places for non-HPI students in this program. If you are interested please text us at e-school-program(at)hpi.de Your application should include:

your current certificate of study (Studienbescheinigung)
3-5 sentences of motivation
a current CV

Participants who do not require ECTS can apply by mail to program@engine.hpi.de without attaching the enrolment certificate, CV, or motivation letter.
15 spots will be reserved for ELIAS-affiliated participants, for whom travel expenses will be covered.

Read more

Further Questions? Don’t hesitate to contact us!

Dr. Frank Pawlitschek, Director HPI Engine, Contact.
Anna Schnekker,Program Manager, Contact.
David Hahn, Head of Program, Contact.

Details

Start: September 8 @ 8:00

End: September 10 @ 17:00

Website

Visit Event Website

Organiser

HPI Engine Hasso Plattner Institut

View Organiser Website

Venue

HPI Engine Hasso Plattner Institut

August-Bebel-Str. 88

Potsdam, 14482 Germany

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Thematic Workshop: Science for AI @ AI in Science Summit 2025
2025-11-03 08:00 - 2025-11-04 17:00
ELIAS & ELIAS Alliance @ AI in Science Summit 2025
ELIAS and the ELIAS Alliance are proud to lead the “Science for AI” thematic workshop at the AI in Science Summit 2025, organised by the European Commission in collaboration with the University of Copenhagen.
This workshop will explore how advances in science drive progress in AI research, fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration and innovation. Participants will engage with leading experts to discuss cutting-edge methods, tools, and applications where scientific insights enhance AI development across diverse fields.

The workshop is part of the Summit’s broader mission to showcase AI’s transformative impact on scientific discovery and define Europe’s unique approach to AI in science. Attendees will benefit from interactive sessions, networking opportunities, and insights into the latest interdisciplinary AI research.
We invite the ELIAS Consortium and the broader scientific community to join us and contribute to shaping the future of AI research in Europe.

Register for the Summit

Check out the rpogramme

Programme

Please note that the programme is subject to change.

Day 1 — Scientific AI (3h)Theme: European Leadership at the Intersection of AI & Science

AIS25: Science for AI (Thematic Workshop)

Time
Session

09:45 – 10:00
Opening Speech & Framing

Lucilla Sioli (Director of the EU AI Office, DG CNECT, EC)

10:00 – 10:25
Keynote: AI Science and Innovation

Serge Belongie (President of ELLIS Society / University of Copenhagen)

10:25 – 11:10
Spotlight Talks: Opportunities for European Research Excellence

Zhijing Jin (MPI / University of Toronto)
Antoine Bosselut (Apertus / EPFL)
Nicu Sebe (ELIAS / University of Trento)

11:10 – 11:30
BREAK

11:30 – 11:50
Sciencepreneurship Award

Honoring academic role models linking excellence with innovation.

12:00 – 12:40
Panel: “Shaping Public AI for Science & Impact”

Discussion on how EU RAISE accelerates discovery for societal good.
Panelists: Nicu Sebe, Antoine Bosselut, Zhijing Jin, Serge Belongie, Sahar Abdelnabi
Moderator: Cecile Huet (European AI Office)

12:40 – 12:45
Wrap-up & Outlook to Day 2

Day 2 — Sciencepreneurial AI (2h)Theme: From AI & Science to Innovation & Impact

AIS25: Science for AI (Thematic Workshop) - Day 2

Time
Session

09:00 – 09:10
Welcome & Framing (Intro of ELIAS Alliance)

Matthias Bethge & Arnout Devos (ELIAS Alliance Curators)

09:10 – 09:40
Keynote: State of AI 2025

Nathan Benaich (Founder & General Partner, Air Street Capital)

09:40 – 10:10
Spotlight Talks: AI Trends and Ecosystem Building

Jessica Montgomery (Director of ai@cam / ELIAS Alliance)
Tim Rocktäschel (DeepMind / University College London)

10:10 – 10:50
Panel Discussion: “Opportunities to Lead in AI Innovation”

This closing panel explores how openness and excellence can drive the next wave of AI innovation. It identifies tangible action items on collaboration, trust, and scientific rigor to achieve lasting technological and societal leadership.
Panelists: Nathan Benaich, Jessica Montgomery, Tim Rocktäschel
Moderator: Matthias Bethge

10:50 – 10:55
RAISE Speech

Miguel Rubio Escudero (Policy Officer - Excellence in AI & Robotics, EC)

10:55 – 11:00
Closing Remarks

About the AI in Science Summit
The AI in Science Summit is a flagship event organized by the European Commission in collaboration with the University of Copenhagen. Taking place on 3–4 November 2025, the Summit brings together leading scientists, industry experts, policymakers, and investors to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming scientific research and innovation. The event features high-level talks, thematic workshops, hands-on sessions, and networking opportunities, and it will also launch the Resource for AI Science in Europe (RAISE), a platform to pool talent, data, computing power, and funding to advance interdisciplinary AI research across Europe.

Details
Event: AI in Science Summit 2025
Thematic Workshop: Science for AI
Date: 3–4 November 2025

Website
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Organisers

ELIAS & ELIAS Alliance
Website

University of Copenhagen
Website

European Commission
Website

Venue
Bella Sky Hotel
Copenhagen, Denmark

© 2025 AI in Science Summit. All rights reserved.

ELIAS @ EurIPS 2025 — Workshop & Startup Village
2025-12-03 08:00 - 2025-12-07 17:00
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