Sarajevo, 27 July 2025 – The capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina had the honour of hosting, for the first time, one of the most distinguished summer schools in machine learning – the Eastern European Machine Learning Summer School (EEML 2025). From 21 to 26 July, Sarajevo brought together more than 350 participants from over 50 countries, including young researchers, university students, secondary school students and industry representatives.
The event was organised in cooperation with Google DeepMind, the Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology (ANNT) and the University of Sarajevo, with the support of local and international partners. The school was formally opened in the presence of Željko Komšić, member of the Presidency of BiH, who in his address highlighted the importance of investing in new technologies and developing local talent in the field of artificial intelligence.
Education, Innovation and Global Perspectives
Over six days of an intensive programme, participants had the opportunity to attend lectures and take part in workshops led by world-renowned experts in artificial intelligence. The lecturers included Aaron Courville (Mila & Université de Montréal), Samy Bengio (Apple & EPFL), Razvan Pascanu (Google DeepMind & Mila), Emma Rocheteau (University of Cambridge) and many other experts from academia and industry.
Key topics of contemporary AI practice were covered, including:
• Deep learning and generative models
• NLP (natural language processing) and computer vision
• AI in science and healthcare
• Multi-agent systems
• Ethics and the societal impact of artificial intelligence
Poster Sessions, Mentorship and Regional Inclusion
A special part of the programme were the poster sessions, during which participants presented their own research papers, reproduced experiments and projects developed during AI competitions. In addition, participants had the opportunity for direct mentoring with the lecturers and for networking with colleagues from around the world.
EEML in Sarajevo placed a strong focus on including young talent from Eastern European countries and offered a platform for knowledge exchange, collaboration and connection with the global AI ecosystem. Participants included a large number of women and young researchers, as well as attendees from the education sector, start-ups and public institutions.
Bosnia and Herzegovina on the World AI Map
Holding the EEML school in Sarajevo is an important step towards strengthening local capacity in artificial intelligence and helps position Bosnia and Herzegovina on the global map of AI education and innovation. Alongside the closed educational programme, the school also hosted a panel open to the public entitled “The Potential of Artificial Intelligence in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Vision, Challenges and the Way Forward”, featuring local and international experts and representatives of institutions and industry. The event was free and open to all interested citizens, and its aim was to launch a broader public discussion on the development and responsible application of AI technologies in the local context.
The organisers expressed the hope that this event will be only the beginning of a deeper integration of the regional community into global scientific currents and of cooperation with leading institutions.
Photos, videos and further impressions from the event are available on our Instagram and Facebook pages.
