Connectionists: Invitation to join the International AI Doctoral Academy (AIDA) (new MoU 2026-2030)

[Ioanna Koroni]

Dear AI colleague,

if your University/R&D center/company has strong AI research and 
educational activities,  it is welcomed to apply to join the new 
International AI Doctoral Academy (AIDA) MoU

covering the period 2026-2030.

Given the ultra-fast AI development, I think that all AI institutions 
(Universities, R&D centers and companies) cannot continue ‘business as 
usual’.

They must cooperate to create a critical mass and  heavily impact both 
AI research and education. As a result, we have seen a great interest 
from AI institutions worldwide to join the new AIDA MoU (2026-2030).

As you can see in the attached AIDA activity highlights for the period 
2022-2025  (in ‘AIDA at a glance’),**

*AIDA succeeded in creating such a critical mass created an 
international  brand name in AIDA education, and 
reskilling/upskilling/training/secondments. *

AIDA has had an excellent benefit/cost record. For the long list of its 
activities, it only received minimal financial support from EU in the 
period 2022-2024. It was technically and financially self-sustained in 
the past 15 months.

I firmly believe that AIDA can become an international reference point 
in AI education:

 1. to use AI education and research in upholding
    scientific/democratic/social values and international cooperation
 2. to strengthen its presence/activities and expand internationally for
    promoting these values worldwide.

A summary of the ambitious AIDA plans for 2026-2030 is attached at the 
end of this message.

*I would like to stress the AIDA initiative to create a global 
University education ‘AI Curriculum’, in cooperation with 5 IEEE 
societies (in progress).*

The attached new AIDA MoU has been drafted by the current AIDA 
Coordinator (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki). It has been 
discussed in the AIDA Management Board and

it is now sent to strong AI institutions worldwide for internal review 
and statement of interest to participate  in the new AIDA MoU (2026-2030).

In order to ensure AIDA financial sustainability, an annual membership 
fee of around 2700 Euros per AIDA Member is foreseen.

The exact fee level may be lower, if other AIDA funding sources are 
found as detailed in the annual budget to be approved by the AIDA 
General Assembly each October.

If there is an interest in joining AIDA,  please:

 1. Send the documents new AIDA MoU 2026-2030
    <https://www.i-aida.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Multiparty-AIDA-MoU-v3.8.1-short.pdf>,
    and AIDA membership 2026-2030 application form
    <https://www.i-aida.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/AIDA-membership-2026-2030-application-form-v2.0.docx>
    asap to your administration for review and possible approval.
 2. Once you get a positive reply from your administration, please  send
    the filled AIDA application form to the AIDA chair Ioannis Pitas
    pitas at csd.auth.gr with cc to the secretariat at i-aida.org *by the 27th
    February 2026*.

If you need extra time for internal decision-making, let us know.

You may want to forward the attached AIDA highlight record and AIDA 
plans to your administration for decision making.

Sincerely yours

Ioannis Pitas

AIDA Chair, https://scholar.google.gr/citations?user=lWmGADwAAAAJ&hl=en 
<https://scholar.google.gr/citations?user=lWmGADwAAAAJ&hl=en>

*Post scriptum*: To stay current on AIDA, AI, or CV/ML matters, you may 
want to register in the CVML email list, following instructions in: 
https://lists.auth.gr/sympa/info/cvml


*AIDA at a glance *

*Membership:*

  * 78 members (59 AI Universities and 19 R&D centers/companies, 1 more
    is in the process of signing the AIDA accession form).

*Operation highlights 2021-2025:*

  * *220+ educational activities with 10,000+ registrants.*
      o 106 AIDA courses, 3500+ registrants (62 short courses, 44
        lecture series/semester courses).
      o 14 AIDA Summer schools, 700+ registrants.
      o 70 AI excellence lectures, 5600+ participants.
      o AIDA AICET2025 Symposium and Summer School (approximately 300
        registrants).
  * 5 AI Mellontology (Futurology) workshops.
  * *384 AIDA Students (PhD and Post Docs).*
  * *196 AIDA Lecturers.*
  * 1100+ AIDA email list registrants.
  * 363 AI Educational Resources.
  * 22 AIDA educational material curators.
  * 320+ Dissemination/Branding Activities.

*AIDA plans for 2026-2030 (in brief):*

  * Creation of a Global BSc/MSc/PhD AI Curriculum (current in progress,
    in cooperation with IEEE and ACM).
  * AIDA expansion worldwide and creation of a global AI Community (we
    already have members in USA and candidate members in Latin America).
  * Better AIDA educational offer to AIDA Lecturers and Students (with
    more involvement of each and every AIDA Member).
  * More and better AIDA educational offers to industry.
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