The Winter School aims to highlight groundbreaking innovations in foundation models across a range of subfields, offering participants a deep understanding of how Europe is shaping its own research priorities in this rapidly evolving area.

Over four immersive days, participants will engage in cutting-edge lectures delivered by leading experts from academia and industry, explore collaborative research activities, and connect with like-minded peers who share a passion for the future of foundation models.

The programme features three lectures per day, a poster session, and interactive sessions designed to spark interdisciplinary exchange and inspire new research ideas. In addition to the academic components, social activities will provide space for informal discussion, networking, and collaboration in a stimulating and inclusive environment

The 2026 FoMo School is hosted and funded by the ELLIS unit Amsterdam, with the support of ELIAS – European Lighthouse of AI for Sustainability and ELLIOT – European Large Open Multi-Modal Foundation Models For Robust Generalisation On Arbitrary Data Streams Projects (funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme).

More speakers will be announced soon. Confirmed speakers to date include Frank Hutter (ELLIS Fellow, ELLIS Institute Tübingen, University of Freiburg), Elisa Ricci  (ELLIS Fellow, University of Trento & Fondazione Bruno Kessler), and Ekaterina Shutova (ELLIS Scholar, University of Amsterdam). 

Application

The 2024 FoMo Winter School brought together 150 participants representing 90 institutions and 40 nationalities. In 2025, the event grew even further, hosting 220 participants from 100 institutions and 43 nationalities.

While preference will be given to ELLIS PhD candidates, applications are warmly welcomed from qualified individuals worldwide.

Please submit your application by 14 December 2025 at 23:59 CET. Conditional results will be shared by January 2026, and your spot will be secured once the registration fee is paid after acceptance.

The participation fee for the winter school are, as follows:

• MSc, PhD students and Postdoc researchers: €350
• Industry/ startup/ other participants: €550

The fees cover logistic costs, coffee breaks, lunch, and social activities (travel and accommodation are self-organized). The fee can be waived for applicants from underrepresented backgrounds who require financial assistance (see application form). Please note that registration fees can be canceled for a full refund only two weeks after the payment.

You can read the overview of the first ELLIS Winter School on Foundation Models in 2025 via the following link, and in 2024 here.