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Viewpoint: Europe needs a pan-European research centre for artificial intelligence

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To compete globally, the EU needs a pan-European research centre that can restore Europe's technological sovereignty, says Holger Hoos, distinguished Professor for AI at CESAER Member RWTH Aachen, together with his colleague Morten Irgens.
6th February 2026
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Photo: Elbmotion / Humboldt Foundation and Kristiania / Jonatan Quintero

A credible and sovereign European artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem requires more than distributed computing investments — it calls for a genuine “big science” approach that brings together talent, infrastructure and long-term public commitment in a single, pan-European research centre. Such an initiative could restore Europe’s technological sovereignty, provided that the concept of a “CERN for AI” is not diluted or repackaged, but implemented in a way that truly reflects the proven CERN model of independence, stability and collaboration.

In a viewpoint by Holger Hoos (Distinguished Professor at CESAER Member RWTH Aachen and Chair of CAIRNE, the Confederation of Laboratories for AI Research in Europe) and Morten Irgens (Deputy Chair of CAIRNE), the authors draw lessons from the creation of CERN to argue that Europe now faces a comparable moment in AI. They assess current EU initiatives, explain why they believe these fall short of a real CERN-style institution for AI, and highlight key principles that should guide a treaty-based, publicly governed pan-European research centre for AI, based on CAIRNE's December 2025 report.

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