Presentation – AI-AGE

19.10.2026.20.10.2026.

Keynote on Adapting Higher Education for the AI Era at ICAII 2026

Rethinking education, engineering skills, and human responsibility in the age of artificial intelligence

Prof. Dr. Tomo Popović from the University of Donja Gorica delivered a keynote presentation at the 2026 IEEE 4th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence Innovation (ICAII 2026), held on October 16–18, 2026, in Beijing, China.

His keynote, “Before the Prompt, After the Answer: Adapting Higher Education for the AI Era,” explored how artificial intelligence is reshaping higher education and challenging universities to reconsider what students need to learn in a world where information and AI-generated answers are increasingly accessible.

The presentation emphasized that general education, critical thinking, cultural awareness, and communication skills are becoming more important, not less, in the AI era. Rather than replacing these foundations, AI makes them essential for asking meaningful questions, interpreting results, and applying knowledge responsibly.

From an engineering perspective, the talk highlighted a shift in the role of engineers and IT professionals toward two critical activities: what happens before the prompt, including understanding needs and defining problems, and what happens after the answer, including verification, validation, and responsibility for outcomes.

The keynote advocated a more integrative approach to university education, connecting technical expertise with knowledge from healthcare, business, law, culture, and other disciplines. This perspective also resonates with the interdisciplinary mission of the AI-AGE project, where the responsible application of AI depends on both technological capabilities and domain-specific knowledge.

In addition to his keynote participation, Prof. Dr. Milica Vukotić from the University of Donja Gorica served as a Conference General Co-Chair, while Prof. Popović served as a Conference Program Chair, contributing to the international scientific and organizational activities of ICAII 2026.

More information: ICAII 2026 Conference | Keynote Speakers | Conference Committees

18.10.2026.

Prof. Nataša Popović Presented at Regional Congress of Physiologists in Osijek

The AI-AGE project was presented at the 4th Regional Congress of Physiological Societies and 6th Congress of the Croatian Physiological Society, held on 14–16 October 2026 in Osijek, Croatia. The congress brought together researchers and experts from across the region to exchange scientific findings and discuss advances in physiology, biomedical research, and emerging technologies.

Prof. Dr. Nataša Popović, from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Montenegro, delivered an invited lecture entitled “The Retina as a Window to Systemic Physiology: Translating Physiological Signals into Digital Biomarkers.” The presentation highlighted the AI-AGE project and its research results, focusing on the use of artificial intelligence and retinal imaging to identify potential non-invasive biomarkers of systemic health. Particular attention was given to recent findings exploring the potential of deep learning for detecting disease-associated patterns in retinal images.

Participation in the congress also provided an excellent opportunity for networking and exchanging experiences with colleagues from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Hungary, and other countries. These discussions helped strengthen regional scientific connections and explore opportunities for future collaboration in AI-supported biomedical research.

The event contributed to the dissemination of AI-AGE results and increased the project’s visibility within the regional scientific community. For more information, visit the official congress website and the Congress Programme and Book of Abstracts.

20.06.2026.10.07.2026.

AI-AGE Team Members Participated in the “AI Economy” Scientific Event at MASA

Podgorica, 18 June 2026 – Members of the AI-AGE project team participated in the scientific event “AI Economy”, held at the Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts (MASA). The event brought together representatives of academia, researchers, experts and stakeholders to discuss the impact of artificial intelligence on the economy, education, professions, healthcare, digital transformation and broader societal development.

Dr Stevan Cakic discussing the AI and opportunities in small economies

The participation of the AI-AGE team focused on the importance of building local knowledge, research capacity and educational infrastructure for the responsible and effective use of artificial intelligence. Particular attention was given to the role of AI in education, the development of interdisciplinary skills, and the need to prepare students, researchers and institutions for an environment in which AI tools are becoming part of everyday professional and scientific practice.

Mr Igor Culafic presentng a paper on importance of niche development to stay competitive

The event also provided an opportunity to highlight the relevance of high-performance computing (HPC) for AI research and innovation. Access to advanced computing infrastructure is increasingly important for training and testing AI models, processing large datasets, supporting biomedical and data-driven research, and strengthening the overall capacity of universities and research teams in Montenegro.

Prof. Tomo Popovic talking about the competences and infrastructure needed for AI economy

Through its activities, the AI-AGE project continues to contribute to capacity building in the fields of AI, HPC and applied data science, with a particular focus on education, research excellence and the development of solutions that can support healthcare, science and society. Participation in events such as “AI Economy” is an important step in strengthening cooperation between academia, research projects and wider institutional stakeholders in Montenegro.

26.04.2026.

AI-AGE Presented at CANU Round Table on AI in Healthcare

The AI-AGE project was presented at the round table “Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare – Challenges and Opportunities”, held on 24 April 2026 at the Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts (CANU) in Podgorica. The event gathered experts from Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina to discuss the role of AI in healthcare, including clinical applications, digital transformation, ethics, medical imaging, NLP, and AI assistants.

