Network of Excellence MUSCAT: Modeling and USing Context in Artificial cogniTive systems

Last week was very busy with EU project proposals for our department and myself. Beside the STREP proposal that I co-ordinated (Mnemosyne), I worked on a Network of Excellence (NoE) proposal, which was co-ordinated by my colleague and friend Patrick Brézillon. The NoE, if funded, will help me continue and further strengthen my research on contextual issues in the context (no pun intended) of explanation-capabilities of knowledge-based systems. The proposal abstract says:

The [Network of Excellence MUSCAT: Modeling and USing Context in Artificial cogniTive systems] brings together researchers involved in context modelling in human and computer-based reasoning for artificial cognitive systems (ACSs). This international and interdisciplinary community has emerged over the past ten years. However, the community appears to be a patchwork because there has been no attempt up to now to consolidate, federate or, at least, coordinate the different efforts in order to advance the field. Each partner studies some aspects of context but rarely in relation with aspects studied by other partners. Moreover, the community is 75% European. However, several groups with the same concern appear across the world. Thus European researchers have decided to join their forces and expertise, first to develop a joint research program, share, exchange and cooperate, and then to unite and lead the rest of the international community.

The MUSCAT network has the following main objectives in the areas of modelling and application of context in artificial cognitive systems:

• Unify the fragmented high-level expertise of partners across fields for long term cooperation, for example, on robots handling tangible objects, building models of surrounding environments, monitoring and controlling material and information processes.
• Enable interaction within the community involved in context research across disciplines and countries by promoting a close combination of research, training and education, more specifically in fields such as learning, healthcare, public safety, environmental monitoring, intelligent transportation, etc.
• Disseminate and share with the rest of the scientific community the data, information, knowledge, tools and products related to context accumulated by the Network of Excellence.
• Transfer to enterprises intellectual and software resources, tools and prototypes on context developed within the NoE, and therefore enhance the European industry’s capacity to innovate and compete effectively.

I am very proud to be part of such a high-calibre consortium of colleagues and friends at

1. Université Pierre et Marie Curie – Paris 6, France: Patrick Brézillon (Co-ordinator)
2. Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Künstliche Intelligenz DFKI GmbH, Germany: Sven Schwarz and trb (Yes, I still like to work with me!)
3. New Bulgarian University, Bulgaria: Boicho Kokinov
4. Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway: Agnar Aamodt, Anders Kofod-Petersen, and John Krogstie
5. Roskilde Universitetscenter, Denmark: Henning Christiansen
6. Universita degli studi di Trento, Italy: Fausto Giunchiglia and Pavel Shvaiko
7. Lulea University of Technology, Sweden: Arkady Zaslavsky

The network introduces the concept of local nodes, which will be co-ordinated by the main consortium partners. We could already include in the proposal

1. Université de Savoie,France
2. Université Claude Bernard – Lyon 1, France
3. Université Paris X, France
4. Université Paris 8, France
5. Fundación Robotiker (TECNALIA-RBTK), Spain
6. FHG-FIT, Germany
7. Fundation Bruno Kassler FBK-IRST, Italy

Keeping my fingers crossed!

(Logo design by Stefan Schulz. All rights reserved.)

Mnemosyne—Connecting and Sharing Memories and Cultural Experiences, Round 2

Nearly a year ago, I submitted Mnemosyne, a STREP proposal in the 7th Research Framework Programme (see my blog entry here). The proposal turned out being evaluated successfully, but, as it also happens to many other proposals, there was not enough money in the pot. Luckily, on one hand, the Third Call on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) addressed the same topics; on the other hand, of course, other project proposals will be resubmitted as well. 

But anyway, we worked on our proposal, extended it, addressed the reviewers’ comments, and submitted it again. You can find updated information, i.e., abstract and modified consortium, on our Mnemosyne blog.

(Logo design by Bosse Westerlund. All rights reserved.)

ExaCt2008 deadline extended

When I plan a workshop I always look for interfering deadlines. This time I overlooked an obvious deadline, even though this deadline—Call 3 for IST project proposals in the seventh research framework programme (FP7) of the European Union—was also very important to me. I will blog about my proposals later.

Well, as my third workshop on Explanation-aware Computing ExaCt 2008 (see also my blog entry here) is affected by the FP7 deadline I extended the submission deadline to 16 April 2008.

Is blogging dangerous for my academic career?

I ask myself this question from time to time. But in the end I come to the same conclusion as Daniel Lemire:

“if blogging prevents you from getting tenure, something is very wrong with your blogging or your school.” [see The negative myths about academic blogging]

On the contrary, being open about what I think hopefully gives me some competitive edge. And, again following Daniel’s argumentation, I doubt my colleagues will pay any attention to my blog when I apply for a professorship. Do you?