EURO-AI FRONTIERS – European Virtual Institute for Trustworthy and Scientific AI

Core Idea

Establish a permanent, high-level network of leading European AI research institutes forming a “European Virtual Institute for Frontier AI”, dedicated to advancing fundamental AI research while tightly linking academic excellence with industrial and societal needs. The project would bring together 12–15 top-tier AI labs across EU and Associated Countries to create a coordinated research ecosystem that pools talent, infrastructures, and data resources.

Research Focus

The network would concentrate on three frontier AI themes where Europe can build global leadership:

1. Trustworthy and Explainable AI – new theoretical foundations for transparent, robust, and human-centric AI;

2. Resource-Efficient and Sustainable AI – novel methods for low-energy learning, federated AI, and privacy-preserving models;

3. AI for Scientific Discovery – next-generation AI techniques that accelerate breakthroughs in health, climate, and engineering.
   For each theme, the consortium would define explicit 5-year research roadmaps with milestones, benchmarks, and shared experimental platforms.

Activities

The project would implement a structured cooperation model including:

• Jointly supervised PhD and postdoctoral programs across institutions;

• Competitive internal calls for collaborative research projects;

• Shared access to computing infrastructures, AI Factories, and Data Labs;

• An annual European AI Summer School and talent attraction program;

• Open calls for additional AI labs and individual experts to join collaborative actions;

• Continuous interaction with industry partners and European initiatives such as RAISE, EIC Pathfinder, and AI-on-Demand Platform.

Expected Results

The initiative would deliver a validated model for long-term cooperation among Europe’s best AI research centers, a strategic research agenda for the next frontier of AI, and a sustainable virtual institute structure that continues beyond the project. It would increase Europe’s visibility in global AI science, attract top international talent, generate high-impact scientific results, and strengthen European technological sovereignty through coordinated, world-class fundamental AI research.