ELLIS ALICANTE joins cutting-edge ELIAS Horizon Europe Project on Sustainable AI

ELIAS stands for European Lighthouse of AI for Sustainability, an EU research network of excellence on Artificial Intelligence for sustainable development.

The initiative was born to tackle the most pressing societal and planetary challenges through ethical and responsible AI research and development.

ELLIS Alicante is part of the newly EU-funded pan European research initiative dubbed ELIAS - European Lighthouse of AI for Sustainability. ELIAS is a research network of excellence in Artificial Intelligence (AI) for sustainable development. Recent advancements in AI raise profound societal and ethical concerns that must be addressed. At the same time, we face tremendous challenges –such as climate change and the energy crisis—that we will only be able to tackle with the help of AI. In this context, ELIAS emerges as an ambitious and pan European effort to explore the opportunities of AI for social good while also addressing the potential negative societal and ethical impact of AI. To this end, 32 partners from 16 European countries are joining forces in this project, which is coordinated by the Università di Trento (Italy). The ELIAS project has received funding from the European Commission’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program of over 11 million euro and has a total budget that exceeds 13 million euro for the next 4 years.

ELIAS builds on and expands the highly successful and internationally recognized European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems or ELLIS, a European network of scientific excellence in AI. ELLIS Alicante is one of the founding units in ELLIS, the first to be created in Spain, out of the 40 already operating units in 15 countries. ELLIS’ main goal is to establish Europe as a world leader in AI research by creating a collaborative network of research units that brings together a critical mass of AI top scientists. ELIAS will further develop the excellence criteria and the pillars of ELLIS and implement actions that will support AI researchers and young talent at different stages of their careers. Through the twin themes of AI for sustainability and sustainable AI, ELIAS will also develop a science entrepreneurship program, with the purpose of attracting and empowering talent at the interface of scientific innovation and business. It will also establish original AI solutions that move towards a sustainable long-term future for our planet, contribute to a cohesive society, and respect individual rights.

Regarding fundamental research, ELIAS will address key scientific questions on how we can develop responsible and sustainable AI. Expected results include novel methods to contribute to a sustainable planet (by e.g. reducing the carbon footprint of large-scale AI algorithms) and to mitigate the potential negative impact of AI on society at large (by e.g. fact-checking) and on individuals (by e.g. addressing algorithmic bias and opacity).

ELLIS Alicante’s focus on ethical and responsible Machine Learning research is perfectly aligned with the objectives of the ELIAS initiative. As part of the ELIAS project, ELLIS Alicante will contribute to the development of novel machine learning methods to mitigate algorithmic discrimination, address the computational violation of privacy, and study the interplay between cognitive biases and intelligent systems.

“We are delighted to be part of this ambitious and necessary Horizon Europe project on sustainable AI. The ELIAS mission is fully aligned with that of ELLIS Alicante”, says Nuria Oliver, director of ELLIS Alicante.

“ELLIS Alicante’s participation in this project places the Valencian Region at the heart of the AI research and innovation ecosystem, promoting the synergy of AI research made in Europe with the local ecosystem”, says D. Juan José Cortés Vélez, Director General of Innovation in the Valencian Government (Generalitat Valenciana). ELLIS Alicante was created thanks to the commitment and financial support of the Generalitat Valenciana within the framework of the Artificial Intelligence Strategy of the Valencian Region.

For more information please visit the ELIAS project website.

DOI: 10.3030/101120237

PRESS-RELEASE-ELLIS-ALICANTE-ELIAS-Sustainable-AI-2023-10-03.pdf