Smartie Project

🤖 The EU is expanding its AI Factories network. Six new high-performance computing centres will strengthen Europe’s AI capabilities and boost innovation across the continent!

These new EuroHPC AI Factories will be established in Romania, Czechia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain. Together, they will provide researchers, startups, and SMEs with access to advanced computing power, AI resources, and data platforms to accelerate cutting-edge developments in AI. ⚙️

This initiative marks another important step in building a truly AI-powered Europe, where technology serves science, business, and society.

🌐 Learn more in the official EuroHPC press release:
👉 https://www.eurohpc-ju.europa.eu/eurohpc-ju-selects-six-additional-ai-factories-expand-europes-ai-capabilities-2025-10-10_en

🌐 Picture source:
👉 https://www.eurohpc-ju.europa.eu/eurohpc-ju-selects-six-additional-ai-factories-expand-europes-ai-capabilities-2025-10-10_en

🔔 Stay tuned for more updates with SMARTIE!

🎓 On 24 September 2025, three talented students of the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master META 4.0 program successfully defended their master’s theses under the supervision of Prof. Damjan Klobčar at the University of Ljubljana, a key partner in the ANGIE and SMARTIE projects. The students received multiple master’s degree in Mechanical engineering from Ecole Centrale de Lyon and from University of Ljubljana, and master’s degree in Materials Engineering for Industry 4.0 from Polytechnic University of Turin.

The main goal of META 4.0 has been to train a new generation of engineers with strong multidisciplinary skills and knowledge to tackle the challenges of Manufacturing 4.0, focusing on Digital, Clean, Sustainable, and Smart Manufacturing. These priorities align with ANGIE’s vision of equipping future specialists with the capacity to reduce carbon footprints and adopt clean technologies, and with SMARTIE's mission to increase awareness among students, and by extension, future professionals, regarding responsible use of AI.

👏 Congratulations to:
• Saikrishna Suresh Kumar (co-supervised by Prof. Dr. Emmy Yu Cao, Chalmers University, Sweden)
• Cesar Villatoro (co-supervised by Prof. Daniele Ugues, Politecnico di Torino, and Prof. Pierre-Thomas Doutre, G-SCOP Laboratory, France)
• Cheong Yoo (co-supervised by Prof. Sampada Bodkhe, Polytechnique Montréal, Canada)

🙏 A big thank you to the co-supervisors for their incredible support and collaboration, and to the graduates for their commitment and passion.

🌟 Saikrishna, Cesar, and Cheong, the SMARTIE consortium wishes you successful careers, and lots of luck, prosperity, and happiness in life paths!

Benefits and Challenges of AI in the Classroom 🤖📚 | SMARTIE Erasmus+ Project

Artificial intelligence is reshaping education, offering exciting opportunities ✨, but also raising important questions❓. As part of the SMARTIE Erasmus+ project 🌍, University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria is working with 8 other institutions in the SMARTIE consortium, across Europe, to understand how AI can be effectively and responsibly integrated into the classroom.

Some of the benefits we’ve observed so far:
🎯 Learning experiences tailored to individual students
🎨 New ways to encourage creativity and critical thinking
📝 Additional support for teachers in giving feedback and assessments

Challenges we are addressing:
🔒 Protecting student data and ensuring ethical AI use
👩‍🏫 Preparing teachers and schools for digital adoption
🤝 Making AI-supported learning inclusive and equitable

Our aim is to help educators see AI as a supportive tool 🛠️, not a replacement, enhancing teaching and learning while keeping human interaction at the center ❤️.

If you’re interested in our work or want to collaborate, follow the SMARTIE project for updates, insights, and practical resources!

The University of Ljubljana’s Faculty of Computer and Information Science 🎓 is hosting AI for SCIENCE 2025 🤖🔬, a cutting-edge international conference. It will be held in the picturesque Ljubljana between 22–26 September 2025.

Organised by the Slovenian Artificial Intelligence Society (SLAIS) in collaboration with the University of Ljubljana, the Jožef Stefan Institute (JSI), and the University of Nova Gorica (SMASH postdoctoral program), this event brings together researchers, AI innovators, and industry professionals 🌍.

