The agenda for the meeting featured a balanced mix of research presentations and discussion sessions. Participants also dedicated time to expanding or initiating collaborations, underlining a commitment to fostering cooperative efforts within the community. Additionally, social activities and networking opportunities were integrated into the program to encourage informal interactions among attendees.
On behalf of the Integreat-team, director Arnoldo Frigessi welcomed everyone to the official kick-off for Integreat.
“Welcome! The scientific journey has begun, with discussions and projects evolving seamlessly inside and outside Integrate. Our team is a new constellation, a mix of logic, statistics, machine learning, ethics, and language technologies. Each member brings unique perspectives, making our collaboration both challenging and remarkably exciting. We've discovered the diversity in our scientific approaches, from theoretical pursuits to practical applications, and from starting with domain questions to developing methods first.” said Frigessi.
See all the images from the kick-off here.
Integreat starting strong
Integreat is embarking on an ambitious initiative with lots of new ideas and researchers from the University of Oslo (UiO), University of Tromsø (UiT), and Norwegian Computing Center (NR). They want to do important and meaningful projects together. To make this happen, Integreat is opening 15 positions, including 13 for Ph.D. students and 2 for postdocs, and they are working with the DSTrain Cofund. The funding comes mainly from The Research Council of Norway, and UiO and Bosch are also contributing. This shows strong support for the future plans.
"We want to bring in exceptional people who see how special Integreat is, not just here but from all around the world. We're working on getting the support we need, and we plan to start the process in early January. It's the beginning of something really exciting for Integreat," said Frigessi.
In pursuit of groundbreaking results
Frigessi highlighted how working together and being actively involved are really important for achieving great results. He stressed that this collaborative spirit is a key part of Integreat.
"In our pursuit of pioneering outcomes, we acknowledge the value of collective work and active involvement in each other's projects. The projects presented, showcasing diverse levels of maturity, serve as calls for attention and invitations to participation. Some initiatives are in their initial phases, actively seeking working groups and contributors, while others, already possessing established teams, are eager to harness the advantages of interdisciplinary collaboration within Integreat".
The projects are ambitious and potentially ground-breaking if we succeed, Frigessi said.
"We take risks conscientiously, and this is what makes research at Integreat so exciting. We have had many interesting and engaging discussions, spanning from broader themes to mathematical details. I have rarely seen such engagement, vibrant interest, and passion. This is very promising.”
See all the images from the kick-off here.