UL to lead €10.7 million programme advancing next generation of responsible AI development

University of Limerick is to lead a major multi-million euro international project aimed at improving the AI expertise of the European workforce.

Professor Pepijn van de Ven, Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, has been awarded €10.7 million for the large-scale researcher training programme PREPAIR, which will train a new generation of researchers capable of advancing responsible, trustworthy and societally aligned AI. 

The Postgraduate Research Education Programme in Artificial Intelligence Readiness (PREPAIR) project is a university-wide doctoral training programme proposed by University of Limerick with 40 cross-sectoral and international partners. It will address the lack of AI expertise in the European workforce, which has been identified by various EU initiatives as a serious threat to the bloc’s ability to play a world-leading role in AI.

The project will train researchers who demonstrate research excellence and autonomy, strong AI technical skills, career readiness, cross-disciplinary and cross-sectoral exposure, and excellent competencies in ethics, sustainability, integrity and Open Science. In a doctoral training programme fully aligned with EU principles for Innovative Doctoral Training, PREPAIR will support 38 international doctoral fellows completing 48-month PhD projects.

The project has received €6.38 million in EU funding through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) COFUND programme, with additional co-funding from UL and industry.

The fellows will engage with expertise across all themes and acquire skills identified by industry as essential. This will ensure that fellows are prepared for impactful careers across industry, government and academia. 

Commenting on the award Professor Van De Ven said: “PREPAIR is about ensuring that Europe not only develops and uses more AI, but better AI. This funding enables University of Limerick and our partners to train a new generation of researchers who can advance AI that is technically excellent, ethically grounded, sustainable, and aligned with the needs of society.

“At the same time, it allows us to further strengthen UL as a destination of choice for doctoral education, giving talented researchers the skills, networks, and experience they need to create real-world impact in the years ahead.”

PREPAIR responds directly to the MSCA Work Programme by delivering researcher-centred, international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral training, embedding Open Science and research integrity, and contributing to Europe’s talent needs for the digital and green transitions.

It is one of three projects led by Irish higher education institutions to receive funding.