AI for SCIENCE features the 28th Discovery Science Conference (DS-2025) plus multiple thematic tracks:
• 🤝 AI & Material Science
• 🚀 AI & Space
• 🏭 AI Factories
• 📚 AI & Digital Humanities
• 🧬 AI & Life Sciences
• 🌱 AI & Environmental Science
• ⚛️ AI & Physics
• 🎓 Plus the DaFab Summer School and a special Responsible AI programme.

Attendees will explore the latest in AI, data science, and big-data methods 📊 applied to scientific and industrial challenges. Expect keynote lectures 🎤, paper presentations 📄, networking 🤝, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

✨ Don’t miss this vibrant forum for innovation and discovery in AI for science!

🔗SMARTIE Project: https://www.aceeu.org/project/smartie

🔗AI for SCIENCE 2025: https://ai4science.si/

🎓 The University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria brings together four dynamic campuses – Wels, Hagenberg, Steyr, and Linz. Among them, Campus Steyr stands out as a leading hub for business, digitalization, sustainability, and management education.

📚 How Campus Steyr stands out:
• Home to 15 study programs (bachelor’s & master’s) in areas like Digital Business, Accounting, Controlling & Finance, Marketing & Sales, Supply Chain Management, and Global Sales & Marketing
• A vibrant community of 1,400+ students from over 60 countries 🌍
• Located in Steyr, one of Austria’s most beautiful historic cities 🏰 blending tradition with modern campus life
• Strong focus on practical training, applied research, and close cooperation with industry leaders 🔬🤝

🌐 Global mindset:
• Active participation in international exchange and research projects ✈️
• Partnerships with over 260 universities worldwide 🌎, enabling students to gain international experience
• Strong collaboration with companies across Austria and beyond, ensuring graduates are highly employable and future-ready 💼

👉 Whether your passion is management, logistics, digital transformation, sustainability, or global business, Campus Steyr is where knowledge meets practice and students shape the future of business and society.

🎓 University of Ljubljana (UL) is Slovenia’s oldest and largest university, established in 1919, with over a century of academic excellence.

🌍 Home to 50,000+ undergraduate and postgraduate students, UL offers a diverse academic experience through 300+ study programs in sciences, engineering, arts, humanities, medicine, law, and more.

🏛 With 23 faculties and 3 arts academies, supported by 6,000 professors, researchers, and administrative staff, UL is the central hub of higher education and research in Slovenia.

🔬 A powerhouse of knowledge and innovation, UL fosters cutting-edge research, international collaborations, and strong industry links, shaping the future of education and science in Europe.

🌐 Connected worldwide through Erasmus+ and numerous international partnerships, UL offers students and researchers global opportunities for growth and exchange.

Stay connected for more interesting updates about SMARTIE project! 🤖

🔗 SMARTIE Project: https://www.aceeu.org/project/smartie

How AI can make education more inclusive and accessible 🎓

Artificial Intelligence 🤖 is redefining higher education.

From personalized assessments to the creation of inclusive resources, AI offers concrete tools to make learning more accessible and innovative, without replacing the central role of teachers 👩‍🏫.

Today, AI solutions allow you to:
• Update study programs with quality multimedia content 🎥
• Diversify teaching and learning methods
• Support scientific production and the creation of student projects 🎓
• Improve accessibility for students with disabilities ♿

The shift towards hybrid education 💻 has shown that technology is not just a tool, but a catalyst for essential skills: creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and computational thinking.

The key? Training and supporting teachers in developing their digital skills 💡, providing easy-to-use, secure, and compliant solutions so they can better connect with students, keep them motivated, and prepare them for the future 🚀.

It's time to design an education where AI is not an end, but a means to inclusion, accessibility, and academic excellence 🏆.

At SMARTIE, we are actors and protagonists of this change 🌟, with a concrete focus on accessibility and inclusivity in higher education.

🔗 SMARTIE Project: https://www.aceeu.org/project/smartie

Smart Tech, Smarter Rules: How SMARTIE Project is Guiding AI Use in Higher Education

There is no question whether students are using AI 🤖. Whether it’s to brainstorm essays, prepare for interviews, or search for scholarships, tools like ChatGPT have become part of the university. 🏫

For institutions, the potential benefits are also compelling. Universities are also exploring AI to update websites 🌐, improve communication 💬, and refine their messaging.

