lorAI – KInIT is entering a new era

KInIT has attained a project within the prestigious Horizon Europe programme, enabling it to significantly strengthen AI research in Slovakia across all sectors – academic, business, nonprofit, and public, as well as emphasise the ethical aspects of AI research and development.

For nearly five years, KInIT has represented high-quality Slovak research in the field of artificial intelligence with connections to top scientific institutions abroad. The institute was created and continues to grow thanks to a strong academic team and innovative companies such as ESET, Tatra banka, Innovatrics, Seesame, Softec, and others – all supporting independent AI research to contribute to a stronger Slovakia.

The lorAI – Low Resource AI project represents another investment in independent research and the development of trustworthy artificial intelligence in Slovakia, supported by the European Research Executive Agency, Slovak companies – ESET and Innovatrics, and the Slovak government through complementary funding. Thanks to the lorAI project, KInIT now has the opportunity to further develop its activities as a centre of excellence for artificial intelligence. The project connects scientific curiosity, business, and social responsibility to help Slovakia leverage AI for the betterment of all.

lorAI will support AI research with limited resources – a global challenge, particularly important for smaller countries. It focuses on AI applications where there is a lack of data, labelled data, or computing capacity. An example is the Slovak language, which is among those with insufficient textual resources for developing high-quality applications. The outcomes of the activities under lorAI project and KInIT’s centre of excellence will be more accessible (to businesses, industry, and society) and more sustainable AI.

“This project is the result of the diligent KInIT team, which develops excellent science supported by innovative companies and collaboration with dozens of international partners. lorAI provides a new impulse for the Kempelen Institute to improve, scale its activities, connect sectors, and attract and retain talent in Slovakia. With the help of our international partners, we aim to create a functioning model of research and knowledge transfer that can be applied by other research organisations in Slovakia and Central Europe,” said Mária Bieliková, CEO of KInIT.

KInIT has long collaborated with prestigious European institutions, and correspondingly, the consortium for this project brings together top researchers from several countries. These include experts from the German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), digital content specialists from the ADAPT Centre (a consortium of seven Irish universities), and a research team from the Greek institute CERTH. This collaboration will bring foreign know-how to Slovakia and provide an opportunity to share best practices and experiences.

“Research within the lorAI project will contribute to the development of large language models for Slovak, improved fact-checking and social media auditing, and optimisation of energy use from sustainable sources. The project also emphasises the ethical use of modern technologies,” added Michal Kompan, Scientific Director of KInIT.

The lorAI project is a unique opportunity for AI development in Slovakia, fostering collaboration between academia and industry, and strengthening Slovakia’s position within the European and global scientific community. It is the largest European AI project coordinated by a Slovak institution to date. Slovakia will receive €10.9 million over six years from the European Research Executive Agency, with required co-financing provided by the Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic.

The project kicked off with a celebratory gathering on May 20, 2025, at the Spot coworking space, bringing together personalities from the academic, business, nonprofit, and public sectors. The atmosphere of trust and unity confirmed our shared goal: to build ethical, accessible, and human-centred AI.