AGENTLINK UPDATE # 42 --- 21 February 2002 This is the email newsletter of AgentLink -- Europe's Network of Excellence for Agent-based Computing. The AgentLink WWW site is http://www.AgentLink.org/ IMPORTANT: Please take the time to ensure that every member of your group receives a copy of the AgentLink update. If you have a group mail alias, why not get this alias to be added to the mailing list? To subscribe/unsubscribe to this mailing list simply send a request to mailto:coordinator@agentlink.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------- * 4th European Agent Systems Summer School, Bologna 8-12 July 2002 * Travel Support for Students at EASSS 2002 * New SIG: Agents that Learn, Adapt & Discover * Agentcities Calls for Deployment Grants, Student Exchange, Competition * New Presentations from AgentLink Technology Conference * Agent Technology Roadmap Questionnaire: More Responses Needed ---------------------------------------------------------------------- * Fourth European Agent Systems Summer School, Bologna 8-12 July 2002 http://www.agentlink.org/happenings/easss/2002/ After successful Summer Schools on Agent Systems in Utrecht, Saarbruecken and Prague, Agentlink is organising the fourth such event in Bologna, Italy 8-12 July, 2002. This is the week before the First International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems will also be held there. EASSS 2002 will consist of a mixture of introducotry and advanced courses delivered by internationally leading experts in the MAS field, and will cover the full range of theoretical and practical aspects of agent-based computing. It is open to anyone from research or industry, both AgentLink members and non-members alike. A registration fee will be charged to cover costs, but some support will also be availaber for PhD students. For more details see the EASSS 2002 web pages: http://www.agentlink.org/happenings/easss/2002/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- * Travel Support for Students at EASSS 2002 Some financial support is available for full-time PhD students registered at universities that are members of AgentLink II. The application deadline is 15 April 2002. This support is intended to cover the costs of registration, student accommodation, and subsistence to an UPPER LIMIT of 600 Euros. PhD students should apply in writing to: Eileen Simon AgentLink Events Coordinator (EASSS'2002) Department of Electronics and Computer Science University of Southampton Highfield Southampton SO17 1BJ United Kingdom The application should arrive no later than 15 April 2002. Notification of awards will be no later than 30 April 2002. Each application should contain: o your full name and full contact details; o a brief description of your PhD research, and a statement of no more than 500 words explaining why you feel you should receive support; and o a signed letter from your PhD supervisor or head of department, supporting your application and confirming your status as a full time PhD student (the letter should carry the official stamp of your institution). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- * Agentcities Calls for Deployment Grants, Student Exchange, Competition * Deployment The Agentcities project is pleased to be able to offer up to 30 grants of EUR10,000 for the deployment or development of Agentcities, or agent services to be deployed on an Agentcity. Deadline for applications: 22nd March. For the full call see: http://www.agentcities.org/EUNET/index.php?target=depsup * Student Exchange Up to 60 grants are also available for 6-month student placements in industry and universities in the next 12 months. Grants support extended collaborative work on Agent technology and in particular on developing/deploying agent systems in the Agentcities testbed. * Competition Coming soon, the Agentcities.NET competition. Write an agent application, deploy it in the Agentcities network and win exciting prizes! For more information on the Agentcities.NET initiative please see http://www.agentcities.net/EUNET ---------------------------------------------------------------------- * New SIG: Agents that Learn, Adapt & Discover We are pleased to announce the formation of new Special Interest Group focusing on all aspects of learning, adaptation and discovery in intelligent software agents. The new SIG will attempt to bring together researchers from a number of communities, including (but not restricted to): machine learning, knowledge discovery, data-mining, adaptive systems, personal agents, user-modelling, multi-agent systems. The scope of the SIG encompasses, amongst others, the following: - Adaptive Personal Information Agents - Agent-Based Knowledge Discovery & Data-Mining - Learning in Multi-Agent Systems - Learning and Communication - Evolutionary Agents and Emergent Behaviour - Distributed Learning - Learning Agents for E-Commerce - Learning Robots The SIG will be coordinated by Dr Pete Edwards of the University of Aberdeen, UK (email: pedwards@csd.abdn.ac.uk). An email list has been set up to act as a communication forum for interested parties. To subscribe, send a message containing the single word "subscribe" (without the quotes) in the subject field to the following address: alad-request@csd.abdn.ac.uk The SIG Web site is located at http://www.csd.abdn.ac.uk/~pedwards/alad/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- * New Presentations from AgentLink Technology Conference Presentations from Tryllian and HP Labs have been added to the Agent Technology Conference website at http://www.agentlink.org/agents-london/presentations.html To stay informed of future events centred around applications and tools for commercial deployment of agent technology, please register your interest at http://www.agentlink.org/agents-london/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- * Agent Technology Roadmap Questionnaire: More Responses Needed One of the most important AgentLink activities is the development of the roadmap of agent technology for informing policy makers, IT strategists, and so on. The process is well underway, but it is vitally important that we receive broader contributions in relation to specific trends and directions for agent technology, and barriers to its take-up, over the short, medium and long term. In support of this effort, therefore, we are asking for AgentLink members and non-members alike to complete short questionnaires giving specific responses to a number of questions. The effort required is minimal, but some thought may be necessary. Please take a few minutes to complete the questionnaires at http://www.agentlink.org/admin/docs/2001/2001-024.pdf http://www.agentlink.org/admin/docs/2001/2001-024.doc and fax, email or post your responses to us. This is important for the future of the field, of the industry, of European funding and policy and, not least, of AgentLink itself.