2023 in a nutshell

As we step into a new year, we can't help but take a moment to revisit the extraordinary journey that was 2023 for CVC. 2023 has been a year filled with lessons, challenges, and ground-breaking innovation. Join us to recap some of the highlights and achievements that made 2023 an unforgettable chapter for CVC! 🔍👇 

CVC staff

The CVC community grew strong in 2023, with 154 dedicated individuals working together in the centre. Our diverse team comprised 87 researchers and 67 administration and technical staff, representing an inspiring mix of 27 nationalities.

Commitment to Catalonia.AI Strategy:

CVC continued its commitment to the Catalonia.AI strategy, actively contributing to the promotion of AI in Catalonia through our participation in the Artificial Intelligence Research Alliance (AIRA), the Centre of Innovation for Data tech and AI (CIDAI), the Digital Catalonia Alliance (DCA), and the Catalan Observatory for Ethics in AI (OEIAC). A significant achievement was the creation of the ELLIS Unit Barcelona, co-directed by our associate director, Dimosthenis Karatzas, and featuring 6 CVC researchers among its members.

Awards & Recognitions:

Several CVC members received different recognitions in 2023! Congratulations!

🏆 Mohamed Ali Souibgui, Diego Velazquez, and Shiqi Yang were honoured with the Pioner Award 2023 by the CERCA institution for their doctoral theses. Know more.

🏆 Gabriel Villalonga Pineda and Sounak Dey received special prizes from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona for their outstanding theses. Know more.

🏆 The CVC's ExperimentAI project received recognition from the Artificial Intelligence Catalan Association (ACIA) for the best project in AI dissemination. Know more.

Research Excellence:

CVC's research output concluded with over 110 publications, 4 new competitive projects, and participation in 25 national and 9 European projects. CVC researchers actively participated in more than 25 conferences, including CVPR, NEURIPS, WACV, ICLR, ICDAR, CARS, ICCV,… and we successfully organized the 10th Annual Catalan Meeting on Computer Vision. Check out our hashtag 👉#CVCmoves 👈 to discover the adventures of CVCpeople around the World!

CVC in Rankings: 

📊 5 CVC researchers were ranked in the World's Top 2% AI Scientists by the Stanford University Ranking's last update: Joost van de Weijer, Sergio Escalera, Dimosthenis Karatzas, Antonio M. López and Angel Sappa. Know more.

📊 CVC was recognized as Spain's leading institution in the field of Computer Science by Scimago Institutions Ranking. Know more.

Innovation and Technology Transfer:

CVC played a pivotal role in 26 private projects and showcased its research and knowledge transfer capabilities to private/public companies and institutions. We actively participated in some high-impact events like MWC 2023, IoT Solutions World Congress 2023, Smart City Expo 2023 and Advanced Factories. 

This year, we also helped establish and started coordinating the Xarxa RDI-IA. A network aimed at providing the Catalan AI ecosystem with tech-transfer and knowledge valorization mechanisms.

Training and talent:

🎓 9 CVC PhD students defended their theses in 2023! Congratulations to the new doctors: Armin Mehri, Chenshen Wu, Jose Luis Gomez, Jose Elias Yauri, Shiqi Yang, Yi Xiao, Diego Velázquez, Bonifaz Stuhr and Ruben Perez. Check out their theses.

🎓 CVC has consolidated its new talent strategy, coordinated by our researcher Jordi Gonzalez. Starting January 2024, we will welcome 20 undergraduate students awarded with our 'Rosa Sensat' and 'Elena Maseras' fellowships! 

🎓 +50 students from different academic levels trusted us for their education in 2023: 18 visiting PhD students, 16 CVC internships, 24 undergraduate & master students.

🎓 CVC Awarded COFUND Project to Integrate Postdoctoral Researchers into Catalonia’s Artificial Intelligence Research Ecosystem. More information.

🎓 CVC joined the EIT's Deep Tech Talent Initiative to develop more training and courses to fast-track the careers of deep tech learners. More information.

🎓 CVC organized the fifth edition of the AI4ALL programme, together with the UAB Research Park, the UAB School of Engineering, and the CSIC's Artificial Intelligence Research Institute, a specialised AI training programme for entrepreneurs.

Outreach & Social Impact of AI:

Beyond academia, CVC actively bridged the gap between citizens and AI through initiatives like the ExperimentAI, school visits, AI dissemination seminars, and other social impact activities.

📰 In the media, we had 121 mentions from TV or radio to websites and press

📊 We received 16 schools and +620 high-school students at CVC. More information.

👉 We participated in several events such as Festa de la Ciència, Open Living Lab Days 2023, MEMEnginy, Bojos per la IA, #100tífiques,... 

👉 The project #ExperimentAI for citizen reflection on the impact of AI reached 170 citizens, 23 experts & 8 public libraries. Check out the conclusions & impact report.

👉 We organised some other AI dissemination events and activities such as 8 AI and social impact seminars at libraries, CVC's annual Open Day, the International Day of Women and Girls - and also Grandmas - in Science Day within the Red Cross and the #CVCWomeninScience poster collection.

✨ As we bid farewell to the phenomenal year that was 2023, we look forward to even more exciting things in 2024! ✨

Thank you all for being part of our journey and stay tuned for more!