Advanced Studies on Language Complexity

ASLAN began in Sept. 2011 and reached full speed in early 2014. All intended goals were confirmed by the midterm evaluation led by the ANR. This successful trajectory reinforced our ambition in terms of impact and extension of scope (2016-2019). RESEARCH activities have covered intended scientific domains, goals, and actions. ASLAN is highly efficient, both as a catalyst boosting existing research and as a trigger for new risk-taking work. The international jury’s final 2018 evaluation proposed extending funding through 2024, with success. No obvious weaknesses were detected. ASLAN should be innovative and reach beyond the early proposal. In 2019 ASLAN achieved a new GOUVERNANCE structure focusing on the STRATEGIC NICHE BETWEEN LANGUAGE AND COMPUTER SCIENCE. 2019 was dedicated to creating conditions for successful interdisciplinary work using methods from the Science of Team Science. 5 innovative projects were submitted in 2020; 3 received excellent evaluations by external reviewers and were financed (post-doc and/or PhD): BODEGA (ICAR-LIRIS), GEODE (ICAR-LIRIS) and SPOTY (DDL-LIRIS). Despite budget arriving in July 2020, and the pandemic, we reached annual spending goals, while maintaining quality. 4 innovative projects were financed in 2021, and 1 in 2022 all with excellent evaluations by our Scientific Advisory Board: Let’s Play (DDL-ICAR), LEXGAME (ICAR-LIRIS), MACDIT (ICAR-DDL), & PEPPERMINT (ICAR-LIRIS) and finally LABOR (ICAR-DDL). We have reached 8 out of 8 of our financing goals for target themes. ASLAN continues to co-organize international conferences, attracting > 3,000 participants. Thematic schools have had 600 attendees from > 30 countries and mobility grants have allowed 16 students from around the globe to spend a semester with us. ASLAN was notified in 10.2024 to receive an additional 340K€ and was prolonged until end of 2027. We are currently more specifically defining technology and expertise transfers. aslan.universite-lyon.fr