Yet, while there’s no shortage of possibilities, AI raises important ethical and practical questions. For example, if students submit AI-generated essays and materials, how can faculty effectively evaluate their writing and critical thinking skills? 🧠

Students are craving practical guidelines about what constitutes acceptable and unacceptable AI usage.

Faculty, on the other hand, needs practical support and clear guidelines. 📑

This is where the SMARTIE project comes in.🚀
SMARTIE will develop guidelines for AI use for teaching and learning in higher education, including real-world examples about how to properly integrate AI outputs, instructions on how to disclose AI usage, among other guidance.

Adapted from: https://www.ecampusnews.com/ai-in-education/2025/05/29/universities-cant-block-ai-use-in-applications/

Stay tuned for more updates.🔔

🎓 University of Craiova – A beacon of knowledge, tradition, and innovation in the heart of Oltenia, Romania 🇷🇴

🌍 Almost 18,000 students grow scientifically, professionally, and personally in a multicultural environment, right in Craiova – the largest city in Oltenia and the 6th biggest in Romania.
🏛 A comprehensive academic community: 12 faculties, 1 autonomous department, 45 research centers, 4 campuses, 10 student halls, 300+ lecture halls, 255 laboratories, a central library with 14 branches, and a vibrant student club.
👩‍🏫 Powered by 900 dedicated teaching staff and 850 administrative professionals, ensuring quality education and strong community engagement.
📚 Diverse study opportunities: 50+ Bachelor’s programs, 40+ Master’s fields, and doctoral studies across economics, law, sciences, engineering, agriculture, IT, humanities, theology, sports & more – plus distance learning, summer courses, and preparatory programs.
🔬 A hub of research and innovation with specialized labs and development units driving progress across multiple fields.
🌐 Global reach with 279 Erasmus partners and 65 partnerships worldwide (Europe, Africa, Asia, North & South America).
🏅 Ranked among the top 10 Romanian universities for the past 20 years, proudly holding the HIGH DEGREE OF CONFIDENCE (2021–2026) – the highest rating awarded by the Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education.

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🎓 The University of Málaga (UMA) is a public institution in Spain, founded in 1972. Located in Málaga, Andalusia, it's a vibrant hub for higher education and research. UMA offers a wide array of undergraduate and postgraduate programs across various fields, including sciences 🔬, humanities 📖, engineering ⚙️, and health sciences 🏥.

With a strong commitment to innovation 💡 and internationalization 🌍, UMA actively participates in numerous European and global research projects. Its modern campus facilities and diverse student body contribute to a dynamic academic environment.

UMA plays a crucial role in the region's cultural 🎭 and economic 💼 development, fostering a close relationship with local industries and institutions.

🎓 Babeș-Bolyai University (UBB) - Where tradition meets innovation in the heart of Transylvania, Romania 🇷🇴

🌍 With hundreds of study programs in Romanian, Hungarian, German, English & French, UBB is Romania’s most international and diverse university.
🔬 A powerhouse in research, with 1,000+ teams, cutting-edge labs, and EU-funded projects in AI, sustainability, health & more.
🌐 Active in Erasmus+, Fulbright, and many global partnerships – UBB students and staff are shaping the world!
🏛 23 faculties. Over 45,000 students. One academic community that bridges cultures and generations.

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🎓Welcome to University of Žilina (UNIZA) – a modern, open, and dynamic public university in the heart of northwestern Slovakia! Established in 1953 as a College of Railways in Prague, it moved to Žilina in 1960 and evolved into a center of excellence in transport, communications, engineering, management, humanities, and more.

✅Why UNIZA shines:
• Home to 7 faculties and ~8.000 students, offering bachelor’s, master’s & PhD degrees in over 170 accredited fields
• Known nationwide and in Central Europe for its strong profile in transport & communications
• A vibrant, modern campus with green spaces, cutting edge facilities, student dorms, cafés, sports areas, and even a science park & research center

🌎Global connections:
• Active participation in EU research projects (like TEMPUS, COST, Erasmus+, H2020)
• Partnerships include over 150 universities worldwide and strong ties with major companies like Huawei, Siemens, Kia, and more

🚀Whether you're driven by engineering and innovation, transport systems, ICT, management, or humanities, UNIZA offers a future-focused environment where tradition meets cutting edge research and real-world impact.

Ready to explore next?😀