ELSNET (Phase I)

Type of project: European  |  Start date: 04/04/1991  |  End date: 03/07/1992

The project has the objective of providing a framework to co-ordinate European research and post-graduate training activities which promote the development of Speech and Natural Language Technology. The long-term goal which motivates the necessity of such a network is the construction of integrated multilingual speech and natural language systems with an unrestricted coverage of both spoken and written language. The problem of integrating techniques from Speech and Natural Language Processing is particularly central, as it has the aim of reconciling opposed methodological positions which tend to hinder a fruitful interdisciplinary co-operation between the two research communities. The project represents an extensive pool of expertise and research experience, ranging from advanced techniques in speech analysis and production through language modelling and robust parsing to a sophisticated dialogue and discourse representation.

The main activities of the Network are organised around four Task Groups concerned with Research Co-ordination, Training and Mobility, Language and Speech Resources and Industrial Links. In addition to 38 Associate Nodes and 47 Industrial Affiliates, there are 9 Managing Nodes that are responsible for their respective countries and provide important access points to the Network. The Network encourages the participation from teams operating in academic and industrial research laboratories in both EU and EFTA countries.