SCALA’s second training school was hosted by the University of Florence (UNIFI) in Italy between the 4th and 6th of February 2026. It brought together all 16 doctoral candidates and leading experts from different disciplines for three days of intensive learning, collaboration, and exchange. The focus of this training school was on technology – research in assistive robotics and technology-based methodologies.

The training school opened on February 4 with at visit to the Assistive Robotics Lab at UNIFI. These sessions offered valuable insights into the role of social robotics in supporting active and healthy aging, as well as in identifying neurodegenerative and chronic diseases. We got to see a variety of robots of different shapes and sizes in action before moving to the main site of the training school: an old monastery in the heart of Florence.

At this inspiring location, the training school proceeded with a series of presentations on topics at the intersection of technology, research, and society on the 4th and the 5th of February. During those two days, participants engaged in discussions and practical exercises on how to (not) use Artificial Intelligence in research, Agile software development methodologies, the role of theory in experimental language research, research methods for investigating 3D spatial knowledge, the impact of social robots and IoT technologies, cognitive robotics, socio-informatics and more. In addition, we learned about how the egeniouss project is working on innovative ways to enable localisation for navigation.

We also set up a live stream for the sessions, and more than 20 external doctoral candidates joined online.

In addition, we had a productive meeting about the first integrated project. The doctoral candidates presented their ideas and progress so far, and we then discussed different options to collect language data. Among the options discussed is the idea to develop a snackable online game…

The event concluded on February 6 with the official midterm review session. This was an important milestone for SCALA to reflect on the progress so far, to ensure we are still fully aligned with the program’s overarching objectives and regulations, and to define the next steps. The review was conducted in a very productive and friendly matter with only a few minor points that will be addressed in the near future to ensure that SCALA continues to move forward as effectively as possible.

Finally, we also planned the upcoming event in Rome as well as the subsequent one Aarhus.

Categories:Uncategorized