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In conversation with our young researchers: Pilar Maria Moreno Sanchez

Tumor immunology.

Most preclinical models lack effective immune system components. There is an urgent need to test new immunomodulatory agents for brain cancer patients.

How studying the interactions of tumor cells with tumor microenvironment can help immunotherapy in glioblastoma patients?

Pilar Maria Moreno Sanchez is a PhD candidate at the NORLUX Neuro-Oncology laboratory in the Department of Oncology of the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH). Her research mainly focuses on tumor immunology for glioblastoma, the most aggressive type of brain cancer.

Contributing to new cancer treatment possibilities

Pilar Maria Moreno Sanchez is developing effective preclinical immunocompetent models for glioblastoma, that can reliably predict tumour-induced immune responses.

Her PhD project is driven by the current need to develop novel immunomodulatory therapies that can overcome the lack of response to immunotherapy in patients with glioblastoma.

Immunomodulatory therapies

An immunomodulatory therapy treats diseases through the regulation of the patient’s immune system. In other terms, such a therapy boosts the immune system so it can find tumor cells in the body and kill them to effectively tackle the disease. 

Indeed, her project addresses the reduction and/or absence of immune system components in most preclinical models. This situation limits the possibility of testing new immunomodulating agents.

As such, the aim is to study the immune component of patient-derived 3D glioma organoids and xenografts and to investigate the interactions of tumour cells with the tumour microenvironment.

Patient-Derived Xenografts

In oncology research, xenografts are used as patient avatars to develop a personalised treatment. To do so, a small fragment of the patient’s tumor may be excised and subsequently grafted into an immunodeficient or humanised mouse.

The patient avatars are then being used to assess therapeutic options focused on the glioma microenvironment, thus providing reliable results that could be applied in the clinic.

“With our findings, we hope to provide the scientific community with robust models that will be relevant for future immunotherapeutics development and therefore could directly contribute to new glioma patient’s treatment possibilities.”

Pilar Maria Moreno Sanchez

Research to fight cancer

The Spanish researcher developed an interest in oncology early. After graduating in Biochemistry at the University of Murcia, Spain, she then earned a master’s degree in Molecular Biomedicine with a focus on Oncology at the Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain.

Before starting her PhD, Pilar Maria Moreno Sanchez worked as a research assistant in a project focused on humanised preclinical models for renal carcinoma, i.e. the most common type of cancer.

She also obtained an accreditation to work with laboratory animals, and the Good Clinical Practice certificate to perform clinical research.

“Cancer hit a deeply loved member of my family nine years ago, my grandfather […] it was the key point that made me want to change the situation, I felt it as a responsibility to show my family there were people who cared and were willing to fight against cancer. This is the whole reason why I got into science and Biochemistry, because we need to make people believe in science and have hope again and I am happy to contribute with my tiny bit in that.”

Pilar Maria Moreno Sanchez

A member of the i2TRON project

Pilar Maria Moreno Sanchez joined Research Luxembourg via the i2TRON fellowship. This doctoral training unit is on “integrating immune strategies for Translational Research in Oncology and Neurology”.

The aim of i2TRON is to train next generation translational scientists to advance research innovations focusing on immunological components across model diseases, and to turn new mechanistic insight into diagnostic and therapeutic strategies to improve patient care. 

Overall, 20 experienced supervisors, including  four  physician scientists representing the focus areas,  join forces across the Luxembourg the Institute of Health (LIH), the University of Luxembourg, the Laboratoire National de Santé (LNS) and the Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg (CHL) to bridge and translate fundamental and clinical research into novel strategies for clinical practice. Each partner institution offers specialised research expertise as well as access to cutting-edge IT-, laboratory- and clinical infrastructures and combining their domain expertise in a collaborative scheme to push the frontier of knowledge.

i2TRON is funded over a period of 6.5 years by the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) through the competitive PRIDE programe.

Luxembourg fosters research collaboration

Since her arrival in her lab group, Pilar has realised that collaboration is the key to success.

“My lab is a very multidisciplinary and international research group, comprising experienced researchers and technicians with various expertise. The environment of Department of Oncology is also very collaborative. Our laboratory actively collaborates with numerous researchers in Luxembourg and abroad.”

Pilar Maria Moreno Sanchez

Pilar Maria Moreno Sanchez praises Luxembourg for its healthy research atmosphere and international environment.

