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Artificial Intelligence: The AI4EU project launches on 1 January 2019

On 12 December the European Commission and partners of the AI4EU project signed a new grant agreement, paving the way for an AI-on-demand platform for Europe. AI4EU will mobilise the whole European AI ecosystem and already unites 79 partners in 21 countries in a network across Europe and will provide access to relevant AI resources in the EU for all users.

Eight industry-driven AI pilots will demonstrate the value of the AI-on-demand platform as a technological innovation tool. The pilots and research will showcase how AI4EU can stimulate scientific discovery and technological innovation. The AI4EU Ethics Observatory will be established to ensure the respect of human centred AI values. Sustainability will be ensured via the creation of the AI4EU Foundation. The results will feed a new and comprehensive Strategic Research Innovation Agenda for Europe.

The AI4EU project, led by THALES, France, receives a total funding of €20 million over the next 3 years. €3 million will be allocated for Financial Support for Third Parties (FSTPs) to fund promising projects (selected through open competitive calls) exploiting the resources and services offered by the platform to foster technology transfer of AI-based solutions.

The Digital Innovation Hubs for robotics will work closely together with the AI-on-demand platform project AI4EU.

On 25th April 2018 the European Commission launched a Communication on artificial intelligence, paving the way towards the development of the AI-on-demand platform. On 7 December 2018 the European Commission presented the coordinated action plan to foster the development and use of AI in Europe prepared together with Member States and Norway and Switzerland who signed the declaration of cooperation on artificial intelligence.