Presidential Welcome 2025

In the next two years, I will assume the leadership of our Society. This is an exceptional achievement to me, which comes with many responsibilities and requires hard dedication.

In 2024, Neural Networks (NN) was formally recognized as the foundation of the scientific and technological revolution driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI). It goes without saying that the scientists recently awarded with the Nobel Prize (in Physics and in Chemistry) belong to (or had a relevant history in) our Society, the International Neural Network Society (INNS). In particular, the recognition of the Backpropagation algorithm as the kick-off point of this extraordinary history as well as the convolutional architectures which are at the core of Deep Learning make us proud.  INNS is intimately related to these developments, being the premiere organization devoted to every aspect of NN, including the original neuroscientific and biological inspiration.

INNS is a community of over 1,500 members who are spread across the world. Its activities aim to promote the research on the advancement of NNs, taking into account the original neuroscience pillar that continues inspiring new models and algorithms. The professional growth and the career development of our members, particularly young researchers all over the world, is also one of our important goals.  In the last two years, under the presidency of Professor Danilo Mandic, and previously under the leadership of Professor Irwin King and Professor Chrisina Jayne, INNS accomplished new goals, and paved the way to future initiatives and  new challenges. One of the main achievements was to further reinforce the role of INNS in the AI development, particularly in interdisciplinary fields such as AI for Education, AI for Finance, and AI for Critical Infrastructure. The importance of accounting for ethics in our algorithms has also been promoted world-wide. The hard work of the Vice-Presidents was instrumental in reinforcing the role of INNS in those areas.


Personal Background
I am a Full Professor of Electrical Engineering and Neural Engineering at the University “Mediterranea” of Reggio Calabria, Italy. My research fields in recent years have focused on Neural Network models and applications in Biomedical Engineering and Health, with a main focus on early AI-assisted diagnostics from experimental and clinical data. I have been a member of INNS since 1994,  Senior Member since 2004, and have served as a Governor-at-Large from 2000 to 2012 and from 2022 to 2023. I also served as the VP for Public Relations in 2022-2023, and in various capacities for our flagship conference, IJCNN (Tutorial Chair, Plenary Chair, International Liaison Chair, Program Chair, …).

Vision 
A main objective of the activities of INNS is the development of knowledge and the promotion of NNs, in order to face pressing societal challenges and help researchers to gain visibility in a truly competitive environment. In the next two years, we will be  committed to the continuing growth of our community and the outreach of INNS. This will be achieved through the involvement of researchers from under-developed geographical areas, reaching out to industrial stakeholders, and by promoting more general awareness of INNS. We will continue to work on increasing the value of being an INNS member, the quality of our activities and the integrity of research and publications. It will be my personal commitment to favor inclusion, equity, and diversity appreciation.

Neural Network, The Journal of INNS
Under the guidance of Professor DeLiang Wang, the Neural Networks Journal is attracting more and more high-quality papers. The recent inclusion of Professor Mauro Forti and Professor Tongliang Liu, alongside Professor Taro Toyoizumi as Co-Editors-in-Chief, will certainly provide additional energy, especially given the exceptional growth of submissions. The BoG of INNS will support the journal as strongly as we can.

INNS Awards
Our Society recognizes researchers and students through several important awards, normally presented during the IJCNN conference. We will continue the work with the community to ensure both established researchers and best young talents are given our recognition. 

Professional Career Development and Student Programs
Looking at the new generation of researchers, INNS has programs to support our  young members and we are committed to continuing to work in this direction, with the help of our VP for Education, Professor Zenglin Xu. Volunteering in the activities of our Sections will be encouraged as well as new mentorship programs, outreach initiatives, and educational and research resources.

Grand Challenges and Governments
INNS, through its members, is perfectly positioned to be a partner of international strategic initiatives and big companies, to help develop a more sustainable, energy-aware and green AI. Indeed, many modern aspects, including Graph NN, Explainability and Interpretability, Domain Adaptation and Generalization, and Physically Informed NNs are well within the remit of INNS. We are proudly involved in a collective effort to support the new age of NN-based AI with talented and expert members all over the world.

IJCNN, the International Joint Conference on Neural Networks
Next year, our annual conference, the International Joint Conference on Neural Networks (IJCNN), will be held in Rome, Italy. Professor Danilo Comminiello is serving as the General Chair of the conference, with Professor Tomaso Poggio as the Honorary Chair. This is an extraordinary achievement, as most of the activities will be held in the center of Rome , near the historical sites of this spectacular city. We need to work hard to make this event one of the most memorable ones. INNS is fully cooperating in the management of IJCNN 2025, with the great help of Conference Catalysts.

It will be a great honor to serve as the President of INNS for the next two years. To serve in this role, I rely on help from all of the Governors, Executive Committee,  Past Presidents,  Key Committee Members and the College of Fellows of our Society. I anticipate my heartfelt thanks to everyone who can give suggestions and guide my path with experience, competency and friendship. Your participation in the programmed events, and any invaluable support you will yield to the novel Sections spanning exciting subfields of NN, will make the difference in strengthening INNS.

I keep this opportunity to wish you all a peaceful holiday season and a happy and fruitful New Year.

Francesco Carlo Morabito 
President
International Neural Network Society