CAIRO.thws Represents Bavarian AI Research at European Parliament Event on Europe’s Digital Sovereignty
Würzburg/Schweinfurt, January 14, 2026
The Center for Artificial Intelligence (CAIRO.thws) at the University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt (THWS) was represented yesterday at a high-level event held at the European Parliament in Brussels. Prof. Dr. Ivan Yamschikov, Head of CAIRO.thws, presented the institute’s research at the event entitled “Public AI and Europe’s Digital Sovereignty.”
The event was hosted in the MEP Salon of the European Parliament at the invitation of Members of the European Parliament Michał Kobosko (Renew Europe) and Sergey Lagodinsky (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen). In his role as Chief Product Officer of Pleias AI, Prof. Yamshchikov presented the development of European open-source AI landscape. The event brought together leading experts from research, politics, and industry to discuss the future of artificial intelligence in Europe.
Bavarian Research as a Model for European AI Sovereignty
In his presentation, Prof. Yamshchikov emphasized the strategic research partnership between CAIRO.thws and Pleias AI. Supported by the Hightech Agenda Bavaria, this collaboration serves as a prime example of how academic excellence and entrepreneurial innovation can successfully complement each other. “The Hightech Agenda Bavaria explicitly encourages professors to become active founders. This support was a decisive factor for me in establishing Pleias,” Yamshchikov stated.
A European Vision: A Continent of Common Sense
Prof. Yamshchikov outlined four key demands for a forward-looking European AI policy:
- Promoting open-source technologies to lower entry barriers, foster competition, and empower small teams
- Improving access to capital through ERISA-like regulation to unlock growth
- Introducing a ‘28th regime’ to enable scaling and access to a truly unified European market
- No EU-wide taxation of company valuations, focusing instead on taxing revenues rather than risk-taking
“Europe should become a continent of common sense. The world needs this now more than ever,” Yamshchikov concluded.
International Research Collaboration Using European Computing Infrastructure
CAIRO.thws’s research activities within Pleias are supported by computing resources provided by GENCI (Grand Équipement National de Calcul Intensif) in France. In addition, CAIRO.thws is a partner in the Horizon Europe project AIOLIA, which focuses on ethical aspects of artificial intelligence.
Other distinguished participants included Nicolas Flores-Herr from Fraunhofer IAIS, representatives of the Barcelona Supercomputing Center and Europeana, as well as senior officials from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT).
About CAIRO.thws
The Center for Artificial Intelligence (CAIRO.thws) is the AI research institute of the University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt. CAIRO.thws develops innovative AI solutions with a strong focus on open-source technologies and European digital sovereignty. By combining application-oriented research with active knowledge transfer to industry, CAIRO.thws makes a significant contribution to strengthening Bavaria’s and Europe’s AI ecosystem.
