ELLIS Coordinators’ meet and greet in Sofia
The inaugural in-person ELLIS Coordinators’ Retreat took place in Sofia from September 3–5, 2024, representing a key milestone in bolstering the collaborative efforts among unit coordinators throughout the European ELLIS network.
First and foremost, the ELLIS Society is a network of research excellence, bringing together outstanding scientists conducting their research in the field of AI at the highest level. ELLIS tasks are implemented every day by researchers in various units located throughout Europe, affiliated with leading research centers. These units are headed by directors, whose work is supported by unit coordinators. To improve internal cooperation between coordinators, the first meeting of ELLIS unit coordinators recently took place. The meeting was in Sofia, Bulgaria, and was hosted by INSAIT (Institute for Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Technology), where the ELLIS Unit Sofia operates. Participants of the 1st in-person meeting were coordinators of the ELLIS units in: Alicante, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Darmstadt, Delft, Heidelberg, Jena, Milan, Munich, Potsdam, Sofia, Trento and Warsaw.
During the three-day meeting, participants, during meetings and discussions, focused primarily on the basic definition and the role and tasks of the ELLIS unit coordinator in general, and also – during all-day workshops – collected existing good practices in the area of management and administration among the ELLIS units and also indicated areas for further work to improve the quality of work. The retreat brought together key stakeholders to focus on improving communication, sharing best practices, and aligning efforts across various units. Participants in the 1st meeting of ELLIS unit coordinators gathered all the findings in one memorandum. The aim of the retreat was to create a manual on the work of coordinators in their units as well.
More information about the meeting in Sofia can be found here.