ILSP team selected as spark phase winner of the AI Challenge Competition from AI-BOOST
The AI4GRAPES team of the Institute for Language and Speech Processing at Athena Research Center was selected as a spark phase winner in the European Union’s AI-BOOST AI Challenge Competition. Out of applications submitted across Europe, ILSP was chosen by an independent panel of experts to use their AI solution for solving Challenge 1: GenAI-Based Natural Language Mission Generator for Autonomous Robots in Agriculture.
During the upcoming months they will work on their AI solution to moving from TRL 2 to TRL 4-5 while addressing a real-world challenge in the generative AI field.
The team will develop NL2MISSION, a system that lets vineyard operators give instructions to field robots by voice, in plain language, and turns them into safe, executable missions. The solution will be validated on a real vineyard row at Intellimech’s JOiiNT LAB.
“Being selected as an AI-BOOST winner is a strong signal that trustworthy generative AI can make field robots accessible to the people who work the land, not only to robotics engineers. With NL2MISSION, an operator simply says what needs doing, sees a preview of what the robot will do, and approves it with confidence. We look forward to working closely with Intellimech to bring this from the lab to a real vineyard row, and to turn our research on world-foundation models into a tool that farms can actually use.” George Paraskevopoulos, AI4GRAPES Team Lead, Institute for Language and Speech Processing, Athena Research Center
About the AI-BOOST AI Challenge Competition
Funded under the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme (Grant Agreement No. 101135737), AI-BOOST is a major European initiative designed to propel trustworthy, cutting-edge Generative AI development.
The AI Challenge Competition targets four strategic industrial sectors starting at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 2–3, guiding high-potential teams to demonstrate validated Proofs of Concept at TRL 4–5.
The competition follows a two-stage structure:
Spark Phase: Five selected winning teams per challenge secure a place in the next stage, gaining technical guidance and access to European supercomputing infrastructure (such as CINECA’s LEONARDO supercomputer) to build their initial prototype.
Advance Phase: Winners proceed through a multi-month development and validation programme, culminating in a live demonstration event in Brussels in February 2027, where final winners will be selected.
About AI-BOOST: For more information about the AI-BOOST project visit https://aiboost-project.eu/.
Disclaimer: Funded by the European Union under GA No 101135737. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.