Digital Economy

What will the European Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence look like? The manifesto of scholars and experts

Gathered at the University of Bologna, some of the world's leading international AI scholars and experts defined a Manifesto for a compact institution, founded on human capital, interdisciplinary collaboration and a solid theoretical basis, governed with transparency and independence

by Luca Tremolada

9 October 2025

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Europe can no longer confine itself to observing artificial intelligence from the sidelines. So say some of the world's leading scientists, gathered in Bologna at the invitation of Nobel Prize-winner Giorgio Parisi and physicist Pierluigi Contucci. Their appeal is clear: we need a European Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence, a public, independent infrastructure based on human capital and a long-term vision.

The Manifesto presented at the Alma Mater envisages a compact institution, with a strong scientific core dedicated as much to theory as to applications. Among the signatories are names that have built modern artificial intelligence: Yann LeCun, Turing Prize and chief scientist of Meta AI; Cédric Villani, Fields Medal; Bernhard Schölkopf of the Max Planck Institute; and Marc Mézard, now at Bocconi.

The project is ambitious. We are talking about a lean, high-impact centre, capable of attracting visionary research teams, creating connections with start-ups and industry, and transforming scientific results into industrial applications. In short: a structure that will drive the European artificial intelligence ecosystem.

But this is not the first time the scientific community has called for an 'AI Cern'.

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None of the attempts made so far have had the institutional and political weight of CERN. There is a lack of a central headquarters, a common budget and unified governance. The Europe of artificial intelligence remains fragmented, with national projects competing rather than cooperating.

Behind the Bologna appeal there is also this awareness: without a coordinated strategy, Europe is in danger of becoming just a laboratory of talents to be exported. Today, computing power is concentrated between the United States and China, as are the great language models. Europe contributes to basic research, but struggles to retain researchers and transform the results into industrial innovation.

This is why the Manifesto speaks of a centre 'founded on human capital', with shared and accessible computing infrastructures, open to public and private collaborations but governed by transparent rules. The idea is that of a place where science, industry and society dialogue, producing knowledge and value for all.

A European 'Cern of AI' would not just be a symbol. It would be a way of affirming that artificial intelligence is not the property of a few global companies, but a technology of public interest, just as nuclear energy or the web were, which originated at Cern.

The question, however, remains the same: who will pay? And above all, who will be willing to surrender some scientific sovereignty to build a common vision? Cern's history teaches us that great projects only come into being when politics decides to follow them.

Luca TremoladaGiornalista
- @lucatremolada
- LinkedIn
Luogo: Milano via Monte Rosa 91
Lingue parlate: Inglese, Francese
Argomenti: Tecnologia, scienza, finanza, startup, dati
Premi: Premio Gabriele Lanfredini sull’informazione; Premio giornalistico State Street, categoria "Innovation"; DStars 2019, categoria journalism
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