AgentLinkThe ESPRIT Network of Excellence

for Agent-based Computing

Mike Wooldridge

University of London, UK

http://www.AgentLink.org/

What is a “Network of Excellence”?

ESPRIT-funded communication and cooperation infrastructure.

For industry and academia. Focussed on strategically important

area of information technology. Ultimate goal: promote Euro industry

in these areas.

What are “Agents”?

Autonomous software components Capable of acting independently to

achieve design objectives Capable of cooperating with other

agents to achieve design objectives Major area of IT R&D:

• telecoms, electronic commerce, industrial control, information management, ...

What is AgentLink?

Open Network of Excellence for

agent-based computing.

Funding starts Spring 1998.

Intended to give European industry a

head start in a crucial new area of IT.

Build on current activities.

What will it do?

Four areas of work:• industrial action

gaining advantage for Euro industry

• research coordination excellence & relevance of Euro research

• teaching & training fostering agent skills across region

• communication & infrastructrure facilitating AgentLink work

Industrial Action

Aims to:• promote awareness & takeup of agents

• foster new collaborations in promising areas of agent technology

• facilitate technology transfer

• support & promote standards (e.g., FIPA)

Activities:• SIGs, industrial mtgs, applications database,

support for collaboration, …

Research Coordination

Aims to:• promote academic awareness & takeup of

agent research

• foster industrially relevant agent research

• promote new collaborations for technology transfer

Activities:• SIGs, research database, reseach repository,

newsletter, ...

Teaching & Training

Aims:• foster agent-related R&D skills

• disseminate agent-related courses, reports, syllabuses, …

Activities:• summer schools

• suporting teaching activities at events

• dissemination of agent courses

Communication & Infrastructure

Aims:• provide a cheap, efficient, effective

communication & management infrastructure for AgentLink

Activities:• dedicated WWW site (www.AgentLink.org)

• regular published newsletter

• mailing lists, ...

Management Structure

Bottom up management! Aim to give all nodes the opportunity

to participate Each work area has coordinator

• team for each area to carry out work

Mgmt committee • coordinators + area teams

• SIG chairs

How many members do you

have? Thirty-seven kick-off members

• From thirteen Euro nations

Now 110 “full” members• from all European member states

Approx 40:60 industry:academic

Industrial Participation?

Major Telcos:• BT, France Telecom, Deutsch Telecom,

Nokia, KPN, …

Start-up companies:• Zuno (!), Lining Systems, …

Manufacturing giants• Siemens, Daimler-Benz, ...

Special Interest Groups

A key area of AL activity Travel support for regular meetings

• agent mediated electronic commerce

• software engineering

• information agents

• agent-based simulation

• agents for telecoms applications

• coordination & control for real time apps

The Summer School

The main teaching & training activity Last week of July 1999 Utrecht, the Netherlands AL suport for approx 50 students About 16 courses in total Major international speakers

Can I Join?

AgentLink is open to:• all Euro industry

• all Euro academic sites that demonstrate relevance of R&D work:

includes EC agent projects includes nationally-funded agent projects includes active agent researchers

Associate status for non-EC nodes• no funding :-(

To Find Out More…

Mike Wooldridge (AL Coordinator)

Dept of Electronic Engineering Queen Mary & Westfield College University of London London E1 4NS

United Kingdom

http://www.AgentLink.org/ mailto:coordinator@AgentLink.org