To her, Luxembourg managed to create effective connections between research institutes. It also gives the chance to work at different places according to the resources one need. “In my opinion it is very well equipped and a country that cares and invests in research, even more than other bigger countries in Europe.”

About living in Luxembourg

According to Pilar Maria Moreno Sanchez, Luxembourg is a nice country to live in. In particular, she highlights that public transport is free.

“I really love the good organisation and coherence of Luxembourg in general. Everything seems to be put in place so the citizens’ life can be easier. The many different nationalities make Luxembourg a very attractive country with the possibility to learn from many different cultures.”

Pilar Maria Moreno Sanchez

Meet our young researchers

In conversation with our young researchers: Dr Huizhu Sun

How can research help Luxembourg to maintain its international competitive position as a financial marketplace? Huizhu Sun is a Junior Research & Associate in the Luxembourg Institute of Science […]

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About Luxembourg Latest news

Luxembourg allocates largest R&D budget per person in the EU

Government budget allocation for R&D.

The highest Research & Development allocations were recorded in Luxembourg.

How much does Luxembourg government allocate for R&D? How does it compare with other EU countries?

According to Eurostat, Luxembourg devoted the highest allocations in the EU with €648 per person in 2020. In comparison, government budget allocations for R&D at an EU level stood at €225 per person.

Research & Development a priority for Luxembourg

Luxembourg’s commitment to investing in R&D is partly motivated by the fact that the research ecosystem is the main catalyst for the country to seize new opportunities for sustainable and responsible development. Research Luxembourg generates the innovations that can improve the quality of life of tomorrow.

What our researchers say

The Luxembourg government has made research, development and higher education one of the cornerstones of the nation’s vision for the future.

Here are what our young researchers have to say about the commitment of the country in investing in research

Dr Chiara Amorino

“I strongly recommend Luxembourg as a research destination. Research infrastructures are very good, they show the strong commitment of the country in investing in research.”

Dr Sunday Ojochegbe Okutachi

“The country invests heavily in obtaining state-of-the-art equipment in biomedical research. Consequently, researchers are able to carry out their work with minimal hassle. Indeed, the commitment of the relevant authorities to make the country a leading scientific hub is highly commendable.”

Daniele Proverbio

“Researchers can benefit from competitive funding, state-of-the-art facilities and assistance for outreach and networking.

Dr Susheel Bhanu Busi

“The resources made available to researchers via the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) […] would be ideal for researchers at all career levels.”

Explore more about our young researchers.

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The University of Luxembourg reached its highest ever score in research

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University of Luxembourg: 20th top young university

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About Luxembourg Covid-19 taskforce Latest news

Research Luxembourg and government together during the pandemic

Navigating the COVID-19 crisis through science and policy collaboration.

The COVID-19 pandemic sparked an unprecedented mobilisation and collaboration of Research Luxembourg and the government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. In record time, public research institutes and the government launched a series of newly funded research initiatives to respond to the Covid crisis.

On 5 October 2021, the Prime Minister of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel and Research Luxembourg COVID-19 Taskforce met to discuss the milestones of their collaboration while looking at the actions carried out and to come.

Mobilising research towards the same objective

Between March and May 2020, Research Luxembourg managed to bring together the best of research in order to come up with a plan and a strategy that allowed to test up to 10% of the population every week. This was a critical measure to keep the pandemic under control.

Among the actions taken, large-scale testing yielded effective outcomes.

“Now we know that it was the only way to deal with the pandemic. Non-symptomatic people were infectious and we had to test everybody to have a complete overview. In phase 1, large-scale testing halved the number of severe cases. We actually reduced 43% of the overall number of cases.”

Prof Ulf Nehrbass, Chief Executive Officer of Luxembourg Institute of Health.

Picture copyrights: @ME

One team to find answers and formulate answers

The pandemic has shown that Research Luxembourg has the capacity to mobilise, structure and respond at any time. This attitude is the result of a team spirit developed in a small country with excellent researchers and infrastructures.

“We went from numerous questions to providing data as well as empirical evidence to come up with answers that formulated solutions. This was all achieved in record time.”

Prof. Dr. Paul Wilmes

Prime Minister Xavier Bettel and Prof Dr Paul Wilmes in Biotech lab

Picture copyrights: @ME

Scientists and policy makers working together

Research Luxembourg has endeavoured to gather and disseminate as much information as possible relevant to COVID in the policy-making process.

