KInIT and lorAI yearly retrospective

Every story has its stages. Enthusiastic beginnings, moments of uncertainty, but also moments when we can say that it was all worth it. At KInIT, we have reached exactly such a stage. Together with our partners, we met to look back on five years of our shared journey. It wasn’t just another event on the calendar, but a moment when people who believe in research, cooperation, and the fact that impactful projects can be created even in Slovakia came together.

When KInIT was founded on September 9, 2020, all we had was a vision and a lot of determination. We wanted to create a place that would connect academics with companies and the state in the field of artificial intelligence based on excellent science. A place that would connect talent from all sectors and different fields so we could jointly develop innovations that would make Slovakia even better and more competitive. Today, we see that our vision is becoming a reality. From a small group of enthusiasts, we have grown into a stable partner for scientists, innovators, and companies. We are a community that grows, learns, and pushes the boundaries of knowledge further.

At this year’s meeting, we gathered with KInIT colleagues and partners to look back and remind ourselves how far we have come. We also evaluated the first steps in the lorAI project, whose goal is to transform KInIT from a growing research institution into a sustainable centre of excellence with significant social and economic impact and a long-term financial model. The atmosphere was filled with energy that keeps pushing us forward and at the same time reminds us what fullfils us in all of this.

“Our effort is to develop talents, connect the academic, private and public sectors, and show that artificial intelligence is changing the world together with KInIT.” Mária Bieliková, Director General, KInIT.

Over five years, we have come an incredibly long way. From a small group of researchers who believed that top-level research could be done at home in Slovakia, we have grown into a respected institute with international projects and dozens of partners.

What we accomplished speaks for itself:

Behind every number is courage and collaboration, and these are the values that push us forward. This would also not be possible without our partners who were there at the founding of KInIT – ESET, Tatra banka, Innovatrics, Seesame, Softec, and others who have supported us and continue to support us throughout this entire time.

Without the people who put a part of themselves into this idea, KInIT would not be what it is today. In the Gamechangers series, we returned to those who were there at the beginning and talked about how it was created, how it has evolved, and where it is headed. You can read more in the Gamechangers blog.

Every retrospective also brings a look into the future. For us, it has a name: lorAI, a project that opens a new chapter of our story and moves us closer to our goal of becoming a European center of excellence in artificial intelligence research.

lorAI addresses one of today’s major challenges: how to create reliable and efficient AI systems even where data, labels, or computing power are lacking. This topic is particularly important for smaller countries and languages, such as Slovak.

The project is built on three main pillars: research development, talent support and attraction, and the development of innovations and technology transfer. We believe the impact will be much broader. It will support the connection of different sectors and fields, strengthen international collaborations, and create space for young researchers who want to contribute to the development of responsible and sustainable AI.

For us, this means new challenges leading toward fulfilling our vision. Sustainability is key. Finding a model that allows our ecosystem to accept institutes like KInIT and multiply them.

KInIT is built above all by people, those who believe in the purpose of science and the power of collaboration, and in the idea that even in a small country, world-class work can be done. Five years are behind us, but even more challenges lie ahead: to continue and keep pushing the boundaries.

With the lorAI project, we are entering a demanding transformation. We want to seek and support talents, develop research, connect science with practice, and show that Slovakia has its place in Europe and in the world.

Gradually, more supporters joined, and the institute was created relatively quickly, as often happens with good projects. From the beginning, I believed it would be a successful project, so I had no doubts. But I have to say that the way it took off pleasantly surprised me. I thought that the early stages, building size and acquiring projects would be slower, and I am pleasantly surprised by how dynamically everything works.

2. How do you perceive KInIT now, how has it changed over the 5 years?

The changes were visible gradually, year after year. It’s not as if after five years we suddenly saw huge differences from the beginning. Every year, we saw positive development and growth.

What makes me happiest is the success in securing European projects and funding. At the beginning, when Majka talked about similar institutes abroad, the funding was usually divided into thirds. I liked that idea, but thought it would not be easy. Now, after five years, it turns out that less than half of the funding comes from private donors, about one third, so we have come close to that.

Of course, the structure is not exactly as originally planned, but I think it’s not far from it. I consider this a huge success from which many institutions could take inspiration and see as a model.

3. What is your wish or recommendation for KInIT and the whole team?

When I talk to journalists about ESET and our global success, I often say that I would be very happy if there were more companies like ESET. We try to support the whole ecosystem so that we are not alone and that there are more companies that achieve international success.

If I apply this to the environment of research institutes, I would wish for there to be more institutes like KInIT, each in its own field. To have more strong teams capable of achieving exceptional results and bringing added value to society.

Neither we nor they knew exactly how it would all develop. We were a bit worried that KInIT should learn to “earn part of its own funding” and not rely only on the same four donors. We imagined our support would be sustainable, maybe not forever, but for some starting period.

In the end, rather than industrial collaborations, grant collaborations developed more, and we were very happy about that, because success in this area has been significant.

2. How do you perceive KInIT now, how has it changed over the 5 years?

I think KInIT still needs to gain the “feeling of certainty” that it can renew a portion of grants each year, that it can “turn over” a quarter of the project volume without stress. This is an important experience that is yet to come.

I also know that you struggle with some roles that have been difficult to fill long-term. I ask myself how things will improve once these roles are successfully filled, and how that will reflect positively on the whole team. We see that some areas, such as grant acquisition, work very well, while others face more challenges.

