New AI Initiative in Trieste

ICTP’s host city, Trieste, has long been a beacon for fundamental science in Italy, thanks to its unique system of scientific research institutes. The launch of the new Agorai initiative on 8 April sets it on course to become a reference for applied and basic research in Data Science and advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI), in Italy and internationally.

Agorai was conceived as a unique ecosystem focussing on the impact of AI on key challenges, such as health, agriculture, mobility and finance, with the mission of cultivating talent and transferring knowledge. The project has the ambition to place the future of humanity and of planet Earth at the centre of science and technological development in AI, summarised by the motto "Humanaize the Future".

Led by Generali, the initiative brings together private, public and academic partners, including Friuli Venezia Giulia Autonomous Region, Assicurazioni Generali together with Banca Generali and Generali Italia, Fincantieri and Fondazione Fincantieri, illycaffè, Goldman Sachs, University of Trieste, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), University of Udine, MIB Trieste School of Management, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Deloitte, with the participation of ICTP.

“Being part of this ambitious project allows us to build new ties between the project's academic and corporate partners and ICTP's global community of researchers,” explains ICTP Director Atish Dabholkar, adding, “This will be a wonderful opportunity to encourage a global scale transfer of knowledge in these key areas of innovation, and to bring talent from across the world to Trieste.”

Aiming to close the knowledge and technology gap between rich and disadvantaged regions of the world in harnessing the potential of new technologies such as AI, high performance computing and quantum computing, ICTP has recently launched the International Consortium for Scientific Computing (ICOMP), whose aim is to equalize access to computing resources and knowledge in these key domains. As part of these efforts, ICTP has also joined other important international initiatives on AI and quantum computing, such as the AI Alliance, spearheaded by IBM and Meta, and the Open Quantum Institute, launched by the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA). ICTP’s involvement in Agorai aligns with these important initiatives.

The headquarters of ‘Agorai Innovation Hub’ will be Palazzo Carciotti, an iconic building located in the heart of Trieste, and the original headquarters of Generali.

More information about the initiative is available at: https://www.generali.com/it/agorainnovationhub