Luxembourg is one of the countries where the relationship between the scientific community and policy makers during the pandemic has been effective.

Indeed, the government called on and took into account the advice of scientists in many disciplines.

“Mutual respect and listening was the best way to approach this crisis, as both the government and Research Luxembourg were engaged in the same mission.”

Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

Picture copyrights: @ME

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About Luxembourg Latest news Personalised Healthcare

Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships granted to a Luxembourg researcher

Luxembourg project to be supported by European grant.

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships provide grants to support experienced researchers willing to diversify their individual competences. 

Dr Pablo Elias Morande, a postdoctoral researcher at the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), has been awarded funding under the European Commission’s Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships programme.

Thanks to this grant, the researcher will work on the elucidation of some of the specific mechanisms underlying chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). His work will participate in advancing the understanding of tumour progression and improving therapy response. 

Advancing the understanding of tumour progression

With this project, Dr Morande will study the interactions between chronic lymphocytic leukaemia tumour cells, their microenvironment and the small structures produced and released by the cells, i.e. small extracellular vesicles (EVs). His objective is to understand their role in disease progression and explore their therapeutic potential.

“Through this study, I will contribute to opening up new avenues for the development of innovative immunotherapies against this common form of leukaemia, while at the same time acquiring and strengthening a broad range of new technical and management skills through a variety of multidisciplinary training programmes.”

Dr Pablo Elias Morande

The project is set to start on December 1st 2021 for a duration of 24 months.

Read more about the prestigious European grant awarded to LIH researcher.

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In conversation with our young researchers: Pilar Maria Moreno Sanchez

How studying the interactions of tumor cells with tumor microenvironment can help immunotherapy in glioblastoma patients? Pilar Maria Moreno Sanchez is a PhD candidate at the NORLUX Neuro-Oncology laboratory in the Department of Oncology of the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH). Her research mainly focuses on tumor immunology for glioblastoma, the most aggressive type of…

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In conversation with our young researchers: Daniele Proverbio

Why do certain systems suddenly start functioning in unpredictable and drastically different ways? Daniele Proverbio is a doctoral researcher at the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) at the University of Luxembourg. His main research lies at the intersection of physics, systems biology and computational sciences. Mathematical methods as a go-between Daniele Proverbio is a…

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In conversation with our young researchers: Dr. Adrian Nieto Castro

How can causal evidence help close existing societal inequalities and address current socio-demographic problems? Dr. Adrian Nieto Castro is a postdoc researcher in the Labour Market Department of the Luxembourg Institute of Socio Economic Research (LISER). His studies aim at providing answers to empirical questions such as gender or educational inequality and socio-demographic issues. An…

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About Luxembourg Latest news

Luxembourg welcomes 250 PhD students

#doctoralux.

On 29 September, Research Luxembourg and its team players, Euraxess Luxembourg as well as the LuxDoc and DSAIL associations, welcomed 250 young researchers who have chosen a Luxembourg public institution to kick off their scientific career.

Coming from all over the world, these young researchers provide an essential driving force for the future of Luxembourg research.

This year, nearly 250 first-year doctoral students are contributing their expertise and knowledge to national public institutions. The vast majority of them have joined Research Luxembourg’s team players, namely the University of Luxembourg, the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), the Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER) and, the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH).

PhD students taking over Belval Campus

Research Landscape in Luxembourg

During this joint initiative, Research Luxembourg released the new edition of Research Landscape in Luxembourg.

This brochure aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the higher education and research landscape in Luxembourg. It shows the framework of the national research system, its organisation, its diversity and openness, and its main areas of action. Research Landscape in Luxembourg also highlights the significant efforts undertaken by all stakeholders and the government to position the country as a research centre in the world.

In conversation with first-year PhD students

We met two first-year PhD students who are passionate about research.

Both Federico Bigi and Nicola Schwemmle have joined Research Luxembourg’s team player University of Luxembourg to conduct research in engineering, more specifically in the field of transportation.

To Federico, “joining a young university provides a lot of opportunities”. As for Nicola, the multicultural aspect of the country was one of the choices that drove him to join Luxembourg.

Federico Bigi and Nicola Schwemmle attending 2021 National PhD Welcome Day

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About Luxembourg Latest news

Automatic mutual recognition of diplomas between Benelux and Baltic member states

Mutual recognition of higher education diplomas.

