Europe's first ELLIS Institute starts in Tübingen

As of July 1, the ELLIS Institute will be established under the Scientific Director and ELLIS President Prof. Dr. Bernhard Schölkopf. In addition, Volker Maria Geiß was appointed as Interim Managing Director for the start-up phase. The premises in Tübingen are to be occupied soon and top researchers in the field of AI are to start their research.

"As a unique research facility, the ELLIS Institute will create ideal conditions for top AI researchers from all over the world thanks to the extraordinarily generous donation from the Hector Foundation. It will thus also be competitive with the research and development departments of major companies in the field of AI," explained Science Minister Petra Olschowski in Stuttgart on Friday (June 30). "The state is leading the way here with new innovative structures in the research sector throughout Germany and Europe - as it has already done with the establishment of Cyber Valley as a successful innovation ecosystem for AI. The ELLIS Institute is the first of its kind in the European ELLIS network. It will set the style."

The establishment of the first ELLIS Institute at the Tübingen site will further strengthen the international visibility and appeal as well as the research excellence of the Cyber Valley Innovation Campus. The Hector Foundation is funding the establishment with 100 million euros.

Dr. h.c. Hans-Werner Hector said: "Artificial intelligence has the potential to fundamentally change our society and economy. It is up to us to harness this transformative power and use it for the benefit of people. By founding the ELLIS Institute, we want to create an international platform where top researchers can work together on the challenges and opportunities of AI. Because only through research excellence can we develop innovative solutions and shape a sustainable future."

"The foundation of the first ELLIS Institute is a milestone, achieved through a trustful collaboration and a common goal: We want to enable cutting-edge AI research, embedded in the culture of Europe and anchored in European values. I would like to thank the state of Baden-Württemberg, the Max Planck Society, the University of Tübingen and, above all, the far-sighted and generous donor Hans-Werner Hector," said Prof. Dr. Bernhard Schölkopf.

ELLIS and the ELLIS Institute
ELLIS stands for "European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems". At the institute, the most talented AI scientists from all over the world will have the opportunity to develop new approaches and ideas under excellent working conditions. With the ELLIS Institute, an internationally visible beacon for artificial intelligence research is being established in Baden-Württemberg. This is part of a strong European network of now 39 ELLIS units in 14 countries, in which outstanding AI researchers are working - four of them in Baden-Württemberg alone.

The original press release was published in German and can be found here: https://mwk.baden-wuerttemberg.de/de/service/presse/pressemitteilung/pid/europaweit-erstes-ellis-institut-geht-in-tuebingen-an-den-start

More information

Hector foundation supports the establishment of an ELLIS institute with 100 million euros:
https://ellis.eu/news/hector-foundation-supports-the-establishment-of-an-ellis-institute-with-100-million-euros

Learn more about all ELLIS sites here.

Contact ELLIS at pr@ellis.eu.