HFMI Spring Community Meeting

In May 2024, the Helmholtz Association took a significant step toward advancing artificial intelligence research by launching its Foundation Model Initiative. This ambitious program support the development of foundation models for cutting-edge scientific research. The initiative began with four pilot projects and the establishment of a Synergy Unit, designed to address overarching challenges and foster interdisciplinary collaboration. A second call for proposals was announced later in 2024, with three additional projects from that iteration starting at the beginning of 2025.

To further strengthen collaboration, the Synergy Unit organizes community meetings twice per year, bringing together scientists working on foundation models from the pilot projects and beyond to facilitate networking and exchange of ideas. The HFMI Spring Community Meeting this year will take place on May 4-5 at MDC-BIMSB in Berlin and will feature updates from the pilot projects, invited scientific talks and strategic discussions on the next steps of the initiative.

The deadline for registration is April 17.

Meeting venue: MDC-BIMSB, Berlin

Dinner venue: L’ Osteria AM TACHELES (Friedrichstraße 111, 10117 Berlin)

Agenda - Monday, May 4

Time	Agenda
12:00	Arrival and light lunch
12:45	Welcome & Framing – Eirini Kouskoumvekaki
13:00	Short updates from the pilot projects
14:45	Coffee break & speed dating
15:15	Agentic AI - Approaches, Challenges and Opportunities - Sebastian Lobentanzer
16:15	Fireside chat on lessons learnt & outlook – Guido Grosse, Dagmar Kainmueller, Martin Schultz; Moderator: Florian Grötsch
17:15	Group photo and end of Day 1
18:00	Networking dinner at L’Osteria AM TACHELES

Agenda - Tuesday, May 5

Time	Agenda
09:00	Positioning HFMI in Europe – Florian Grötsch
09:30	Paktforum AI – Michael Schmuker
09:45	Coffee break & network
10:15	Small group discussions on collaborations & joint funding applications
11:45	Plenary wrap-up: Key actions and next steps