The Benelux countries and the Baltic States are now the only region in the European Higher Education Area where the level of higher education qualifications is automatically recognised.

Benelux countries – Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg – and the Baltic States – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – have officially launched the Treaty on the automatic mutual recognition of higher education degree levels.

Enlarged Convention of Mutual Recognition of Diplomas

The Treaty provides that anyone who has earned a higher education degree covered by the Treaty in one of the Benelux countries or the Baltic States is guaranteed that the level of their degree will be automatically recognised in the other countries. In practical terms, graduates will no longer have to face lengthy recognition procedures and related costs, as well as uncertainty as to whether their qualification is valid in the country where they wish to work or continue their studies. For holders of such qualifications, this represents an immediate administrative simplification.

In 2015, the Benelux member states introduced automatic mutual recognition of bachelor’s and master’s degree levels, to which associate degrees and doctorates were added in 2018. The Baltic States also already mutually recognised their degrees. The two groups of countries considered that there was real added value in establishing links in this area and signed a declaration of intent in 2019. The Treaty will facilitate the free movement of people with a degree from one of the six countries who wish to study or pursue their professional career in another state.

“For Luxembourg, as a small multilingual and multicultural country, students’ and young people’s mobility in general is of particular importance, given that 80% of Luxembourg students study abroad and that more than 50% of the students at the University of Luxembourg are foreigners. In this respect, signing this Treaty is an important step forward for us, particularly because it allows us to contribute to the development of the European Higher Education Area and to serve – we hope – as a role model for other European countries.”

Claude Meisch, Minister for Higher Education and Research of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

By automatically recognising diplomas, the countries remove a potential obstacle to studying or finding a job in one of the countries. This measure can also facilitate the search for a job through better comparability of educational levels.

The Benelux countries and the Baltic States are now the only region in the European Higher Education Area where the level of higher education qualifications is automatically recognised. They are thus pioneers in this field, and their ambition is that other countries should also follow in this direction. The Treaty is therefore open to the accession of other countries in the European Higher Education Area, provided that the quality requirements for automatic and generic mutual recognition of degree levels are met.

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Latest news Sustainable & Responsible Development

TECH DAY 2021: Eight flagship technologies to watch

SUSTAINABILITY BY DESIGN.

Research Luxembourg team player, the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) held a Tech Village to showcase demonstrations of some eight flagship technologies presented by the researchers involved.

How to tackle the challenges of our society, environment, and economy together?

Tech Day by the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), which took place on 22 September 2021, presented eight new technologies in domains such as Energy transition, Digitial transition, Global technologies innovations for the 21st century transportation.

Creating Luxembourg Digital Twin

A digital twin makes it possible to obtain information about an action in a simulated world before that action is carried out in the real world, opening up enormous possibilities for citizens, businesses and authorities.

This web-based platform, which maps the energy transition in cities, regions and entire nations around the world at a very high resolution, offers considerable possibilities. Renewable energy potentials can be calculated to efficiently identify opportunities for energy production and related investments in entire digital twins.

Communicating transparent antennas

In the context of a digitalised, modern and sustainable society, the solution of an existing transparent communicating antenna is to ensure 5G compatibility while showing energy recovery capabilities.

As autonomous sensor units, these transparent antennas embedded in glass receive data from environmental sensors with Bluetooth communication, which they transmit to our smartphones.

From smart buildings to smart vehicles to space, this technology has the potential to open up many forms of applications.

Detecting Airborne chemical compounds

Air pollution is one of the major environmental hazards in the world and requires a dense network of miniaturised devices.

The innovative microsensor is an ultra-miniaturised, low-power, low-cost gas sensor capable of monitoring the distribution of chemical compounds in the air with unprecedented spatial resolution.

This solution has the potential to be integrated into wearable electronics and stand-alone IoT devices to improve air quality monitoring.

A unique water sample

In light of the impacts of global climate change on water resources, there is an urgent need to better understand the life cycle of water, as well as to manage it accurately.

The field-deployable, portable and automatic water sampler prototype is likely to become an essential tool for a great diversity of water stakeholders, from hydrologists to local authorities and research organisations.

Sustainable by design bioplastics

Plastic pollution raises critical challenges that Research Luxembourg is seeking to address through the development of new sustainable and intelligent materials.

The solution involves the development of high-performance plastics with a chemical structure that can be recycled or self-repaired.

