On March 17, the IA Grand Est ENACT cluster organized the AI and Innovation Meetings, two simultaneous events in Nancy and Strasbourg that brought together more than 230 participants – researchers, entrepreneurs, engineers, students, and public actors. This dual event proved to be a key moment for the regional artificial intelligence ecosystem and an opportunity to strengthen the links between the academic world and socio-economic actors in the region.
Fostering dialogue between research and companies
Throughout the afternoon and evening, participants were able to discover the cluster’s service offerings, exchange with experts in artificial intelligence, and attend several presentations and feedback sessions.
In Strasbourg, the event also included visits to research and innovation platforms, followed by a round table discussion on the various forms of collaboration possible between laboratories and companies. These discussions highlighted the variety of available mechanisms for transforming an idea or industrial need into a research or innovation project.
Exploring resources and lessons learned
The various speakers allowed participants to discover the resources available within the regional ecosystem. The support services offered by the European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH) were presented alongside the cluster’s initiatives.
In Nancy, several companies and organizations engaged in innovation – including Orange, marmelab, as well as representatives from MEDEF and La French Tech – shared their experiences on integrating artificial intelligence into their activities.
In Strasbourg, participants were able to explore artificial intelligence training programs offered by the University of Strasbourg’s continuing education service, the expertise and experimental resources of the ICube laboratory’s GAIA platform dedicated to valorizing data from socio-economic actors, as well as the access modalities to research expertise via the Alsace Innovation University Pole.
A collective dynamic in the service of innovation
Beyond the speeches and presentations, these meetings were primarily an opportunity to connect regional ecosystem actors and generate new collaboration perspectives.
Informal networking and exchange times allowed participants to share their experiences, identify common interests, and reflect on the structuring of a dynamic regional ecosystem around AI.
Continuing the momentum
With these AI and Innovation Meetings, the IA Grand Est ENACT cluster confirms its commitment to strengthening connections between public research and companies, in order to stimulate the emergence of collaborative projects and support the adoption of responsible artificial intelligence solutions.
Territorial actors wishing to explore collaboration opportunities, identify expertise, or initiate a project with academic research can contact the partnership engineers from the cluster’s innovation branch, who will guide them towards the most appropriate resources and mechanisms for their needs.
