1. AI Research through icity.brussels
dr. Geoffrey Aerts Senior researcher/Business development advisor VUB/icity.brussels
Data Innovation Summit
27th June 2018
#DISUMMIT

2. Overview
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3. Overview What is the icity.brussels’ mission? What do we offer?
Examples of AI research
Where to find us?
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5. icity.brussels’ origin
The ERDF & Innoviris,
A joint initiative of ULB, VUB & Sirris.
The total buget is €13,2 mio.
Funded by
A new ICT-Park building clustering ULB and VUB labs active in the digital transformation
A new Smart Connected Innovation Lab as part of the regional development program
A Team of professionals connecting enterprises with 200+ ICT experts
40+ ICT projects with a consolidated 20M€ budget
Program components
Partners in the project:
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6. icity.brussels’ mission
Boosting ICT innovation in the heart of Europe
Supporting digital transformation in companies
Providing access to academic ICT specialists
Creating exposure for established ICT academics and academic work
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7. icity.brussels’ focus
icity.brussels thematically focusses on these 6 key research domains
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8. Icity.brussels focus on AI
Icity.brussels provides access to the AI labs of both the VUB and ULB.
Both have a long tradition in AI Research.
Key academic players in AI at these institutions:
VUB : AI-Lab, WISE and SOFT Labs
ULB : IRIDIA, WIT, MLG, 3BIO – Bioinformatics Lab
IB2 – ULB/VUB Inter-university Institute of bioinformatics in Brussels
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9. AI Research in Brussels
AI at the VUB – The AI Lab
Founded in 1983 by Prof. Dr. Luc Steels 
Focus on:
knowledge systems, autonomous robots, machine learning systems,
natural language processing components, design and implementation tools.
Merged with the Computational Modeling Lab (COMO)
 Prof. Dr. Ann Nowé 
Prof. Dr. Bernard Manderick.
Two main research groups in the lab. 
The Robotics and Language Evolution Group 
evolution of language and grounded communication systems.
The Computational Modeling Group is active in several research areas, such as 
multi-agent reinforcement learning, 
data mining 
computational biology.
AI at the ULB
IRIDIA
Research areas: swarm intelligence, business intelligence, biological network, robotics, …
MLG
Research areas: classification, evolutionary computing, time series prediction, …
IB²
Research areas: bioinformatics, biostatistics, computational biology, …
WIT
Research areas: conceptual modelling, semantic web, …
3BIO- Bioinformatics
Research areas: computational systems biology, molecular biophysics, Protein design, …
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10. What do we offer?
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11. What do we offer for companies?
Cooperation
Finding funding and support throughout the entire life cycle of a company's digital transformation project
Access
Getting in touch with the innovation supply chain
Exposure to R&D centers, clusters & communities
Skills matching
Finding the suitable labs that fit with company needs
Identify world-class researchers that match company needs VUB & ULB
Benchmarking
Innovation requirements for companies
Innovation needs presented by companies
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12. What do we offer for researchers?
Cooperation
Finding funding and support throughout the research efforts put forwards by ICT academics & professionals
Access
Getting in touch with the innovation supply chain
Exposure to key industries, companies and public organizations
Visibility
Providing a platform for academics to present their research
Organizing thematic events linked to academic ICT research
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13. AI Examples
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14. Fused sensor camera project
Towards the next generation of smart and visual multi­modal sensor networks
Abdellah Touhafi, VUB & Olivier Debeir, ULB
Develop the next generation of multi­modal fused­ sensor camera and the next generation of interconnected fused­ sensor camera systems, which fuse information from visual, acoustic and infrared sensors.
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15. Mutaframe project Muta-frame
A software framework for identifying molecular causes of human diseases
Marianne Rooman, ULB & Wim Vranken, VUB
Develop a software suite in order to interconnect a number of different and currently unconnected bio-informatics tools from VUB and ULB
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16. BRIGHT analysis project
Brussels Intelligent ICT for Genomic High Throughput Analysis
Tom Lenaerts, ULB & Ann Nowé, VUB
Complete, expand and valorize the existing database on digenic diseases, DIDA, applying Big Data hardware and software engineering expertise already existing at IB2.
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17. MOBI-AID project Mobi AID
Brussels MOBIlity Advanced Indicators Dashboard
Cathy Macharis , VUB & Gianluca Bontempi, ULB
Provide a smart knowledge base for the Brussels Region's mobility sector
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18. Want to reach us?
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19. The icity.team
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20. Connect with us! Online On campus Website -www.icity.brussels
LinkedIn - icity.brussels
Twitter
On campus
VUB - Campus Pleinlaan Building B - Office B205
ULB - Campus Solbosch - CP 161
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21. Thank you
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