Research areas of the ELLIS Unit Warsaw
The research activities of ELLIS Unit Warsaw are grouped into six areas:
- The “Intelligent Algorithms and Learned Data Structures” area focuses on explainable algorithmic tools, learning data structures and algorithmic tools for Data Science and ML.
- The “Efficient and Sustainable Machine Learning focused on Computer Vision” area concentrates on efficient machine learning algorithms for computer vision, in particular on conditioning network computations, leveraging partial information for faster inference, and accumulating knowledge in continually trained models.
- The “Machine Learning and Sequential Decision-Making” area develops methods that can be applied in control to obtain broadly intelligent agents that could be deployed in the real world.
- The “Algorithmic Game Theory in Security” area develops multi-level management systems to protect critical infrastructure as well as systems for securing key state services against both kinetic and cyber threats.
- The “Interpretable Artificial Intelligence” area focuses on developing machine learning models that provide trustworthy and comprehensible explanations of how complex artificial intelligence models work.
- The “Autonomous Agents and Alignment of Language Models” area aims to develop training protocols that empower artificial agents to collect the most informative learning data and apply these protocols to align language models.
Projects
ELSA Project
IDEAS Research Institute, which serves as the main hosting institution of the ELLIS Unit Warsaw, is implementing the ELSA – European Lighthouse on Secure and Safe AI project, which aims to strengthen Europe’s leadership in the development of secure, robust and trustworthy artificial intelligence.
The project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement No. 101070617 (ELSA).
The ELSA initiative brings together leading European research institutions and industry partners in order to advance research on the security, safety and reliability of AI systems, while ensuring that the development of artificial intelligence remains aligned with European values, including transparency, accountability and respect for fundamental rights.
Researchers affiliated with ELLIS Unit Warsaw participate in the project within the activities carried out at IDEAS Research Institute, contributing to the European research agenda on trustworthy and secure artificial intelligence.
For more information, please visit: elsa-ai.eu.
ELIAS Project
IDEAS Researcg Institute is implementing the ELIAS – European Lighthouse of AI for Sustainability project, which aims to establish Europe as a leader in artificial intelligence research.
The project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement No. 101120237 (ELIAS). Project duration: 01/09/2023 – 31/08/2027. Project value: 215,750 EUR.
The project is implemented by a consortium of leading European institutions from 17 countries. The scientific excellence of the consortium is guaranteed by the leading position of the members in their respective fields, as measured by their international visibility and impact.
The ELIAS initiative aims to create a Network of Excellence, linking researchers from academia with practitioners from industry, in order to distinguish Europe as a region where AI research contributes to a sustainable long-term future for our planet, a cohesive society and respect for individual preferences and rights.
At IDEAS Research Institute this project is implementing by Prof. Tomasz Trzciński (ELLIS Fellow) and Dr. Bartłomiej Twardowski, members of the ELLIS Unit Warsaw.
For more information, please visit: elias-ai.eu
Projects from the National Science Centre at the ELLIS Unit Warsaw: from SONATA BIS 13, OPUS 26 and SONATA 19 calls

Bartosz Zieliński and Bartłomiej Twardowski received grants for their research projects from the Polish National Science Centre (NCN).
Bartosz Zieliński received PLN 990,600 from the SONATA BIS 13 call for the project ‘Sustainable computer vision for autonomous machines’. This project will adapt machine learning models to new data types and create architectures for limited computing resources, prioritizing efficiency and carbon footprint reduction. The developed solutions could be used in drones to protect national parks, including preventing animal poaching. They will enable fast, efficient monitoring of large remote areas, allowing for the tracking of animal movements and early detection of forest fires.
Bartłomiej Twardowski received PLN 615,353 from the SONATA 19 call for the ‘MLAdapt – self-adapting machine learning’ project. The project focuses on challenges of deep learning in computer vision, aiming to create algorithms that enable continuous learning and adaptation, e.g. allowing autonomous vehicles to learn to navigate obstacles and move in difficult terrain. The models will use information available during deployment to improve their capabilities, similar to learning in humans. This approach promises applications in fields such as medicine, automotive industry, and robotics.
R-GRID Project

The main goal of the R-GRID project is to create an artificial intelligence tool to protect power grid systems. The project addresses one of the priorities for cooperation identified in 2023 by the NATO-Ukraine Joint Working Group on Scientific and Environmental Cooperation, which aims to provide solutions to Ukraine’s current and upcoming needs. The project consortium consists of e.g.: the Polish Association for National Security, the Ukrainian Institute for the Future and Laurea University of Applied Sciences from Finland.

EXALT Project
(Project finished)

The grant for implementing the EXplainable ALgorithmic Tools (EXALT) project has been awarded by the European Research Council (ERC) and is funded through the European Union’s HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants program. ERC Proof of Concept Grants are intended to facilitate the application of research findings into practical use and commercialization.
Mazovia EDIH Project
(Project finished)

Mazovia EDIH was one of the 11 European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH) in Poland. Its mission was to support micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in strengthening their competitive position in the market through digital transformation.


