About Us
ECDA serves as a flagship centre within Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), facilitating applied research and active learning in the domains of AI, data, digitalisation, and making it tangible through immersive technology which encompasses VR and AR and creates captivating digital experiences. This technology intersects with AI, data, and digitalisation by harnessing data-driven insights for personalised interactions, leveraging AI for enhanced realism, and contributing to industrial digital transformation via interactive and data-rich environments. This convergence increases customer engagement, empowers informed decision-making, and drives innovation across sectors.
We concentrate on supporting the development and application of data analytics methods to address real-world challenges. Hence, we partner with both public and private organisations through an extensive partner programme.
Our Belief
We hold the belief that data, algorithms, and AI act as vehicles to bring the necessary changes and transitions required to confront current and future societal challenges and to move closer to achieving objectives like the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We recognise our responsibility to equip our society with emerging talent that is proficient in data and AI – preparing them to navigate the swiftly evolving AI landscape in an effective and thoughtful manner. This approach should contribute to society in a positive and sustainable way.
"You cannot look at data analytics in isolation anymore. It is not just influencing technology, operation management and marketing – it is redefining whole industries”
Marcel van Oosterhout
Executive Director, ECDA
Our Approach
At ECDA, our hands-on, human-centred approach serves as a central tenet of our programmes and activities. This approach involves working with real and current data sets, along with real individual, organisational, and societal challenges.
This human-centred approach is a critical aspect, and the link between context, strong techniques and society is a direct embodiment of the different schools (rooted in law, sociology, art, business, economics, and healthcare) that together form the Erasmus University Rotterdam and shape the Erasmian values.
We encourage and facilitate vital debates on AI’s design and the ethical, social, and legal considerations surrounding its use and societal impact. We contemplate its influence on aspects such as consumers, employers, workers, and the emerging generation of talent. In this light, we strongly believe that a balanced focus on context, techniques, algorithms, and human aspects is essential to ensure these technologies effectively serve broader society.
Our Focus
Within the ECDA community, we focus on facilitating multidisciplinary collaborations across established and emerging domains through various ways, including:
- Creating a structure of expert practices and chapters centred around specific impact themes;
- Enabling and igniting collaborative research and innovation programmes and initiatives;
- Cultivating and linking our fast-growing and diverse network of external partners with our researchers;
- Building and nurturing a strong community around data, AI, digitalisation and immersive technology through EUR initiatives and organisations like AiPact, Q-Intelligence, EDSC (EUR University library), and ErasmusX, CLI, EDIS and ERS;
- Facilitating and organising regular opportunities for engagement with both internal and external stakeholders through planned events, such as the annual Erasmus Data Summit and other gatherings, as well as spontaneous encounters within our physical hub: the Erasmus Data Collaboratory – Convergence House-of-AI.
Our Structure
Currently, the ECDA organisational structure includes 28 Expert Practices (or XPs), the Erasmus Initiative ‘AiPact,’ and the Convergence House-of-AI initiative ‘the Erasmus Data Collaboratory’:
- The Expert Practices focus on four foundational domains (technologies, methods, organisation & governance, and human/societal perspective) and five application domains (industry, health & care, port & logistics, energy & sustainability, public).
- The Erasmus Initiative ‘AiPact’ revolves around innovative and interdisciplinary AI research and education that places people and society at its core.
- The Erasmus Data Collaboratory | House-of-AI functions as the campus hub for data and AI activities.