Minutes of the AgentLink Management Committee Meeting held in London, 19th April 1999 Present * Michael Wooldridge (MJW - Chair, general coordinator) * Donald Steiner (DS - WP1 coordinator) * Leonardo Flores (LF - European Commission representative) * Carles Sierra (CS - WP2/e-commerce SIG) * Nick Jennings (NJ - WP2 committee) * Wiebe van der Hoek (WP3 committee) * Matthias Klusch (I2A SIG) * Paul Davidsson (PD - WP4 committee/editor of newsletter) * John Perram (JP - WP1 committee) * Bernard Burg (BB - WP1 committee) * Magnus Boman (MB - WP2 committee) * Rosaria Conte (RC - WP4 committee) * Hugo Brailsford (HB - admin coordinator for network) Apologies * Janet Bruten (JB - WP4 committee) * Thomas Magedanz (WP1 committee) * Gerhard Weiss (GW - WP3 coordinator) * Jan Treur (JT - meth/soft eng SIG) * Yves Demazeau (YD - WP2 coordinator) * Sahin Albayrak (IATA SIG) Note YD submitted comments for the MCM by email which unfortunately arrived too late to be read by committee members and used in the meeting. However, where possible, note was taken of the emails, and such comments appear below. 1. Welcome MJW thanked Norman Sadeh, AgentLink's previous European Commission project officer, for his efforts in helping to establish AgentLink and his guidance during the network's first year, and welcomed Leonardo Flores as the new project officer. MJW briefly discussed AgentLink's membership status. The network has around 110 member nodes in total and all but one EC member states are represented in its membership. However, MJW felt that efforts should be made to secure a higher proportion of industrial member nodes, with industrial nodes currently making up around 30 percent of the total membership. DS suggested that one way of increasing industrial membership would be to check FIPA and OMG membership lists for industrial members who aren't AL members, encouraging them to join the network, and sending suitable AL publicity materials. He also noted that more AL presence at industrial meetings would improve the network's visibility. MJW noted that personal contacts are also a very important source of potential industrial membership. LF suggested that electrical/power transmission comapnies would be a good source of suitable industrial membership, and LF and several committee members agreed to follow up on potential contacts in these fields. DS suggested advertising in suitable premium magazines (such as The Economist), and agreed to follow up on costings in this respect. 2. Continuation proposal, strategic plan/technological roadmap LF reported on the state of play in the EC 5th Framework programme. In his opinion there would be little point AL submitting a continuation proposal in the early summer because i) the EC is not yet administratively ready to accept proposals from Accompanying Measures (such as NoEs) and ii) because AL would not at that point have fully achieved all of its primary goals, and would have to be evaluated on these terms, to its disadvantage. As an alternative, AL should conduct an "informal" evaluation/review of achievements and activities, both to assess achievements to date and to inform future decision making and focus planning for the forthcoming continuation proposal. LF should not coordinate this review, but would happily participate in it. LF noted that a continuation proposal should address future directions for the network and not be wholly derivative of the research focus and strategies set in the first project term. It was also noted that AL needs to request a no-cost project extension, in order to maintain administrative functions and presence and secure the services of HB if (as seems likely) continuation proposal processing runs on past October (the end of AL's first funded term). It was stressed that the purpose of this extension is *solely* to ensure that we are able to carry on employing the AgentLink administrator throughout the interregnum; it would *not* be possible to fund any events during this period. MJW solicited comments on future workpackage activities and funding allocation for the continuation proposal, suggesting that one area of change might be WP1, inter-node Visits, where the sum allocated in the first proposal was too small to be useful. It was agreed that at the forthcoming April '99 SIG meetings SIG coordinators would ballot participants for general expressions of interest in inter-node visiting, so as to assess the case for allocating a much greater sum for this activity in the continuation proposal. Also in WP1, it was agreed that funding for work on Standardisation Initiatives should be requested, but that AL should not commit itself to an involved approach in the formulation of standards. MJW also noted that the WP4 budget for External & Inter-network Coordination should be increased in the proposal. A proposal by RC for a 'special fund' (of travel support to agent-related events for disadvantaged groups) to be included in the continuation proposal was discussed at length (see Agenda, Appendix 1). Because of concerns that were voiced about this proposal (amongst others, that this funding would exclude the majority of AL members), a vote on a motion that RC should work out criteria for allocation of such funding was proposed, and the motion was passed. MJW noted that it was of utmost importance that i) RC provide reasoned, accurate figures, regarding the number of participants to be funded in this way per year, ii) that established EC definitions of less-advantaged areas be used as one of the criteria for allocation, iii) that such funding would not be used to support travel to events on the disciplinary margins of agent-related research, iv) that individual applications to such a fund would be evaluated in depth, to ensure that this money was actually reaching the target groups, and v) that the definition of unambiguous, transparent, fair criteria for determining whether or not to grant support would need to be developed in order to make the special fund viable. RC to develop appropriate criteria. MJW introduced the committee to the concept of the 'technological roadmap', and stressed that the AL SIGs would have a crucial role to play in developing AL roadmap, which needs to be prepared in conjunction with the continuation proposal. The roadmap will be one of the key ways in which the success or otherwise of the network will be assessed. Broadly speaking, the technological roadmap will set out: * what the long-term vision of agents is, * what the state of the art is, * what technology gaps exist between this long-term vision and the state of the art, and * what short, medium, and long term research and development issues needed to be addressed in order to close these gaps. MJW asked SIG coordinators to provide concrete documents on future technological/research mapping in their SIG areas. 