I wish you luck with this, because I know that in the environment you operate in, it is not easy to estimate who will be the right fit, since such experience is still not common in Slovakia.

3. What is your wish or recommendation for KInIT and the whole team?

I think you still have an important phase ahead: showing the added value of basic research. I myself had to learn that science needs to have basic research. Over time, I understood that basic research is necessary because it can inspire other researchers and contribute to new knowledge, even if its direct results are not immediately apparent.

Not everyone has the chance to be close enough to you to realize this. That is why I think it will be very important for you to have several research results that successfully transform into technologies, the so-called tech transfer, so that you can show that a specific patent or research output helped Slovak companies develop or improve something.

I believe that successful tech transfer will help you not only with acquiring grants and talent, but also with stabilizing the team where circumstances are not always favorable. I wish you success, because this will open many new doors and bring understanding even among people who may not yet understand that basic research is truly a valuable product.

As a company, we want to operate in Slovakia long-term, and for this it is essential to have people around who are similar in some ways, who like technology, and who do not want to be average. People with whom we can achieve more, support each other, and inspire one another.

2. How do you perceive KInIT now, how has it changed over the 5 years?

KInIT has professionalized in the meantime, become much more systematic, and now achieves success regularly and predictably. It has also grown significantly, which allows it to achieve more of its goals, and makes it a respected partner with a good reputation that is worth collaborating with.

3. What is your wish or recommendation for KInIT and the whole team?

I would wish for KInIT to be able to transfer its know-how into practice as much as possible, and for the work its people produce to be used by a truly large group of companies in their products. I believe KInIT will also help reduce the number of talented people leaving Slovakia for abroad – thanks to KInIT, they have a genuinely strong opportunity to do scientific and applied research here. If a strong group of motivated people forms around KInIT, it may inspire some Slovaks to return from abroad, which would in turn help the private sector improve in quality.

Since we were in close contact, I had the privilege of working a bit with her on how to set up KInIT. Later, I also got involved in building the brand, from my field of marketing and reputation management, meaning how to set up relationships with stakeholders and create a good perception of the institute. It was a huge ride and I am immensely grateful for that experience.

2. How do you perceive KInIT now, how has it changed over the 5 years?

What KInIT has achieved in 5 years resonated with me very strongly. Mária with the whole team had a strong and very bold vision from the beginning. They wanted to create an academic institute that would be independent and would address questions of artificial intelligence.

Over these 5 years, they managed to push it forward thanks to her tireless work, building a network of contacts, educating the public and reaching out to important actors.
In my opinion, it is proof that a private research institute can be more successful in Slovakia than traditional academic institutions. It can be more efficient, well set in terms of values, better known and have better cooperation potential.

At the beginning, we looked at financing with the idea that approximately one third of income would come from corporate sources, one third from commercial collaborations and one third from grants. Today, when we look at projects like lorAI, it is clear that KInIT has far exceeded all expectations.

There is an excellent team of people here. I know that this brings many changes and challenges, but I perceive all these situations as natural during a time of growth. From my point of view, KInIT is dealing with these challenges very well and it is an immensely successful story, not only of this team but also of the whole country.

3. What is your wish or recommendation for KInIT and the whole team?

My wish is that KInIT keeps looking at where it can achieve the greatest impact, not only scientific but also societal.
It is very important to focus on questions related to ethics and the use of artificial intelligence. I believe that KInIT has the power to help society better cope with fears of technologies, show positive examples of the use of artificial intelligence and contribute to people being less afraid and better able to enjoy the benefits that new technologies bring.

It was not only about building something new, but about creating an example and something that can truly disrupt and move the existing environment forward. This combination of the effort to learn and develop in order to change the world around us were the two main moments that decided our involvement.

When we later saw other partners who would join us in this, these circumstances only confirmed our decision that it was the right one. We were only at the beginning, everything was just starting up.

2. How do you perceive KInIT now, how has it changed over the 5 years?

In the first months, I had long conversations with Majka that I would call “think big, start small”. Even then, she had a clearly arranged vision of the three pillars: private donation, grants and collaboration with the private sector. She explained to me that in Germany it took an institute 15 to 20 years to reach a similar ratio of financing, because we were starting with 100 percent private donors. Reaching the one-third ratio takes 10 to 15 years.

For me, it was a pleasant surprise that today we have already reached this goal in donations. The team has done a huge amount of work and the growth of the institute has really pleasantly surprised me. It shows what we are able to prepare and do in Slovakia in order to be successful. The percentage of successful projects is high and above average, which is visible year after year. This development has exceeded my expectations from the initial discussions.

3. What is your wish or recommendation for KInIT and the whole team?

Now it is natural to direct the focus back toward balance between the pillars, because the big project that succeeded, specifically the lorAI project, is a major success. Its goal is not only to change the world around us, but also to move KInIT to a new level. I will be happy if in the next five years KInIT emerges even stronger and manages situations when a large project ends without shaking the organization. A large project often has large gravity, and therefore this requires attention.

Today, KInIT is approximately three times larger than at the beginning, by the number of people and by the amount of energy that is in it. I still perceive that it is an organism where everyone knows everyone, which I consider very important. It is necessary to let other talents grow so that Majka has people around her who help her carry the whole organization. It is a strong wish of mine to see a new generation of people grow around Majka who will move KInIT forward together with her.

The visit was organised in collaboration with the lorAI project, one of the goals of which is to attend, contribute to, or organise events aimed at promoting science among young people and the general public.