In addition, they are made from renewable and bio-based raw materials and are manufactured in an environmentally friendly process. The durability of the material is based on the molecular design.

This new bioplastic is of great interest to the space, aerospace, automotive and transport sectors.

Plant-stem cell

By modulating the genetic parameters of apple cells to turn them into so-called plant stem cells, as well as the parameters of the bioreactors in which they grow, the solution offers industrial partners massive and unlimited production of triterpene, a molecule known colloquially for its anti-ageing and anti-inflammatory properties.

Bringing in situ learning to the factory

Machines such as CNCs require specific training to ensure proper handling and avoid risks.

In an effort to support industry players in moving towards a 4.0 industry, this new integrated and IoT-based system allows CNC machine users to be trained directly on site. This means there is no forced downtime as users are trained faster and benefit from the feedback-based system.

Solution for data analytics and AI

Businesses of all types, whether in the private or public sector, are looking to unlock more value from their data and offer differentiated services.

A catalogue of services, offered by LIST, is available to organisations seeking to engage in the creation of innovative data-centric services, along with all the associated high-level tools and technological infrastructure. These services are to help them take advantage of AI solutions and test their ideas in technologically and economically sound conditions.

The experimentation of these new concepts and services is applicable to a wide range of fields, including Industry 4.0, financial technologies, logistics, policy making and B2B / B2C service delivery.

More about Tech Day

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Industrial & Service Transformation Inside Research Luxembourg Latest news

In conversation with our young researchers: Dr Huizhu Sun

Alternative investment and assets.

Luxembourg is a major global hub for alternative investment funds and a cross-border distribution centre. It is the leading investment fund centre in Europe and second worldwide behind the U.S.

How can research help Luxembourg to maintain its international competitive position as a financial marketplace?

Huizhu Sun is a Junior Research & Associate in the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST). His research mainly focuses on alternative investment and assets, i.e. private equity, venture capital, infrastructure assets, and collectible assets/funds such as art, wine, etc.

Revealing the drivers of the competitiveness of Luxembourg’s fund ecosystem

Huizhu Sun is examining investment fund performance, its underlying drivers and the related implications of the fund structure. Such a project is instrumental in revealing the drivers of the competitiveness of Luxembourg’s fund ecosystem and maintaining its international competitive position as a financial marketplace. It allows to identify the drivers of performance and the role the alternative investment industry plays in the systematic risk of the economy.

In addition, understanding the performance drivers underlying different fund structures related to the investor pool or available distribution channels is crucial for the alternative fund industry. The second Markets in Financial Instruments Directive, i.e. MIFIDII, that came into force in January 2018 asks for a rigorous analysis of expected investor pools. Finally, apart from performance implications for investors, the public-private partnerships (P3) that emerge in the Venture Capital (VC) and infrastructure industry also have broad societal effects, given the growing public-private engagement in boosting innovation hubs and contributing to social infrastructure development.

“My focus on the structure of Venture Capital funds with the associated liquidity risk and investor pool sheds light on this topic.”

Dr Huizhu Sun

Research to develop his critical mindset

Dr Huizhu Sun developed an interest in economics and finance when working in a financial institute after graduation from Tongji University, Shanghai China, in Information Management. Naturally, he pursued a Master of Finance in the same university where he had a chance to participate in an exchange programme with the University of Luxembourg

After earning his master, he continued as a PhD candidate in the Department of Finance at University of Luxembourg, focusing on alternative investment research. “FNR CORE ALPHA project is a collaboration between my team in LIST and Department of Finance from University of Luxembourg, and prof. Roman Kräussl is the project Principal Investigator. I also work with Ankit Arora from LIST, Denitsa Stefanova from University of Luxembourg and Kalle Rinne from a private partner, Mandatum Life Fund Management S.A.”

“Taking research as a vocation not only trains you for the challenge to your ideas but develops critical and analytical way of observing life. It brings the fulfillment of disseminating cutting-edge ideas, research and innovation to the world.”

Dr Huizhu Sun

The researcher’s work is based on empirical analysis with proprietary industry data where his ideas and methods have been implemented and tested in private sector scope.

Why Luxembourg as a research destination?

Luxembourg is an ideal destination for financial research that focuses on industry practice and private sector in terms of industry support and collaboration.

“Most research projects in Luxembourg, including mine, are collaborative between different organisations. I am surrounded by data scientists and analysts who provide additional insights besides economic interpretation. This interdisciplinarity and collaboration environment brings various expertise.”