AI-AGE was presented by Prof. Dr Nataša Popović, Faculty of Medicine, University of Montenegro, in the session dedicated to AI in clinical practice. The presentation highlighted key findings of the project and demonstrated how AI can support early detection and screening of chronic diseases, including examples related to colorectal cancer detection and the use of biomarkers.

Opportunity to present goals and results of the project

The event was also an opportunity to promote EuroCC activities and the role of NCC Montenegro in strengthening national capacities in HPC, HPDA, and AI. Participation in this round table further positioned AI-AGE within the broader regional discussion on responsible and clinically relevant use of artificial intelligence in medicine.

Key findings and potential benefits of the use of AI models developed in AI-AGE

02.03.2026.09.03.2026.

Conference paper at IEEE IT2026 on intepretable ML for diabetes screening

Our team presented a paper titled “Interpretable ML for Diabetes and Prediabetes Screening Using Self-Reported Health Indicators” by S. Lazic, S. Cakic, I. Rubezic Lukic, N. Popovic, and T. Popovic at the 30. Annual Conferenc on Information Technology IT 2026. This was part of mentoring activities and efforts related to development of young researchers.

The paper was presented at the conference by Ms. Sanja Lazic (MSc candidate)

ABSTRACT – Early identification of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and prediabetes enables timely interventions, yet screening often relies on self-reported data rather than laboratory testing. This work compares lightweight Machine Learning (ML) models: Logistic Regression (LR), Random Forest (RF), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LightGBM), and Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) trained on 21 self-reported indicators from the 2015 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) dataset for three-class classification (no diabetes, prediabetes, diabetes). We propose a screening-oriented evaluation where a probability threshold is selected to achieve a target sensitivity (recall) of 0.80. LightGBM achieves balanced accuracy of 0.52 and precision of 0.33 at the target sensitivity, with 38% of cases flagged. Tree SHapley Additive exPlanations (TreeSHAP) highlight general health status, age category, body mass index (BMI), and hypertension as dominant predictors. A FastAPI web application provides individual risk estimates and instance-level explanations. The pipeline demonstrates feasibility of interpretable, calibrated screening from non-laboratory data.

27.02.2026.09.03.2026.

AI-AGE at the IEEE IT2026 conference

AI-AGE team represenatives participated in the various events and activities at IT2026 conference in Zabljak. We ook part in discussions related to Lessons Learned for HPC and AI applications in various domains in Montenegro. We also participated in the special session dedicated to project results presentations where we had a chance to discuss the project with researchers from Montenegro and the region.

AI-AGE was featured at the project results presentations

We particiapted in EuroCC4SEE panel on Lessons Learned for HPC and AI applications

There was over 150 attendees at the conference

19.02.2026.22.02.2026.

Successful Symposium: HPC and AI Driven Innovation in Healthcare

High-Performance Computing (HPC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are rapidly transforming the landscape of healthcare — moving far beyond research prototypes into solutions that can shape clinical practice and improve patient outcomes. This transition from strategy to real-world impact was the focus of the recent EuroCC2 initiative “Symposium: HPC and AI Driven Innovation in Healthcare”. AI-AGE team participated in organization, coordination, and presentations at this event.

Click to watch video

The Vision: Bridging Strategy and Clinical Practice

The event was organized in cross-collaboration with EuroCC2 & EuroCC4SEE

AI-AGE project was presented and further collaboration with EuroCC3 was discussed

Healthcare is today generating vast volumes of data — from medical imaging to electronic health records, genomics, wearable sensors and beyond. HPC provides the computational power needed to process and analyse this data at scale, while AI techniques such as deep learning unlock patterns that are invisible to traditional analysis methods. Together, HPC and AI form a powerful synergy for healthcare innovation:

Accelerated diagnostics: AI models trained on large annotated datasets can assist clinicians by accurately identifying disease signs in imaging and other modalities.
Biomarker discovery and precision medicine: High-throughput computing enables the discovery of subtle biological signals indicative of disease progression or treatment response.
Predictive and personalised care: HPC-enabled AI workflows can predict patient outcomes and support real-time clinical decision making.

Symposium included presentations of successs stories from the region

This strategic capability — from data to insights to impact — was the core theme explored through EuroCC2 activities in Montenegro and the wider South-Eastern Europe region.

Key Takeaways for Healthcare Innovation

From Research to Clinical Utility
HPC and AI solutions are no longer confined to laboratories. With appropriate infrastructure, data governance and clinical integration pathways, these technologies are being translated into tools that support healthcare professionals in diagnosis and treatment.
Regional and Cross-Institutional Collaboration
The EuroCC2 framework — including the National Competence Centre Montenegro — brings together academic institutions, healthcare providers, and technology partners to share resources, expertise, and training. These collaborative ecosystems are essential for building sustainable HPC-AI capacity in healthcare.
Capacity Building and Skills Development
One of the crucial pillars of impactful HPC and AI adoption is training. Workshops, seminars, and hands-on sessions equip researchers, clinicians, and students with the skills to leverage HPC and AI tools effectively in their domains.
Enabling Infrastructure Access
Through EuroCC2 and related programmes, researchers and practitioners gain access to European HPC resources — reducing barriers to entry for high-end computing and enabling complex analyses that were previously impractical.

