Sarajevo to Host a Prestigious Artificial Intelligence Summer School: Apply for EEML

This summer, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina will host one of the most prestigious educational events in the field of artificial intelligence.

The Eastern European Machine Learning (EEML) summer school will take place from 21 to 26 July 2025 in Sarajevo, organised by researchers from Google DeepMind and local partners, the Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology (ANNT) and the University of Sarajevo (UNSA).

Over six days, participants will have the opportunity to attend lectures and interactive tutorials led by experts from Google and Apple and leading scientists from prestigious universities such as Cambridge and Oxford.

Eastern European Machine Learning (EEML)

A Great Opportunity for Bosnia and Herzegovina

Summer schools of this kind aim to advance the knowledge of doctoral students, researchers and engineers, as well as to foster excellence in artificial intelligence and strengthen cooperation between academia and industry. The EEML summer school was founded in 2018 by researchers from Google DeepMind and has so far been held in Romania, Poland, Hungary, Lithuania, Slovakia and Serbia. This year it is being organised in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the first time, which represents a significant step forward for the local AI community.

"AI experts originally from this region, who are currently building successful careers in the West, are very keen to support the communities in their home countries. Our event reflects exactly that potential. I am particularly looking forward to exploring the culture of Sarajevo and connecting with the local community in Bosnia and Herzegovina this summer," said Viorica Patraucean, one of the school's founders, originally from Romania and currently a researcher at Google DeepMind London.

In addition to lectures and the exchange of experience, participants will learn cutting-edge AI techniques through hands-on tutorials that they can apply in their professional work, further stimulating the development of the AI ecosystem in BiH.

"I believe that students and researchers from our region have exceptional abilities and can contribute to top-level projects in artificial intelligence. What we sometimes lack is a broader perspective on the possibilities for applying these skills, as well as interaction with world leaders in the field. I am very much looking forward to this event, as I myself have roots in Bosnia and Herzegovina," said Petar Veličković, a researcher at Google DeepMind and lecturer at the University of Cambridge.

World-Renowned Experts

This year's lecturers include renowned experts in artificial intelligence and machine learning:

• Samy Bengio (Director of Apple AI Research) - a pioneer in the development of deep neural networks, representation learning, sequence processing, and speech and image recognition.
• Alden Hung (Isomorphic Labs) - an expert in applying machine learning to drug design and a member of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry team.
• Aaron Courville (Université de Montréal) - co-author of the book Deep Learning and an expert in generative models and applications of deep learning.

Eastern European Machine Learning (EEML)

"Although the lectures are primarily intended for students and engineers with AI experience, the programme will also include content tailored to participants at earlier stages of their careers. Topics will include generative models, reinforcement learning, meta-learning, natural language processing, AI-driven drug discovery and many others," said Suad Krilašević, President of ANNT.

Applications and How to Participate

The organisers invite all interested students, researchers and engineers to apply by 31 March at the latest on the official website www.eeml.eu/application.

EEML 2025 in Sarajevo represents a significant opportunity for the local and regional AI community and will, without doubt, bring long-term benefits for the development of artificial intelligence in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region. Local companies have the opportunity to support the organisation of the event and thereby secure participation for their employees.

"There is less than a month left to apply and we want to encourage everyone interested to apply. EEML puts BiH on the map of the global AI scene and our goal is to bring as much benefit as possible to the local community. That is why we also invite companies to get actively involved and take advantage of the top-level knowledge and connections we are bringing," said Hamza Merzić, a researcher at Google DeepMind and one of the founders of ANNT.

ANNT

The Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology (www.annt.ba) is a non-governmental organisation made up of young scientists and experts from STEM fields, with more than 120 members, including over 30 PhD holders. Many ANNT members work at prestigious institutions such as Stanford, MIT, CERN, Google DeepMind and others.

Since its founding in 2017, ANNT has carried out numerous projects, including STEM Youth Camp (SYC), the Academic Directory, the Student Research Project (PSI), the AI Landscape of Bosnia and Herzegovina 2024, the AI Hackathon, BH AI Vision, the Small Science Museum and others. In addition to running projects aimed at promoting science, ANNT works actively to improve the legal and institutional framework in order to create better conditions for scientific excellence in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

With the organisation of EEML 2025 in Sarajevo, ANNT continues its mission of strengthening the scientific community in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Through its activities, ANNT strives to create conditions that will enable top scientists to build and develop their careers in Bosnia and Herzegovina.