Network of Excellence in Applied Cognitive Systems - CogNet

1. Network of Excellence in Applied Cognitive Systems - CogNet Thales Research and Technology (UK) Ltd

2. Contents of Talk • Thales Research and Technology - Mission • TRT-UK connectivity to academia • Cognitive Systems Experts Group in TRT • Opportunities and Risks of working with TRT • Networks of Excellence for IST 6th Framework • Title & Aim of Network • Technical Objectives • People/partners • Proposal and Consortium Schedule Thales Research and Technology (UK) Ltd.

3. TRT UK connectivity to Academia Thales Research and Technology (UK) Ltd.

4. TRT collaboration with Academia & external labs Thales Research and Technology (UK) Ltd.

5. Navigation & • Positioning • Integrated Systems • Sensor Data Processing • IP Networks & Security • Large scale • Mobility (ad hoc) • Wireless nets Theme Integrated Navigation Systems Testbed Demonstrator Network & Security Architecture Testbed Demonstrator Multi-sensor testbed Sensor systems testbeds TRT UK Main Research Themes • Signal & • Information Processing • Networked sensors • Learning & Fusion Security Local Area NCW/NEC Battlefield Sensors Wireless Ambient Systems INS + GPS Dismounted Close Operation Transport Public Safety Applications AUV Missions E-business C4ISTAR Location & time dependent services & systems Modelling Simulation Combined platform/Navigation/network/sensor testbeds (MSTB) Small Systems Software Engineering Defence Aerospace IT&S Thales Research and Technology (UK) Ltd.

6. Cognitive Systems Experts Group in TRT TRT-UK • Adaptive Learning Systems Programme • Data Fusion Programme TRT-FR PLATON Intelligent Decision Support Programme TRT-NL DECIS Collaborative Decision Making Thales Research and Technology (UK) Ltd.

7. Opportunities and risks of working with Thales (TRT) • Opportunities • Focussed Business Cases • Success record with the 5th/6th Framework • Payment of the professional proposal writer • Risks • May have to limit the industrial partners who can join the network to non-competitors Thales Research and Technology (UK) Ltd.

8. Networks of Excellence - EC objectives for 6th Framework • To reinforce or strengthen scientific and technological excellence on a given research topic • by integrating the critical mass of expertise needed to provide European leadership and be a world force • around a Joint Programme of Activity (JPA) • To help structuring European research by integrating research capacities across Europe. • Durable integratiion • So as to process knowledge on a particular theme • To Overcome the fragmentation of European research • To act as a “Virtual Centre of Excellence” • To spread excellence beyond the partners Thales Research and Technology (UK) Ltd.

9. Networks of Excellence - EC for 6th Framework • Must haves • Critical mass needed to address the key challenges in the network field • More than 3 participants • from more than 3 different countries (Member or Associated States) • Duration • typically 5 years • but more if needed to create durable integration • Budget • several MEuros per year - 100% by European Commission Thales Research and Technology (UK) Ltd.

10. JPA - Joint Programme of Activity - what it should include • Integrated activities • coordinated programme of the partner’s activities • sharing of research platforms/facilities/software libraries • joint management of the knowledge portfolio • staff mobility and exchanges • relocation of staff, teams and equipment • reinforced electronic communication systems • Joint Research Activities • a programme of joint research to support the network’s goals • Activities to spread excellence • training of researchers and other key staff • dissemination and communication - technology transfer • All within a unified management structure Thales Research and Technology (UK) Ltd.

11. Example of a Network of Excellence • Before the Network • good isolated research teams in Europe • fragmented effort, redundancy of work, multiplication of effort on basic research tools (e.g. software libraries) • huge gap with US, Japan in terms of quality of deliverables and impact • links to industry very sparse • Network • 8-15 of the best teams in Europe • 50-150 researchers per year • EU fund are small part of total effort • Helps emerge common research work between ALL team members • Fosters exchange of knowledge, co-ordination of activities • Builds links with US, Japan… • Common deliverables, co-written papers and common research tools Thales Research and Technology (UK) Ltd.

12. The NoE Field Partner 1 Partner 2 Partner 2 Partner 2 Partner 1 Partner 1 Partner 4 Partner 4 JPA Partner 3 Partner 4 Partner 3 Partner 3 Fig1:RTD activities in Europe before the NoE Fig2:Coordinated RTD activities Fig3: NoE Framework Aims at integrating and structuring Joint Programme of Activity Thales Research and Technology (UK) Ltd.

