Who we are

The Confederation of Laboratories for Artificial Intelligence Research in Europe (CAIRNE) is an international non-profit association (AISBL) created by the European AI community to strengthen European excellence in AI research and innovation, with a strong focus on human-centred AI.

CAIRNE represents and connects its members by promoting European AI, fostering cross-border collaboration, contributing to European research and innovation projects, supporting community building, and engaging with policymakers, industry and the wider research community.

Our origins

CAIRNE was publicly launched as CLAIRE on 18 June 2018 with a vision document signed by 600 senior researchers and key stakeholders in artificial intelligence. The document invited stakeholders across Europe and beyond to support a shared vision for strengthening European excellence in AI research and innovation.

The initiative emerged within a broader European push for greater coordination on AI. It was prompted in part by the Declaration of Cooperation on Artificial Intelligence, signed by 25 European countries at the European Commission’s Digital Day on 10 April 2018. The Declaration did not propose or formally endorse CAIRNE, but committed the participating countries to working together to strengthen European AI research, innovation and collaboration and to address the associated socioeconomic, ethical and legal questions. This provided part of the policy context in which CAIRNE’s vision was developed.

The initiative was also informed by the European Commission’s subsequent Communication, Artificial Intelligence for Europe, published on 25 April 2018, and inspired by an earlier call to establish a European laboratory for excellence in machine learning, which became ELLIS.

Explore the original European Vision for AI and CAIRNE’s important documents.

From CLAIRE to CAIRNE

CAIRNE was incorporated as an international non-profit association under Belgian law on 31 January 2020. In 2024, after learning that the CLAIRE acronym had been trademarked, the network changed its acronym to CAIRNE. Its full legal name, the Confederation of Laboratories for Artificial Intelligence Research in Europe AISBL, remained unchanged, as did its mission and support for its members.

Our vision and networks

CAIRNE aims to build worldwide recognition for “AI made in Europe” and to ensure that Europe can shape its own technological future. Its vision has attracted support from thousands of individuals, leading AI researchers, scientific associations, research institutions, companies and European governments.

CAIRNE’s Research Network consists of nearly 500 research groups and institutions, jointly representing more than 27,000 employees across 41 countries. Its complementary Innovation Network provides a framework for connecting companies and other for-profit organisations with the research community and fostering links between non-profit research and industrial applications. CAIRNE also supports the next generation of AI researchers through its Rising Researchers Network.

Learn more about CAIRNE’s Research Network, Innovation Network and Rising Researchers Network.

European projects

CAIRNE participates in EU-funded research and innovation projects, including projects supported through Horizon Europe and the Digital Europe Programme. Through these projects, CAIRNE contributes to stakeholder engagement, community building, communication and dissemination, ecosystem coordination, and collaboration between researchers, industry and policymakers. These activities also create opportunities for CAIRNE members to contribute their expertise and connect with partners across Europe.

Find out more about CAIRNE’s projects and collaborations.

A European presence

CAIRNE maintains nine offices across Europe. The Hague serves as its administrative headquarters, while the offices in Brussels, Guimarães, Oslo, Paris, Prague, Rome, Saarbrücken and Zürich are hosted by CAIRNE Gold Members. This distributed structure strengthens CAIRNE’s connections with national and regional AI communities, supports engagement with research institutions, industry and policymakers, and helps coordinate activities across Europe.

Discover CAIRNE’s offices across Europe.

Support and collaboration

CAIRNE’s vision for excellence in European AI has received official letters of support from the governments of nine European countries, more than 30 scientific associations, the European Association for Artificial Intelligence (EurAI), the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI), and the European Space Agency (ESA).

CAIRNE works with European and international organisations across the AI research and innovation ecosystem, including scientific associations, research networks, industry organisations and public institutions.

Explore the individuals, organisations and institutions that support CAIRNE’s vision.