school
The Skoltech Summer School of Machine Learning, SMILES-2026, is a flagship initiative of the Skoltech AI Center and an Engineering AI summer school focused on large language models, multimodal and vision-language models, generative AI, and multi-agent systems for digital twins and industrial applications. Open to joint hosting and co-design with leading Chinese universities, the school is designed to evolve into a regional hub for Engineering AI within the BRICS network.
SMILES-2026 offers participants a unique opportunity to deepen their expertise in advanced AI and engage in international academic collaboration through direct involvement in cutting-edge research and development. The program is intended for senior undergraduate and graduate students, early-career researchers, and young faculty from China, Russia, and other BRICS countries, with special attention to participants from the host Chinese university working in engineering, natural sciences, and industrial AI. During the school, participants will explore key directions in modern generative and multimodal AI across language, vision, and other complex data modalities. The program will address Engineering AI paradigms including foundation and generative models for non-standard engineering data such as CAD, meshes, grids, and time series; multi-agent systems for planning and control in complex environments; hybrid modeling and digital twins, including physics-informed machine learning and data-driven surrogate models; and safe, reliable, and self-learning AI for high-risk industrial applications.
SMILES-2026 offers participants a unique opportunity to deepen their expertise in advanced AI and engage in international academic collaboration through direct involvement in cutting-edge research and development. The program is intended for senior undergraduate and graduate students, early-career researchers, and young faculty from China, Russia, and other BRICS countries, with special attention to participants from the host Chinese university working in engineering, natural sciences, and industrial AI. During the school, participants will explore key directions in modern generative and multimodal AI across language, vision, and other complex data modalities. The program will address Engineering AI paradigms including foundation and generative models for non-standard engineering data such as CAD, meshes, grids, and time series; multi-agent systems for planning and control in complex environments; hybrid modeling and digital twins, including physics-informed machine learning and data-driven surrogate models; and safe, reliable, and self-learning AI for high-risk industrial applications.
directions
➔ Large language models
➔ Vision-Language and Multimodal Models
➔ Generative AI
➔ Multi-Agent Systems
➔ AI for Digital Twins
➔ Engineering AI for Industrial Applications
➔ Safe and Reliable AI
➔ Computer Vision for Industrial and Multimodal Systems
➔ Vision-Language and Multimodal Models
➔ Generative AI
➔ Multi-Agent Systems
➔ AI for Digital Twins
➔ Engineering AI for Industrial Applications
➔ Safe and Reliable AI
➔ Computer Vision for Industrial and Multimodal Systems
- Cost:
the school is free of charge; travel grants* for flights; accommodation costs and meals are fully covered by the organizers.
*travel grants cover tickets from major Russian cities (Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, Yekateringburg, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Kazan). The exact list is being finalized - Format:
in-person and online - Working language:
English - Visa:
Under the current temporary visa regime, for citizens of the Russian Federation, travel to China during the School period is visa-free. The organizers can provide assistance if needed - Selection by competition:
is mandatory for both in-person and online participation
venue
The summer school will be held at Nanjing University, Suzhou Campus, 1520 Taihu Road, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, 215163, China.
organizers
School Director. Ph.D. in Physics and Mathematics. Head of the LARSS Laboratoty at the Artificial Intelligence Center, Skoltech
Academic Director of the School. Doctor of Sciences in Physics and Mathematics. Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Vice President for AI Development, Head of the Artificial Intelligence Center, Skoltech
Evgeny
Burnaev
Burnaev
Alexey Zaytsev
SMILES Admissions Lead. Machine Learning Engineer, Skoltech AI Center
Maxim Mironenko
Deputy Director, Skoltech AI Center
Irena
Gureeva
Gureeva
Curator of Project Activities and Lecture Planinng. Head of the AI Center Division, Skoltech
Egor
Shvetsov
Shvetsov
On-site Operations Coordinator. Project Manager, Skoltech AI Center
Alexandra Dukhanina
Nikolay
Silkin
Silkin
On-site Operations Coordinator. Project Manager, Skoltech AI Center
On-site Participants Curator. Coordinator for Education Programs, Skoltech AI Center
Alexandra Zdanovskaya
SMILES Project Manager. Industrial Programs Department, Skoltech
Inna
Vershinina
Vershinina
Petr
Sokerin
Sokerin
Program Coordinator. Research Engineer, Skoltech AI Center. Instructor of professional education programs
Partnerships Coordinator. Industry Project Manager, Skoltech AI Center
Ivan
Nebesikhin
Nebesikhin
Maxim Mironenko
Deputy Director, Skoltech AI Center
School Director. Ph.D. in Physics and Mathematics. Head of the LARSS Laboratory at the Artificial Intelligence Center, Skoltech
Academic Director of the School. Doctor of Sciences in Physics and Mathematics. Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Vice President for AI Development, Head of the Artificial Intelligence Center, Skoltech
Evgeny
Burnaev
Burnaev
SMILES Project Manager. Industrial Programs Department, Skoltech
Curator of Project Activities and Lecture Planning. Head of the AI Center Division, Skoltech
Egor
Shvetsov
Shvetsov
Inna
Vershinina
Vershinina
Alexey Zaytsev
Petr
Sokerin
Sokerin
Program Coordinator. Research Engineer, Skoltech AI Center. Instructor of professional education programs
On-site Operations Coordinator. Project Manager, Skoltech AI Center
Nikolay
Silkin
Silkin
Alexandra Dukhanina
On-site Operations Coordinator. Project Manager, Skoltech AI Center
Irena
Gureeva
Gureeva
SMILES Admissions Lead. Machine Learning Engineer, Skoltech AI Center
Alexandra Zdanovskaya
On-site Participants Curator. Coordinator for Education Programs, Skoltech AI Center
Ivan
Nebesikhin
Nebesikhin
Partnerships Coordinator. Industry Project Manager, Skoltech AI Center
speakers
The list of speakers is preliminary and subject to change and expansion.