13. Cognitive Systems Call • Information Society Technologies in EC 6th Framework • 2nd Call Cognitive Systems “To construct physically instantiated or embodied systems that can perceive, understand and interact with their environment, and evolve in order to achieve human-like performance in activities requiring context specific knowledge” • Call opened 17th June 2003 • Call closes 15th October 2003 Thales Research and Technology (UK) Ltd.

14. Why do TRT (UK & NL) want to get involved? • General Reasons • Be combined lead of a recognised visionary Network • “Blue skies” technology injection • Visibility in the European Commission (EC) • Strong links/visibility with academia • Strong links with other industrial partners • Visibility of other industrial commercial applications • Visibility across Europe • Specifically CogNET • In line with the strategy of the Cognitive Systems Experts Group • Belief that this type of expertise will be essential in future systems Thales Research and Technology (UK) Ltd.

15. Thales Research and Technology and CogNet? • What does TRT want to do within CogNet? • Lead CogNet proposal • Lead industrial and managerial side of CogNet • NOT lead technical side of CogNet • Why will TRT stick with the network over time? • Future vision of all future applications and systems • Many industrial applications for Thales will be born out of this network Thales Research and Technology (UK) Ltd.

16. Why should research institutes get involved? • Funding for research in Cognitive Systems • Status in being part of a recognised visionary Network • Lead research towards a more commercial end • Strong links with industrial partners • Future financed work by industry • Visibility in the European Commission • Strong links/visibility with other excellent research institutes • Visibility of industrial commercial applications of research • Visibility across Europe Thales Research and Technology (UK) Ltd.

17. Why should academic institutions get involved? • Day to day • Virtual University • Source of funding • Interface with industry • Expertise • Resources / secretarial and research support • Online forums • Collaborative problem solving • Online Learning • Workshops/ tutorial/ lectures • Knowledge databases Thales Research and Technology (UK) Ltd.

18. Technical Objectives • A convergent conceptual framework for integrating diverse researchers whose problems, techniques and solutions need to be brought together both in order to understand natural cognitive systems and to design useful new ones. • A framework for sharing tools, sharing knowledge about tools, and for interfacing tools, including forms of representation, ontologies,programming and other languages, algorithms, data-libraries, test-sets,recommended hardware, target scenarios, FAQs, How to documents, and other resources. Thales Research and Technology (UK) Ltd.

19. Technical Objectives • As a special case of the conceptual framework, an agreed generative framework for describing - architectures for intelligent systems(high level designs for complete working systems, combining many kinds of functionality) - requirements for intelligent systems(where a set of requirements for an artificial system is similar to the 'niche' of an artificial system along with - analyses of important proposed architectures in terms of the general framework, - some recommendations on architectures worth using in order to meet particular types of requirements. (The list will change as new research results come in.) Thales Research and Technology (UK) Ltd.

20. Dissemination Objectives • Production of a publicly accessible (distributed) web-site with all the partial results of the project as it progresses. • Production of educational materials and aids for newcomers to the research area, including demonstrations, when available. • Interdisciplinary workshops and conferences at which carefully selected invited talks will be combined with submitted contributions in order to spread both positive results and information about unsolved problems to researchers not yet involved in the activity. • Other forms of dissemination through journals and books. Thales Research and Technology (UK) Ltd.

21. Work to date in CogNet • Assigned a proposal writer • Flip Pino - Pino and Partners (NL) • TRT - 30,000 Euros + my time • Draft Title and Aim of the Network • Draft Technical Objectives • Initial Partnerships • Proposal contents page • Links to wider community • Consortium meeting in Delft - 20th June 2003 • Consortium meeting in UK - 8th July 2003 • Other IP meetings Thales Research and Technology (UK) Ltd.

22. Win Themes • Combination of the two previous NOEs • Critical mass of researchers • Can we be sure that they are no one else bidding for an NOE in this Cognitive Systems call? • EC mentioned most EOI for NOEs only included universities • Balance between technology push and application pull • Links with many of the EC calls • Proposal is very visionary • Relevance to the IST priorities • Connection with Ambient Intelligence drive of EC Thales Research and Technology (UK) Ltd.

23. Who does what? • Governing Council • Who? • TRT is happy with none competitive industrial partners • Roles • Consortium building • Management proposal preparation • Network management/ co-ordination • Scientific Council • Who? • Roles • Consortium member identification • Technical proposal preparation • Research/technology in network Thales Research and Technology (UK) Ltd.

24. Which disciplines and what roles in Networks • Cognitive Systems • Computer Science • Artificial Intelligence • Psychology • Sociology • Anthropology • Systems Engineering • Others? Thales Research and Technology (UK) Ltd.