According to Innovation News Network, the European Commission just launched RAISE (Resource for Artificial Intelligence Science in Europe) at the European AI in Science Summit in Copenhagen. This virtual institute gets €107 million in initial Horizon Europe funding and aims to accelerate scientific discovery by pooling Europe’s AI resources. The initiative will provide researchers with priority access to AI ‘Gigafactories’ and high-performance computing while allocating €75 million specifically for training scientific talent. It’s part of a broader push that will see Horizon Europe’s annual AI investment double to over €3 billion.
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What RAISE actually does
So here’s how this thing works. RAISE isn’t a physical building – it’s basically a coordination hub that connects researchers to existing resources across Europe. Think of it as a matchmaking service for AI science. Researchers get access to computing power through the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking, plus help with data curation and identifying gaps in datasets. The €75 million for talent development is particularly interesting – that’s Networks of Excellence and Doctoral Networks aimed at keeping Europe’s best AI minds from fleeing to Silicon Valley.
The bigger picture
Look, this isn’t happening in a vacuum. The EU is clearly worried about falling behind in the global AI race, especially with American tech giants dominating the field. By creating RAISE, they’re trying to leverage Europe’s traditional strength in fundamental research while addressing its weakness in commercial AI development. The timing is crucial – we’re at that point where AI is starting to transform how science itself gets done, from protein folding to materials discovery. The question is whether a coordinated, government-led approach can move fast enough to keep up with private sector innovation.
Potential challenges
Here’s the thing about these big European initiatives – they often sound great on paper but get bogged down in bureaucracy. RAISE will need to navigate 27 different member states’ interests, research priorities, and existing institutions. Then there’s the funding question – €107 million sounds impressive until you realize that single AI companies sometimes spend more than that on compute alone. And let’s be real: coordinating across disciplines from life sciences to humanities while maintaining focus won’t be easy. The Apply AI Strategy framework helps, but execution is everything.
Why this matters
Basically, RAISE represents Europe’s attempt to do AI science differently. Instead of competing head-to-head with Big Tech on foundation models, they’re focusing on applying AI to specific scientific challenges where Europe already has expertise. It’s a smart play – leverage existing strengths in healthcare, climate science, and fundamental research while building AI capacity gradually. The phased approach makes sense too, with the pilot running through 2027 before potentially scaling up under the next EU budget. If they can actually make it easier for researchers to access computing and collaborate across borders, this could become a compelling alternative to the corporate AI ecosystem. Check out the official site for more details as they roll out.
