THE HISTORICAL LENAI TEAM
(photo taken in late 2022)
HISTORY
LENAI was born in 2021, inheriting part of the staff from the previous research laboratory (see the
LOCEN web page). In particular, it inherits research interests in scientific investigations on "Brain, Cognition and Behavior" and technological investigations on "Robotics and Assistive Devices". However, it has empowered its research activities with more structured research activities (see the "Research Areas" section) and a new organisational structure (see the "Organization" section). In particular, while maintaining common interests (e.g., learning, goal-directed behaviour, systems approach), scientific investigations are now specified in two fields of research ("Computational Neuroscience" and "Neuropsychology computational", see
this page for a short introduction to their differences). This specification has allowed for more targeted and effective research activities. Furthermore, the technological investigations on "Robotics and assistive devices" are now enriched with insights on "Machine Learning" and its application in Robotics. This update has allowed the integration between neuro-inspired approaches (e.g., Cognitive Robotics) and recent state-of-the-art techniques (e.g., Generative Modeling and Deep Learning/Reinforcement Learning). Finally, the new organisation of the laboratory (Principal investigator and administrative staff, 4 research coordinators, operative staff) has allowed more structured activities, leading to better scientific and technological results.
VISION
"We are a group of researchers who believe in a highly interdisciplinary research that aims to investigate many aspects of biological and artificial intelligence, from the neural mechanisms underlying information computation to the artificial systems underpinning flexible and intelligent robots. We also believe in a translational approach, which leads science and technology to have an effective and positive impact on society.”
The LENAI has both scientific and technological aims. In particular, we aim to:
Generate new scientific knowledge about the brain, cognition and behaviour
Generate new technological knowledge on Machine Learning and Autonomous Robotic
Improve technologies and prototype/develop devices in applications for human therapy and education, and for robotics applications
Thus, our approach is strongly supported by Integration, Interdisciplinarity, and Translationality.
RESEARCH FIELDS/LINES/TOPICS (for further details see the group's tab "Research")
The LENAI investigations mostly fall into the fields of “Computational modelling” and “Robotics and assistive devices”. In particular, our vision and aims are operationalised in four specific research lines:
Computational Neuroscience: “Chaotic neural networks” (see the coordinator’s webpage: Andrea Mattera):
Habitual and goal-directed behaviour in bio-plausible chaotic networks
Exploration/exploitation balancing in brain circuits
Reservoir computing for reinforcement learning
Computational Neuropsychology/Psychiatry: “Representation manipulation and flexible human cognition” (see the coordinator’s webpage: Giovanni Granato):
Executive Functions
Consciousness
Metacognition
Inner-speech
AI and Autonomous Cognitive Robotics: “Open-Ended Learning Autonomous Robots” (see the coordinator’s webpage: Emilio Cartoni):
Assistive Technologies: "Wearable/soft devices and Autism" (see the coordinators’ webpage: Valerio Sperati, Beste Ozcan):
KEY PUBLICATIONS
- Mattera, A., Alfieri, V., Granato, G., & Baldassarre, G. (2024). Chaotic recurrent neural networks for brain modelling: A review. Neural Networks, 107079. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0893608024010086
- Cavallo A., Mattera A., Granato G., Baldassarre G. (2023). Emergence of neuronal ensembles in a chaotic corticostriatal circuit. Conference on Cognitive Computational Neuroscience
- Granato, G., & Baldassarre, G. (2024). Bridging flexible goal-directed cognition and consciousness: The Goal-Aligning Representation Internal Manipulation theory. Neural Networks, 106292. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0893608024002168
- Granato, G., Costanzo, R., Borghi, A., Mattera, A., Carruthers, S., Rossell, S., & Baldassarre, G. (2025). An experimental and computational investigation of executive functions and inner speech in schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 5185. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-89555-3
- Baldassarre G., Montella D., Santucci V. G. & Cartoni E. (2021). REAL 2021 - Robot open-Ended Autonomous Learning: A Competition and Benchmark. IEEE International Conference on Development and Learning (ICDL2021), e1-8. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9515624
- Cartoni, E., Montella, D., Triesch, J. & Baldassarre, G., (2022, in press). REAL-X - Robot open-Ended Autonomous Learning Architectures: Achieving Truly End-to-End Sensorimotor Autonomous Learning Systems. IEEE Transactions on Cognitive and Developmental Systems. https://arxiv.org/abs/2011.13880
- Giocondo, F., Faedda, N., Cavalli, G., Sperati, V., Ozcan, B., Giovannone, F., ... & Baldassarre, G. (2022, April). Leveraging curiosity to encourage social interactions in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: preliminary results using the interactive toy PlusMe. In CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems Extended Abstracts (pp. 1-7). https://doi.org/10.1145/3491101.3519716
- Özcan, B., Sperati, V., Giocondo, F., & Baldassarre, G. (2021). “X-8”: An Experimental Interactive Toy to Support Turn-Taking Games in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. In HCI International 2021-Posters: 23rd HCI International Conference, HCII 2021, Virtual Event, July 24–29, 2021, Proceedings, Part I 23 (pp. 233-239). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78635-9_32
ORGANISATION
The LENAI shows a clear a structured internal organisation. In particular, the role of each component is negotiated with the supervisor (Principal Investigator and/or Research Coordinator) and defines a specific level of responsibility and autonomy. Overall, the LENAI’s roles are as follows:
Principal Investigator (PI): support/responsibility of research directions, fundings, administration.
Administrative staff (AS): support/responsibility of administrative activities (e.g. tenders, contracts, etc).
Research coordinators (RC): support/responsibility of the coordination of research lines and their related projects/personnel activities.
Operative staff (OS): execution/responsibility of operative aspects of research.
Institute Collaborating Researchers (ICR): external researchers of our institute that strongly interact with the LENAI on specific projects.
