About ICAIN
We are looking to expand our network. If you are interested in joining ICAIN as an academic member or as a donor, or if you are looking for more information, don't hesitate to get in touch.
ICAIN – International Computation and AI Network
ETH Zurich
Rämistrasse 101
8092
Zürich
Switzerland
Our Vision: Towards Inclusivity in AI
AI offers enormous opportunities for society and for tackling global challenges. Yet the ability to build and shape AI models is still concentrated in the hands of a few private actors. This restricts access to AI and poses risks for dependencies and inequalities: data sovereignty is not guaranteed, cultural values are not always taken into account, and use cases are often selected based on their economic value, while potentially socially beneficial applications remain overlooked.
ICAIN aims to address these issues by lowerering barriers to advanced resources such as computing power, models, data, and expertise, enabling governments, international organisations, and researchers to build and operate AI systems on their own terms, with transparency and interoperability at the core.
ICAIN Member Organizations
ICAIN’s institutional backbone includes ETH Zurich as leading house, external page EPFL, external page NTU Singapore, external page Data Science Africa, the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (external page ELLIS), the IT Center for Science (external page CSC) in Finland, and the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (external page CSCS). With this, ICAIN connects scientists and research institutions in Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Governmental Partners
ICAIN Governing Board
Prof. Dr. Annette Oxenius
Board President
Vice President of Research at ETH Zurich
Since 2012, Annette Oxenius is full Professor for Immunology at ETH Zurich. As Vice President for Research, she is committed to excellent, free and open research that is characterised by personal responsibility and crosses boundaries between disciplines and institutions. She and her team promote, support and advise researchers at all career levels on networks and research infrastructures as well as on projects and careers. In addition, Oxenius is responsible for ensuring scientific integrity.
Prof. Dr. Serge Belongie
Director of the Pioneer Centre for Artificial Intelligence at University of Copenhagen, and ELLIS President
Serge Belongie is Professor of Computer Science at the University of Copenhagen and head of the Pioneer Centre for AI. He is known for his contributions to the fields of computer vision and machine learning, specifically object recognition and image segmentation, and he has co-founded several startups in those areas. He also serves as a board member of the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems, ELLIS.
Prof. Dr. Ciira wa Maina
Board Chair of Data Science Africa
Ciira wa Maina is Associate Professor at Dedan Kimathi University of Technology in Nyeri, Kenya, where he teaches electrical engineering and also conduct research in a number of areas including bioacoustics, IoT, machine learning and data science. Since September 2019 he has led the Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DSAIL). He also serves as the board chair of Data Science Africa.
Dr. Damien Lecarpentier
Director of International Collaborations & Partnerships at CSC – IT Center for Science
Damien Lecarpentier has held various positions at CSC Finland related to international collaboration in the area of advanced computing, data management and e-infrastructure developments.
Prof. Dr. Stéphanie P. Lacour
Vice-President for Support to Strategic Initiatives at EPFL
Stéphanie P. Lacour is full professor at the School of Engineering of EPFL. She was the founding director of the EPFL Neuro X institute—a new interschool department focused on interdisciplinary and translational neuro-research located at the EPFL-associated Campus Biotech in Geneva. Since 2025, she is EPFL Vice-President for Support to Strategic Initiatives.
Dr. Jessica Montgomery
Executive Director of ai@cam at the University of Cambridge
Jessica Montgomery is Director of ai@cam, a University of Cambridge strategic mission to develop AI technologies that serve science, citizens, and society. She also leads a variety of research and policy programmes tackling the real-world challenges associated with developing and deploying AI for societal benefit. These include Accelerate Science, an initiative developing AI tools and collaborations in support of research and innovation and strategic research agenda development for the ELLIS network of European AI research. Her interests in AI and its consequences for science and society stem from her policy career, in which she worked with parliamentarians, leading researchers and civil society organisations to bring scientific evidence to bear on major policy issues.
Katharina "Nina" Frey
ICAIN Executive Director
Katharina “Nina” Frey brings a strong track record in digital diplomacy, AI governance, and global partnerships. She was a career diplomat with the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs for 17 years, posted in Paris, Bern, and Vienna (UN). In her last posting at HQ, she helped establish the Digital Foreign Policy Division and shaped Switzerland's strategy on digital governance and cybersecurity. She led projects to strengthen cyber resilience for International Geneva and pioneered AI research initiatives with ETH and international partners. Since its launch in 2024, she is Executive Director of ICAIN.
Team
ICAIN – International Computation and AI Network
Zürich
Switzerland
ICAIN – International Computation and AI Network
Swiss Data Science Center (SDSC), EPFL
Zürich
Switzerland
ICAIN – International Computation and AI Network
ETH4D, ETH Zurich
Zürich
Switzerland
ICAIN – International Computation and AI Network
National Supercomputing Centre, CSCS
Zürich
Switzerland
