ICAI Exchange 2026: Academia, Industry & Government Co-Lab Event

ICAI Exchange 2026 is an open, collaborative event that brings together diverse perspectives from across the AI ecosystem to inspire innovation, spark connections, and foster meaningful knowledge exchange. The programme combines technical deep dives, research-focused sessions, and cross-sector discussions, bringing together PhD researchers, AI researchers, industry professionals, and public-sector partners. By bridging academic research, industry R&D, and public-sector challenges, this interactive gathering creates a space where participants can explore new ideas, exchange knowledge, and build meaningful collaborations.

By bringing together contributions from TNO, Kickstart AI, TTT.AI, ERMSEI the Hybrid Intelligence Centre, and various ICAI labs, the event offers a broad mix of technical, research-focused and cross-sector perspectives. Together, they create a space where participants can explore new ideas, exchange knowledge, challenge perspectives, and build meaningful collaborations.

Explore the latest AI research, methods, technologies, and applications through a diverse programme of interactive sessions. From technical deep dives and research matchmaking to discussions on AI adoption, policy, human-AI collaboration, and entrepreneurship, there are opportunities to learn from peers, challenge ideas, and discover new perspectives.

Whether you are looking to deepen your AI knowledge, connect with fellow researchers, explore practical applications, or find opportunities for cross-sector collaboration, ICAI Exchange offers a space to learn, share, and connect.

Expand your network across the Dutch AI ecosystem, spark creative ideas through fresh perspectives, and build inspiring collaborations that drive real-world impact together.

Check the overview of the tracks below.

Speaker: Corrinke Boon (Ground to Play)

Topic: This is an interactive session for researchers and professionals from different sectors who want to better understand each other. Different incentives, timelines, and definitions of “done” can make collaboration challenging, but that’s not necessarily a problem to fix. If you’ve ever wondered what collaboration looks like from the other side, this session is for you.

Speaker: ICAI

Topic: Looking to connect with peers working on similar challenges or explore new perspectives beyond your own field? This session is designed to help you find the right people and spark meaningful connections. Connects researchers across disciplines based on shared expertise, methods, and challenges. Through facilitated matchmaking and focused conversations, participants discover unexpected synergies and collaborative opportunities.

Speaker: Chiara Natali (VU & Hybrid Intelligence Centre)

Topic: Reflects on nearly a decade of Hybrid Intelligence research through the CARE framework (Collaborativeness, Adaptiveness, Responsibility, and Explainability). Based on an analysis of ~350 publications, this session explores how theoretical principles translate into real-world human-agent teams and practical system building blocks.

Speaker: TNO

Topic: How can societal and policy challenges be translated into relevant and researchable scientific questions? And how can research findings effectively reach policy and practice? This session explores the connection between government, academia, and practice, focusing on co-creating research questions, generating societal value, and increasing the applicability and impact of scientific research.

Speaker: Kickstart AI

Topic: Your place in the AI ecosystem. An interactive exploration of our ecosystem: how government, academia, and industry make a difference together.

Speakers: Prof. dr. Suzan Verberne (Leiden University/LIACS, LATTICE Lab), Dr. Jan N. van Rijn (Leiden University/LIACS, LATTICE Lab) & Dr. Faegheh Hasibi (Radboud University, LATTICE Lab)

Topic: What would it take to build capable, trustworthy AI without depending on big tech? During this LATTICE session, we will present the lab's most recent advances and invite the audience to discuss and challenge the future directions for conversational agents. Researchers at the LATTICE lab are working on text-based conversational agents, with a focus on lower-resource settings: contexts where training data is scarce, domains are highly specialized, and supercomputing infrastructure is not available. The lab places particularly focuses on developing AI systems that are socially aware, explainable, and responsible.

Speakers: Sigur de Vries (Radboud University, ASMPT Lab), Rens de Heer (Utrecht University, RAIL Lab) and Issa Hanou (TU Delft, RAIL Lab).

How can AI help us solve complex optimisation problems in the real world? In this inter-lab session, researchers from several ICAI labs will share how they use AI and model-based optimisation across different research areas and applications. Through a series of short and accessible scientific talks, you will discover different approaches to challenges such as finding interpretable models, planning and optimising railway hubs, and developing intelligent robotic systems. By bringing together perspectives from different labs and domains, the session aims to spark new ideas, connections and opportunities for knowledge exchange.

Speaker: Kickstart AI

Topic: Why do some AI ideas successfully make it into practice, while others never move beyond the pilot phase? In this interactive session, explore what it takes to turn promising AI use cases into solutions that are actually adopted and create lasting impact.

Together, we’ll look beyond the technology and explore the organisational, human and practical factors that influence successful AI adoption. Discover how to bridge the gap between technical potential and real-world impact, and what it takes to move from a great idea to a solution people actually use.

Speakers: Dr. Catha Oertel & Dr. Morita Tarvirdians (Hybrid Intelligence Centre)

Topic: Explores AI systems designed to augment human decision-making processes rather than provide direct recommendations. Featuring hands-on demonstrations of ReflectiMate (Socratic personal reflection) and Bubble Board (group brainstorming analysis), participants will see how interactive AI models human thinking and prompts deeper self-interpretation.

Speakers: Filippo Scaramuzza & Marco Tonnarelli (ERMSEI)

Topic: Demonstrates how empirical research methods (such as Action Design Research and ethnographic studies) bridge academia and industry. Participants will explore practical strategies for formulating joint research questions, balancing scientific rigor with real-world constraints, and generating value for both practice and literature.

Speaker: AI Lab for Public Services

Topic: This interactive workshop connects government professionals and researchers to examine the pressing societal, policy, organizational, and technological challenges of AI in the public sector. By identifying real-world practice questions and knowledge gaps, participants will explore how to turn these practical hurdles into actionable research. Ultimately, the session aims to strengthen collaboration and knowledge sharing to develop feasible, research-driven solutions for public-sector AI governance and application.

Speaker: Peter Westerhuijs (TTT.AI)

Topic: Are you considering turning your AI research into a startup? This interactive track is designed for researchers who want to explore how their research can become the foundation of a successful company. You will gain insight into the academic startup journey, from recognising commercial potential to taking the first practical steps towards entrepreneurship. The session combines practical information with ample opportunity for discussion and questions. You will also hear directly from an entrepreneur who has experienced the journey from academic research to startup first-hand. Whether you are simply curious or already considering your next move, this track will help you understand what it takes to bring your AI innovation beyond academia.

Speakers: Joris Sijs (OpenBots Lab)

Topic: This session explores how combining model-driven and data-driven approaches advances embodied AI for real-world robotics. Key topics include constructing dynamic scene graphs during robot operation and applying world modeling to complex outdoor manipulation tasks. Attendees will gain hands-on experience through interactive demonstrations, including querying a live video-extracted scene graph and directly guiding the Boston Dynamics SPOT robot to clear physical obstacles in its path.

Info: A warm welcome with coffee and tea.

Info: TBA

Info: TBA

Info: A delicious lunch combined with a moment to connect with fellow AI researchers.

Info: In this round, the focus is on connecting with each other. Participants can choose which session they want to participate in (Tracks 1 to 7).

Info: In this round, the focus is on creating impact real-world impact. Participants can choose which session they would like to participate in (Tracks 8 to 13).

Info: We end with a moment to raise our glasses and toast to a day full of insights and new collaborations!

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Utrecht, Netherlands

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