We are pleased to announce that on 2 March 2023, Stefan Leijnen was elected as a member of the Board of Directors of the AI, Data & Robotics Association (Adra) – a Dutchman as a representative of the European AI industry. We would like to congratulate Stefan on his appointment!
Importance of participation in Adra
Adra is the European public-private partnership in AI, data and robotics. Its founding partners include CLAIRE and ELLIS. It is important for the Netherlands to be a part of the development of new programmes and policies, as the European Commission has ambitious AI and digitalisation plans. From the Netherlands, in addition to Stefan, Freek Bomhof from TNO was appointed as a representative of Data Research.
AI Made in Europe
In Brussels, more and more funding will become available in the coming years and the European Commission is taking big steps towards AI Made in Europe: a European AI industry based on human-centric values and operating within European legislative frameworks. Adra is an important partner of the European Commission in developing this vision.
The goals of Adra
The European Commission cooperates in Adra with industry partners and centres of expertise to carry out research and drive innovation for the future use of AI, Data and Robotics (ADR). Adra focuses on mapping out ADR communities and connecting them together. In addition, Adra focuses on raising awareness about ADR in society, encouraging the use of ADR and developing sustainable standards.
Stefan Leijnen has been working at the Netherlands AI Coalition since 2019 where he has been responsible for the European positioning in the AiNed programme since 2023. Stefan’s appointment was made possible partly thanks to the support from organisations withing the Dutch AI ecosystem: AiNed, the Central Netherlands AI Hub, the Brightlands AI Hub, the Eastern Netherlands AI Hub, the Northern Netherlands AI Hub, Real AI, Mooncake AI, Quantile, RUNNR.ai, Brush AI and the Netherlands AI Coalition.
