About
Lancaster Intelligent, Robotic and Autonomous systems (LIRA) Research Centre was established in 2018 as the focal point for research excellence and expertise in the area of intelligent, robotic and autonomous systems. LIRA is multi-disciplinary collaborative forum by design – it brings together a diverse community of academics, researchers and students from all Faculties of the University and more than a dozen departments.
LIRA is a leader in AI and Machine Learning research and is a part of wider European networks of excellence, namely:
- ELLIS (European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems) – LIRA has ELLIS Fellows and PhD students, and is taking part in the exchange of ELLIS scholars, members and postdoctoral researchers.
- LIRA is a partner of ELSA – a €10M European AI Centre of Excellence. ELSA stands for European Lighthouse on Secure and Safe AI and brings together researchers from 26 top research institutions and companies in Europe to pool their expertise in the field of AI and machine learning. It rests on three pillars: selected research programs, local research units, and a PhD and postdoc program and includes 6 work packages (WP), 3 of them technological and 3 Grand Challenges. LIRA leads one of the Grand challenges (Human-in-the-loop decision making)and one of the technological WPs (Human agency, oversight and secure AI).
- LIRA is a partner of the 12M€ Horizon Europe project TAILOR and a member of the CLAIRE Network.
- LIRA is also an associate partner of ELISE – a €12M project funded by EC (ICT-48 call "Towards a vibrant European network of AI excellence centres").
LIRA has collaborative projects with organisations such as the European Space Agency, Phi Lab (the project "Towards explainable AI4EO: a new frontier to gain trust into the AI", ESA Contract 4000133854/21/NL/CBi), Ford, etc.