Brussels, 13 January 2026

Today the SCIANCE project has its official kick-off meeting in Brussels, Belgium.

SCIANCE (AI in Science) will support the development of Resource for AI Science in Europe (RAISE) and coordinate AI-enabled scientific research across Europe through a bottom-up approach. The project mobilises leading European scientific organisations and research infrastructures across five pilot areas - fundamental physics and astronomy, materials science, life science, earth sciences, and social sciences and humanities - together with AI research centres and e-infrastructures.

SCIANCE will identify AI-in-science research and innovation priorities and pilot the structure of the RAISE Secretariat for AI in science. SCIANCE key outcomes include:

• Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) for AI in Science
• an implementation roadmap for infrastructure upgrades
• and the RAISE Secretariat for AI in science, to support long-term collaboration, capacity building, and alignment with European policy objectives.

SCIANCE represents a unique opportunity to coordinate AI-enabled science across Europe - connecting research communities, infrastructures and AI expertise in a way that truly reflects scientific priorities.

The SCIANCE consortium includes 13 leading European organisations and research infrastructures: ESF, EGI Foundation, OpenAIRE AMKE, CNR, Euro-BioImaging ERIC, EMBL, CU, MU, UT-ITC, Nikhef, DFKI, SZTAKI, and BDVA.

What is RAISE?

RAISE – the Resource for Artificial Intelligence Science in Europe – is a new European virtual institute designed to accelerate the adoption of AI in scientific research. It brings together computing power, data, expertise and funding to support scientists in developing and applying AI for transformative discoveries across all research fields. 
As a flagship initiative related to the European Strategy for AI in Science, RAISE will help position Europe as a global leader in AI-enabled research.

The role of OpenAIRE

• Contribute to the development of an evidence-based understanding of AI in Science by building an observatory that maps AI-enabled scientific practices, infrastructures, and emerging trends using the OpenAIRE Graph as a trusted open evidence base.
• Provide active input to SCIANCE Working Groups and to the co-creation of the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) at the intersection of AI and Open Science, with a focus on interoperability, reusability, and trust.
• Lead the pilot RAISE Academy by delivering expertise and training content for policymakers and research executives on the practical implementation of SRIA priorities.
• Support communication activities around LLMs for scientific discovery, translating complex technical developments into clear, accessible, and policy-relevant narratives for diverse stakeholders. 

We are delighted to be part of the SCIANCE initiative and to work within a consortium that brings together such diverse and highly complementary expertise. Advancing AI in Science requires more than powerful models; it requires open, interoperable, and trusted research infrastructures that make scientific knowledge reusable, auditable, and policy-ready. Through SCIANCE and RAISE, OpenAIRE both contributes its experience and expects to learn from this community, strengthening how Open Science and AI can evolve together in Europe.

Information requests

During the startup phase of the project, please contact Project Coordinator Jonas L’Haridon (ESF) at info@sciance.eu for any inquiries. Do you want to stay in the loop about project updates? Subscribe to our mailing list: subscribepage.io/SCIANCE