This week, IN THE ‘BEHIND THE SCENES’ SERIES, WE’RE SPEAKING WITH PRoject lead, AT eit digital (eitd), Annalisa Andaloro. Annalisa WILL BE TELLING US ABOUT Her ROLE AND THE ROLE OF eitd WITHIN THE TANGO PROJECT.

Thanks for speaking to us today. Could you start by introducing yourself and telling us where you are based? 

I am Annalisa Andaloro, Project Lead at EIT Digital. I am based in Trento at the heart of the Italian well known heritage mountains, the Dolomites.

How would you describe TANGO with three words only?

Challenging, ambitious and disruptive

What does your typical working day in the TANGO project involve?

My typical working day in Tango involves constant interaction with the project coordinators and many partners, happening either via email threads or in live conference calls. We need to frequently confront each other to make sure we are aligned on the many ongoing developments and make the most of project synergies.

What is your main task in the TANGO project?

I am the Work Package Leader for Work Package 5, which focuses on the implementation of four very interesting case studies where the Tango hybrid decision support systems will be tested and deployed. Together with case study leaders EIT Digital has defined a tool to collect information from case studies in a coherent way, provided it’s challenging to merge information from the domains of medicine, finance and policy making. I am also leading the Intellectual property and exploitation task in the work package dedicated to communication, dissemination and exploitation, so I have a privileged overview on the potential market transfer of project results

What do you like most about your role?

I enjoy interacting with partners from different backgrounds very much, both under the technical and cultural side of those differences. Working at the intersection of various disciplines with the overarching aim of advancing knowledge in artificial intelligence is a privilege.

How do your professional interests match the objectives of TANGO?

I am passionate about making innovation happen and this is exactly what I can see in Tango every day.

What is unique about TANGO in your opinion?

The ambition to deliver an artificial intelligence toolkit to improve decision making at all levels.

What makes your organisation ideal for participating in the research/activities of TANGO?

EIT digital is perfect fit for Tango as it represents a reference organization at the European level when it comes to connecting research, industry and academia to initiate market transfer opportunities and is also a very established player in the EU ecosystem when it comes to the Artificial Intelligence topic.

Has anything surprised you in the first months of the project?

The consortium size, its geographic coverage and the variety of professional profiles I have met during the first project meeting.

What do you see as the biggest challenge for TANGO?

Demonstrating the trustworthiness of hybrid decision making support systems to enable better informed decisions.

What does TANGO have in common with other EU-funded research projects?

Grounding itself on the collaboration among a large pool of contributing partners to let Europe progress in such an important field as artificial intelligence.

What is one key thing you have learned from working on TANGO so far?

Open discussions among partners can solve many more bottlenecks than hiding behind documents and emails and unlock incredible results.

Could you describe the overall expected impact of the TANGO project in three words?

Disruptive, cross sector and much needed for the society.

What would be your advice to anyone interested in getting involved with a Horizon Europe project?

Do not fear the bureaucracy and start from getting in touch with organization who already have experience to let them guide you. The perks of European projects are totally worth it!

Thank you for taking the time to speak to us, Annalisa. We look forward to more updates from the team at EITD. 

To keep up to date with the Behind the Scenes series and all TANGO updates, make sure to follow us on TANGO (@TANGO_horizon) / X (twitter.com) and TANGO LinkedIn