3. Discussion of financial situation A financial summary was distributed, showing that to January 1999, AL was spending well within its pre-planned limits. Discussion with EC representatives in February 1999 re-emphasised the need for AgentLink funds to be spent as budgeted by the end of the October 1999 (and by the time that the continuation proposal will be submitted). MJW clarified the rules on spending for funded AL event participation, especially the rules covering the funding of non-EC participants. Such funding can be activated only extremely rarely, and requires special permission from LF. 4. Status of SIGs The SIG coordinators felt that administration of SIG activities was not overly beaurocratic, and that existing procedures for organising SIGs would be adequate. CS and MK reported no serious problems in organising their SIGs. RC and JP reported that their meetings were about to be held for the first time. MJW voiced serious concerns over the lack of contact from the IATA SIG coordinator with AL. DS agreed to contact the IATA SIG coordinator regarding this matter. As a result of a number of non-approved and incomplete claims for funding following previous meetings, MJW ran through the rules for funding SIG participation. Funded participation is non-transferable and must be set in advance; original receipts for both travel and subsistence expenses are required; taxi costs must be met with subsistence costs, (which are regulated by a maximum daily allowance); and claims must be submitted two months after the meeting date at the latest. It is the responsibility of the SIG chairs to ensure that these rules are adhered to and communicated to SIG participants. 5. External relations Efforts to strengthen contact with the CLIMATE group have been extensive, with articles on CLIMATE published in AgentLink news, and the CLIMATE coordinator, Thomas Magedanz having been invited to participate in the past three AL committee meetings. Despite earlier indications regarding a possible AL/CLIMATE joint application to the 5th Framework programme, CLIMATE have decided to pursue a separate application for "concertation activities". Efforts will be made to reduce overlap in forthcoming proposals, however. A joint AL/COMPULOG workshop in March 1999 was a great success and COMPULOG are keen to repeat this event next year, possibly forming a joint SIG. The committee wholeheartedly supported this proposal. A joint AL/I3net meeting, proposed by Jeremy Pitt to be co-located at MAAMAW was discussed, and it was agreed that that funds be made available to support the attendance of approx 5/6 AL members. A proposal for a joint AL/ERUDIT/MLNET/I3net/COMPULOG 'network of networks' under the Universal Information Ecosystems initiative was outlined. AL resources will be used to publicise this initiative. 6. Summer school MJW noted that Gerhard Weiss, the summer school coordinator has been doing an exceptionally good job of arranging EASSS'99. A high level of interest in the summer school has already been shown, and many registrations already accepted. It was decided that a cap of 4 places per institution for AL-funded summer school attendance should be put in place, as out of 40 applications already received 8 were from the same institution. MJW and GW to contact the relevant institution and ask them to nominate no more than 4 students. The possibility of a second call for AL-funded participation was discussed, and will be issued subject to funds being available. Any second call would give preference to institutes that did not participate in the first call. MJW and GW to manage. 7. Journal proposal from Nick Jennings A proposal to fund all AL nodes a subscription to the newly-established Journal of Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems (at a cost of 50 US$ per node) was put forward by NJ (see Agenda, Appendix 2). It was agreed to support this measure, provided that if such an arrangement were to be put in place, it should be approached as an opportunity to publicise AgentLink, and that aside from AL receiving advertising space and the opportunity to take up a special issue of the journal, the journal should be distributed to AL nodes *by* AL, along with other AL material (such as AgentLink News). It was also suggested that information be included in the journal advertising materials explaining that AL members received issues for free. 8. Reports from workpackages WP4 The AL web site has grown significantly and improved in appearance, and now contains several CGI programmes that allow visitors to submit information to various databases, add addresses to the AL update mailing list and handle applications to EASSS'99. A search engine has been installed on the WWW site, and will go online shortly. The deadline for submissions to AgentLink News issue 3 has been put back, to allow for feature interviews to take place in April/May 1999. WP2 1. A request for funding from MK of 20EUR per AL member attending the CIA workshop was agreed on. 2. A proposal from Ruth Aylett for funding of 1000 EUR for UK-VR was apparently send by YD, but only 1 member of the meeting had had sight of it. For this reason, the meeting was unable to discuss this issue. WP2 to discuss offline this week. 3. A proposal from YD for funding of 1500 EUR for MAAMAW was apparently send by YD, but no members of the meeting had had prior sight of it. For this reason, the meeting was unable to discuss this issue. WP2 to discuss offline this week. WP1 DS reported that WP1 had decided to rewrite the questionnaire for the industrial applications database due to a low level of submissions to date. Progress is still to be made on plans to set up a computer at Imperial College to handle standars interoperation work, although several pieces of software intended to run on this machine are now ready. DS agreed to provide revised quotes on the cost of this computer as soon as possible. 9. Any other business MJW noted that those responsible for points of action arising from this meeting need to act on their responsibilities at the earliest opportunity, and at the very latest within a month of the meeting. 10. Date and location of next meeting MJW suggested that the next meeting be co-located with the next set of SIG meetings, although it was very likely that an additional meeting would need to be called in the interim in order to discuss the continuation proposal and/or strategic review. MJW would be in contact with possible dates in the near future.