What This Means for Montenegro and Beyond

Montenegro, alongside partner regions across Europe, is building the foundation for a healthcare ecosystem that integrates HPC and AI into everyday clinical workflows. By investing in strategic computing infrastructure, enabling cross-sector collaboration, and fostering technical expertise, the potential to improve patient outcomes, streamline clinical processes, and support data-driven medicine is growing stronger.

The event gathered representatives from Healthcare and IT sectors already involved in research and development of HPC and AI driven solutions for healthcare and medical research. More info at NCC Montenegro site: [link].

Over 20 participants in the Symposium, important discussion of next steps

04.02.2026.11.02.2026.

HPC & AI in Healthcare: From Research to Clinical Practice in Montenegro and SEE

High-Performance Computing (HPC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are increasingly moving beyond research laboratories into real clinical environments. Across Montenegro and the SEE region, promising AI solutions have been developed for medical image analysis, biomarker detection, and predictive diagnostics. The critical challenge today is ensuring their structured transition from research prototypes to validated, deployable tools within healthcare systems.

Symposium on HPC and AI in Healthcare and Medicine co-organiozed by Ai-AGE

This event addresses precisely that transition. It focuses on how HPC infrastructure, interdisciplinary collaboration, and coordinated ecosystem support can accelerate the integration of AI into everyday clinical practice. Particular attention will be given to available computational capacities, real-life use cases, and pathways toward sustainable deployment.

The event is organized as a joint initiative between NCC Montenegro and NCC Bosnia and Herzegovina, within the broader framework of EuroCC 2 and EuroCC4SEE. It also represents a form of cross-project pollination with the AI-AGE project, demonstrating how research-driven innovation can evolve into applied healthcare solutions through regional cooperation.

AI-AGE will be featured in the presentation session

Researchers, clinicians, innovators, and industry partners are invited to join the discussion, exchange expertise, and contribute to shaping the next steps for HPC- and AI-driven healthcare across Southeast Europe. The event is scheduled for Friday, 13 Feb 2026. Please contact NCC Montenegro for further details.

29.01.2026.

AI-AGE at IEEE IT2026: Research, Collaboration, and Young Talent

The AI-AGE project will be actively featured at the INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES 2026 (IT 2026), the 30th edition of a long-standing international scientific and professional conference bringing together academia, industry, and the wider innovation ecosystem. The conference taktes place in Zabljak, 24-28 February.

As part of the project presentation session, AI-AGE will showcase its ongoing research on AI-driven biomarkers of ageing, with a particular focus on advanced data analytics, computer vision, and high-performance computing applied to biomedical and health-related domains. This session provides an excellent opportunity to present project objectives, methodologies, and early scientific insights to a broad and interdisciplinary audience.

In addition to the project presentation, AI-AGE researchers will actively participate in the conference program, contributing to scientific discussions and knowledge exchange across multiple sessions. Importantly, young researchers involved in the AI-AGE project will present a scientific paper, highlighting the project’s strong commitment to capacity building, early-stage researcher development, and excellence in applied AI research.

04.12.2025.04.12.2025.

AI-AGE featured in the promo video by the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation

AI-Age project is featured in promo videos created by the Ministry for Education, Science and Innovation. Our PhD students dr Isidora Rubezic-Lukic and mr Dejan Babic presentd the progress on the project and current results (MPNI on Instagram link).

Developing different AI tools to support identification of new biomarkers of aging

The team successfully established all core foundations for research, including launching the official project website, extending UK Biobank data access to both partner institutions, and deploying new HPC/AI infrastructure needed for biomedical image analysis. Young researchers received extensive training through EUROCC, TRACEWINDU, HPC4S3ME, and AIFusion programs, while interdisciplinary cooperation between UDG and the Faculty of Medicine was strengthened. The project also achieved early scientific dissemination through a poster presentation at EAsDEC 2024 in Milan and participation at IT2024 in Žabljak.

mr Dejan Babic (PhD candidate) in the AI lab at the Faculty for information systems and technologies

In parallel, significant progress was made on doctoral research activities: one initial PhD proposal was submitted and defended, and research questions for two doctoral theses were defined in alignment with AI-AGE goals. WP1 and WP2 outputs were fully completed, while WP3 research—focused on AI/ML models for retinal biomarkers of aging—was initiated ahead of schedule. These accomplishments provide a strong foundation for validating hypotheses, developing advanced AI models, and expanding international collaboration in the second project year.

Promo video on AI-AGE created and posted by the Ministry (MPNI)