Objective
Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) is essential for deploying trustworthy AI systems, especially in critical fields where transparency is key. Our XAI ERC project (2019-2025) has focused on developing post-hoc “explainers” for black-box machine learning models.
A key outcome of this project is ILLUME, a meta-explainer that generates a complex global surrogate model to mimic a black-box system. When applied to individual inputs, this model becomes interpretable and can produce multiple explanation formats, including feature relevance, decision rules, and counterfactuals, for tabular data. Compared to competitors, ILLUME has shown superior accuracy, robustness, and quality, establishing itself as a breakthrough post-hoc XAI approach.
Our current proposal aims to consolidate ILLUME's capabilities in two main intertwined directions:
i) Demonstrate Scientific Impact: We will prove ILLUME's effectiveness as an “XAI4Science” tool by applying it to complex biomedical problems, specifically in pharmacology and cancer research. By collaborating with expert biomedical scientists, we will show how ILLUME can provide valuable insights and new hypotheses where explanation is often more crucial than prediction. We will also implement training materials to enable scientists to use ILLUME independently.
ii) Enhance Usability: We will transform ILLUME into a widely accessible toolset with a smooth user interface, expanding its support to high-dimensional data like genetic and proteomic data, as well as new modalities such as time series and images. This will include adapting the conversational user interface developed in the XAI project to work with ILLUME, broadening its practical use.
By combining advanced explanation capabilities, support for diverse data types, and an accessible interface, the enhanced ILLUME toolset is poised to become a unified, scalable framework for post-hoc explainability with the potential to set a new standard for transparent and human-centered AI.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-POC
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
56126 PISA
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.