(For an extended view of the organisation chart click here)
Notes:
Our organisation chart does not include financial and salary information. Namely, vertical relationships do not necessary reflect a financial relationship and some elements can be paid by other institutions.
Some elements of the staff are shared with AI2Life. They participate to the projects under the supervision of both the LENAI and AI2Life.
OTHER ACTIVITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURES: AN INTEGRATED ECOSYSTEM
The LENAI proposes an ecosystem of infrastructures that support many different activities, from basic research to professional training programs. In addition, it organizes extracurricular sports activities (e.g., Padel) to promote the sharing of knowledge and experience between people from the laboratory and different laboratories of the ISTC.
The
AS-AI is run digitally yeac year. The School arrived to its 7th edition in 2024-2025, starts in October of each year and terminates in June of the following year. The School has been paused in 2025-2026.
The School is equivalent to a one-year Master program and involves 6 months of courses (2 days per week, 8 hours each, >300 hours) and a student project. The project can focus on research, done in coordination with a research group, or a company need, carried out in coordination with a deep-tech company. A first fundamental feature of the School is that it is highly interdisciplinary, in particular focused on the synergies between artificial intelligence and natural intelligence. In this respect, the School involves about 20-25 students per year from all university backgrounds: mathematics, statistics, physics, engineering, robotics, biology, psychology, neuroscience, cognitive science, and philosophy. In addition, it involves researchers and professionals having different expertise from all areas of research and applications. A second fundamental feature of the School is that it aims to integrate state-of-the-art research and high-tech applications. For this reason, the School is creating a lively network of universities/research centres and high-tech PMIs (about 15), and involves 40 teachers from them. This network is supporting the realisation of several interdisciplinary highly-innovative projects of the students (e.g., see:
http://as-ai.org/projects-2018-2019/). More detail information on when the School is resumed, see its website:
AS-AI
EBRAINS-Italy Training, Human-AI Research, Innovation: Commons & Smartspace (ETHICS)
ETHICS is a unique physical-virtual smartspace and living laboratory dedicated to trustworthy neuro-AI. As a key cluster of services within the EBRAINS-Italy infrastructure (built by a PNRR project with the same name), it champions a contemporary humanism by keeping people at the center of science and technology, blending a state-of-the-art physical center (with robotics, sensing, and a fab-lab covering 600 m2 and located in Rome at Via Tiburtina 605) with a robust virtual environment for collaboration, research, and hands-on training. It serves as a critical bridge for knowledge creation and innovation across brain science, artificial intelligence, and neurorobotics, ensuring all technological progress is aligned with human values, privacy, and safety.
ETHICS's main activities are structured around five core objectives:
- Research: Catalyzing joint, interdisciplinary research on the brain, behavior, AI, and robotics, leveraging shared infrastructure for reproducible workflows and secure data handling.
- Training: Building human capacity across the full pipeline —from students to industry experts— through modular, stackable learning on the intersection of the brain, behavior, AI, and robotics. The flagship training initiative is e-DiANA - EBRIANS-Italy Digital Academy for Neuroscience and AI
- Innovation: Translating frontier research into usable, trustworthy technology via a full innovation pathway, including ideation, prototyping in a fab-lab, and mentorship for start-ups and SMEs.
- Dissemination: Communicating science and technology to the public, academia, industry, and policymakers through accessible content, open days, exhibits, and citizen engagement activities.
- Reflection and Ethics: Weaving ethical reflection directly into practice as a design input, organizing focus groups, and contributing to the development of ethical codes for neuro-AI systems to ensure responsibility and accountability.
AI2Life Srl (www.ai2life.com) is a recently founded (October 2020) spin-off company of ISTC-CNR (Innovative Start-up). The company's innovation products aim to support the digital transformation and competitiveness of industrial stakeholders, in particular deep tech companies, and
thus benefit society through the solution of economic and social needs. In particular,
AI2Life Srl offers services of industrial networking for market exploitation through a wide network of stakeholders, involving research institutes, universities, start-up, public and private institutes, high-tech suppliers and businesses. The major fields where the company is investing and carrying out its activities are:
Autonomous robotics, deep neural networks for supporting computer vision, robotic autonomous learning and motor control.
Development of services based on AI, such as autonomous chat-bots, support of human programming of drone flights, processing of unstructured data with deep network models.
Devices to support human-machine interfaces, also based on bio-sensors to detect emotional and attentional states of the users.
Fin-tech applications based on the integration of AI, block-chain, and smart contract technologies.
AI2Life Srl is co-promoter and organiser, in collaboration with ISTC-CNR, of the “Advanced School in AI” (http://as-ai.org/). Through this activity, the company is creating together with ISTC-CNR an ecology of services for bridging basic research to technology innovation.
Contacts
- Principal Investigator and administrative staff:
- Research coordinators:
- Andrea Mattera: Research Coordinator; andrea.mattera@istc.cnr.it: collaborations and theses in "Computational Neuroscience" (topics: bio-plausible chaotic networks and action selection)
- Giovanni Granato: Research Coordinator; giovanni.granato@istc.cnr.it : collaborations and theses in "Computational Neuropsychology/Psychiatry" (topics: Executive Functions, Consciousness, Metacognition, Inner-speech)
- Emilio Cartoni: Research Coordinator; emilio.cartoni@istc.cnr.it : collaborations and theses in "AI and Autonomous Cognitive Robotics" (topics: Open-ended learning, Intrinsic motivations, Machine-learning in Robotics)
- Valerio Sperati, Beste Ozcan: Research Coordinators; valerio.sperati@istc.cnr.it, beste.ozcan@istc.cnr.it : collaborations and theses in "Assistive Technologies" (topics: Devices for educational scopes and clinical conditions, e.g. Autism)
