Join the MANOLO Summer School and Innovation Lab in Thessaloniki
Researchers, students, AI professionals and technology enthusiasts are invited to take part in the MANOLO Summer School on Trustworthy AI and Innovation Lab, taking place in Thessaloniki, Greece, from 26–28 August 2026.
Hosted by the International Hellenic University, the free three-day programme will bring together experts from research, industry and public policy to examine how AI systems can become more trustworthy, explainable and efficient.
The Summer School will combine expert-led lectures with technical sessions, networking opportunities and a hands-on Innovation Lab. Participants will have the opportunity to explore current AI research, consider its practical applications and collaborate with attendees from across Europe.
CeADAR experts at the Summer School
As coordinator of the €8.7 million MANOLO Project, CeADAR will contribute to several parts of the programme.
Cristian Bosch will lead a session on the foundations of efficient AI, examining approaches to developing capable AI systems while reducing their computational and energy requirements.
Ricardo Simón Carbajo will introduce participants to MANOLO and its framework for trustworthy and efficient AI. His session will explore how the project is translating European research into tools and approaches that can support practical AI development and deployment.
Cristian and Ricardo will also help lead the Innovation Lab, where participants will work in teams to apply ideas from the programme to a practical AI challenge before presenting their work for feedback.
Exploring trustworthy and efficient AI
The programme will examine the technical, ethical and legal questions involved in building AI systems that can operate effectively in real-world environments.
Sessions will cover areas including:
- Trustworthy and explainable AI
- Foundations of efficient AI
- Frugal AI and neural network growth
- Neuromorphic computing
- Cloud-edge resource optimisation
- Data quality and provenance
- Legal and regulatory considerations
- AI applications in robotics, healthcare and mobile technologies
Participants will also hear from researchers and practitioners working across the MANOLO consortium, which brings together 18 organisations from eight European countries.
The project is developing a stack of algorithms and tools intended to improve the efficiency, trustworthiness and sustainability of AI systems. Its work includes hardware-aware training, model compression and cloud-edge optimisation, with applications in industrial robotics, telecommunications, healthcare robots and wearable devices.
From research to practical application
A central part of the Summer School will be the Innovation Lab. Participants will form multidisciplinary teams, work on a practical challenge and present their proposed solutions to the wider group.
This format is designed to help attendees move beyond theoretical discussion and consider how trustworthy and efficient AI principles can be applied in practice. It will also provide opportunities to meet potential research collaborators, industry contacts and other members of the European AI community.
Who should attend?
The Summer School is designed for:
- Master’s students
- PhD candidates
- Early-career researchers
- AI and data science practitioners
- Innovation and technology enthusiasts
All sessions and activities will be conducted in English.
Event details
Dates: 26–28 August 2026
Location: International Hellenic University, Thessaloniki, Greece
Cost: Free to attend
Format: In person
Registration: Required
Places are limited. Applicants are asked to register only if they intend to attend the programme in person and participate fully in its activities.