European AI research network CLAIRE opens their Headquarters in The Hague
9 December 2019
On 9 December, the headquarters of the world’s largest AI research network Claire (Confederation of Laboratories for Artificial Intelligence Research in Europe) opened its doors in The Hague.
The network was established to ensure that Europe remains competitive in AI and its applications.
CLAIRE plans to invest in talent, research, technology and innovation. Its focus is on utilizing AI to help reach the UN’s sustainable development goals and on accelerating broad access to and benefit from AI across all of society, including enterprises of various sizes, government and European citizens.
Major hub on AI in Europe
CLAIRE has announced a focus on ‘AI for Good’, specifically the use of AI to help reach the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. This sentiment aligns with The Hague’s existing focus on ensuring technology and business has positive impacts on society.
The opening of the CLAIRE headquarters in The Hague will strengthen the position of the Netherlands as a major hub on AI in Europe, attracting talent from across Europe and around the globe, and driving research and innovation in close collaboration with a broad range of application sectors.
“Claire is going to shape the way AI is going to be used in Europe,” said Holger Hoos, professor of machine learning at Leiden University and the co-founder of Claire.
“Alongside The Hague’s reputation as a city of peace and justice, the Netherlands, in general, is an ideal home base. It’s a hotbed for AI research and innovation in Europe and home to a large number of internationally leading experts in AI.”
In October 2019 in The Hague, the Dutch Government launched its new nationwide Strategic Action Plan for Artificial Intelligence. The aim is to keep the Dutch economy globally competitive by stimulating AI based on the principle that both citizens and businesses can be confident that AI will be used with care.
The researchers and stakeholders involved in CLAIRE – some 330 groups and institutions, covering jointly more than 19,000 employees in 34 countries – have identified a pressing need to increase Europe’s strength and position in the area of human-centered, trustworthy AI.
Deputy Mayor of the City of The Hague Saskia Bruines, said:
“The use of Artificial Intelligence offers many opportunities to potentially improve the lives of our citizens. However, this requires the development of a responsible and transparent approach to the use of AI, which is an important topic for Europe, the Netherlands and The Hague in particular. CLAIRE has set itself the mission to develop that approach for Europe. I am therefore proud and thrilled that CLAIRE has chosen to establish its European headquarters in The Hague. This will contribute to making the international city of Peace and Justice a very relevant place for the development of the responsible use of AI in Europe in the coming years.”
The CLAIRE office in The Hague will place special focus on AI in the public sector, AI computing and data infrastructure, and the development of a focus on AI for social good. It will interact and coordinate with the NL AI Coalition, the European Commission, AI4EU, the European AI Association, the Benelux AI Association, CBS, TNO and ELLIS.
The Hague headquarters will also support CLAIRE activities all over Europe, coordinating the work of existing CLAIRE offices in Prague (CZ), Saarbrücken (DE), Rome (IT) and Oslo (NO), as well as offices soon to be opened in Brussels (BE), Zürich (CH), Paris (FR) and Cork (IE).
