Since May 2023, I am leading the response of the Bordeaux site to the call for the creation of research and training centers in AI (France 2030 Call for IA-Cluster). This is a very ambitious project that goes beyond the usual frameworks of these centers, which are often relegated to research funding outlets. It is a project aimed at making a lasting and controlled impact on science, health, and education through the best of AI. Our goal is to clearly identify the progress we aim for in order to guide innovation in this direction.
The project brings together the entire Bordeaux ecosystem around three main principles:
- Translational AI research.
- A unique location in France and internationally.
- A project at the heart of the challenges posed by AI.
Therefore, we presented this project to the entire industrial and academic ecosystem on October 11th, in order to gather even more support and enthusiasm around the flagship issues (unique in France) of the BAIA project (Bordeaux Artificial Intelligence Alliance). The reception was truly enthusiastic.
The summary of the proposal submitted in June and accepted in July for phase 2 is public (if you wish, please feel free to contact me).
The ANR call for proposals offers to finance the creation of research and training centers with a budget of around 500 million euros over 7 years. This is an unprecedented and necessary effort for the development of AI in France.
Bordeaux’s position is to focus on fundamental research by linking it, by design, to a number application domains with major societal challenges, as well as areas where Bordeaux’s expertise is among the world’s best. Built around the desire to break down barriers between research, education (continuous and initial), and innovation, the project also proposes to break down, by design, the barriers between fundamental and applied research. It aims to create (finally) a true translational research in AI, allowing teams developing AI in laboratories to be in contact with end users to ensure alignment between what is imagined and what is deployed in practice.
The main applications targeted by the site (its thematic signature) are around AI for science in the broad sense of the theme (with a historical focus of the site on AI for new materials), AI for health (Bordeaux is already one of the most important references in this field), and AI for educational technologies (for which research teams have already achieved very significant results).
We have a few months left to make everything happen. Everyone is on board. Feel free to contact me about this very (very) exciting project for Bordeaux.