“Luxembourg research infrastructures provide supportive facilities and channels that make researchers’ ideas and work easily disseminated and visible, meanwhile motivate them with responsive solutions for their needs.”

Dr Huizhu Sun

About living in Luxembourg

Huizhu Sun initially moved to Luxembourg as an exchange student. He recalls that “University of Luxembourg took a good care of international students.”

“Living in Luxembourg gives you a hybrid experience combining relaxed European country life with fast pace working environment. It is an ideal place to have a work-life balance.”

Dr Huizhu Sun

Meet our young researchers

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About Luxembourg Latest news

Luxembourg National PhD Welcome Day 2021

#doctoralux.

Every year, Research Luxembourg players join forces to welcome new PhD candidates.

The 6th edition of the National PhD Welcome Day will take place on 29 September 2021.

What does the research landscape look like in Luxembourg? How to network with doctoral candidates and organisers of doctoral training?

The 2021 National PhD Welcome Day is a great opportunity for all first-year PhD candidates in Luxembourg to find out more about what research in Luxembourg has in store while meeting the people behind research.

Doing research faster, further, together

All over this day, PhD students are introduced to the Research landscape in Luxembourg and are provided with all the information needed to ensure a great and fruitful stay. Specific information are provided about PhD life cycle while meeting doctoral associations and the Ombudsman’s office.

Explore the 2021 programme

In conversation with our young researchers

    In 2020, Luxembourg was home to nearly 930 doctoral students. Meet six of them who contributed to Research Luxembourg series In Conversation with our young researchers.

    Rutuja Bhusari

    Rutuja Bhusari is a PhD candidate at the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST). She is seeking to create a gas sensor powered by nature combining materials at nanoscale. Her research explores how to reduce the energy consumption of gas sensors.

    Christopher Morse

    Christopher Morse is conducting a doctoral project as a joint member of the Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C2DH) and the Human-Computer Interaction Research Group of the University of Luxembourg. The human-computer interaction researcher specialises in the design of user interfaces for digital arts and cultural heritage.

    Pauline Mencke

    Pauline Mencke is a third-year PhD candidate at the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB). She aims to identify common mechanisms shared by the diseases. Her research would allow for the identification of a common pathway and potential drug target, ultimately improving the outlook for patients.

    Daniele Proverbio

    Daniele Proverbio is a doctoral researcher at the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) at the University of Luxembourg. His main research lies at the intersection of physics, systems biology and computational sciences.

    Adelene Lai

    Adelene Lai is a PhD candidate at Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) is an environmental cheminformatician who develops workflows, algorithms, and software to help identify environmental chemicals.

    Damien Negre

    Damien Negre is a joint PhD candidate, conducting his research both at the University of Luxembourg and the University of Bordeaux. His research is aimed at improving the situation of both Consumers and Businesses in the European Union.

    Get practical information about National PhD Welcome Day 2021

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    Industrial & Service Transformation Latest news

    From lab to startup: legAI

    legAI.

    Meeting compliance requirements involves wasting many hours doing mundane tasks that could be automated.

    The University of Luxembourg’s spin-off legAI takes care of such tasks in just one second so that lawyers can spend more time on what really matters.

    By combining automatic reasoning, data analysis and legal expertise, computer scientists from the University of Luxembourg have developed a solution that automates critical tasks so that companies can focus on decision-making.

    Automating legal decision-making

    Tomer Libal is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Luxembourg. His research is focused on Automated Deduction and especially on applications to law. He recently created the legAI application to make the data protection risk assessment process easier.

    When a company has invested in a new human resources management system, for example, making sure it is legally compliant is often a complex task and requires a legal expert. LegAI takes care of such tasks in just one second.

    “Our tool is asking you different questions which lead you towards the answer, so you can make the decision and take the responsibility. The idea is to do all the bureaucracy and leave you with the decision process.”

    Tomer Libal @legAI

    From project to proof of concept

    Going beyond the creation of the application, Tomer Libal has submitted a Proof-of-Concept project with the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR). Indeed, the researcher has developed an easy-to-use product to give companies a much better legal understanding.

    In the process, the postdoc researcher is seeking to get a closer view on business’ needs.

    Tomer Libal plans to present his first prototype in 2022 and develop his own company in 2023.

    More about Tomer Libal

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