participants
SMILES-2026 is designed for: senior undergraduate students, graduate students, PhD students, early-career researchers, and AI enthusiasts from China, Russia, and other BRICS countries who are working on AI for engineering, natural sciences, and industrial applications.
selection process
Prospective participants are asked to submit a CV, write a motivation letter, complete a small test, and provide a video review on one of the school’s topics, presenting a description or reproduction of prior methods or their own novel ideas. All applications will be attentively reviewed and graded through a fair selection process.
Up to 1000 words long, in English. It should explain: motivation to participate in the school; ML/DL experience, if available; expectations from the school; future career plans.
1–2 pages, in English. It should describe: education level; participation in scientific work, scientific events, and teaching activities; achievements, including published articles, relevant work experience, topics of interest, and thesis topics with the place of graduation; ML/DL tool skills and proficiency.
Test with 10 questions on relevant topics from calculus, statistics, machine learning, and deep learning.
Slides in PDF format plus a video recording in mp4, avi, mov, or webm.
The review can take one of three forms: a review of at least 3 articles on one of the school’s topics; a description of your own ML/DL research; a reproduction of the results of an article from one of the school’s topics over the past 5 years; additional ideas for improvement will be considered a plus to your application.
The video should last 5–10 minutes, show your face and voice, and include the slides. Upload the video to a cloud drive and provide access.
The review can take one of three forms: a review of at least 3 articles on one of the school’s topics; a description of your own ML/DL research; a reproduction of the results of an article from one of the school’s topics over the past 5 years; additional ideas for improvement will be considered a plus to your application.
The video should last 5–10 minutes, show your face and voice, and include the slides. Upload the video to a cloud drive and provide access.
Articles for review and reproduction should be from A* rank conferences (NIPS, ICML, CVPR, ICCV, ECCV, AAAI, ACL, EMNLP, etc).
The presentation should include:
The presentation should include:
- Introduction
- Problem statement
- Methods
- The analytical table
- Link to the repository if the article is being reproduced
- Analysis of trends on the chosen topic over the past 5 years based on articles, patents and open sources (NeurIPS, CVPR, etc.).
- Comparison of datasets (size, domain, preprocessing) and justification of their choice.
- Evaluation metrics with an explanation of why some metrics are used more often than others and what problems they may have.
- Analysis of SOTA models: analysis of efficiency on different tasks, complexity of implementation.
- Comparison of implementations in repositories (Hugging Face, GitHub, Papers with Code): pros and cons, configuration difficulties.
LLM usage policy
Authenticity is crucial
Authenticity is crucial. We strongly discourage using large language models, LLMs, to compose your application materials. Write in your own voice and present your real motivation and perspective. We will use an LLM detector to verify the integrity of all submitted materials.
Authenticity is crucial. We strongly discourage using large language models, LLMs, to compose your application materials. Write in your own voice and present your real motivation and perspective. We will use an LLM detector to verify the integrity of all submitted materials.
posters
Participants who pass the selection process must prepare and present a poster with the results described in the abstract. This is a long-standing tradition of the summer school: we want all participants to get acquainted with each other’s work.
Only participants with a poster will get full access to the poster session and related academic activities.
➔ (PDF) example of a poster made in LATEX
➔ (PDF) example of a poster made in POWERPOINT
If the poster topic is not directly related to machine learning or data analysis, the author should also explain how machine learning and data analysis could help solve the problem more effectively.
Only participants with a poster will get full access to the poster session and related academic activities.
➔ (PDF) example of a poster made in LATEX
➔ (PDF) example of a poster made in POWERPOINT
If the poster topic is not directly related to machine learning or data analysis, the author should also explain how machine learning and data analysis could help solve the problem more effectively.
SMILES volunteer
SMILES volunteers help the organizing team make the school experience as interesting and comfortable as possible. They organize after-class activities, capture photos and videos, conduct interviews — and in return earn extra points in the selection for on-site participation.
➔ organizing social activities
➔ media and content creation
➔ logistical support
➔ organizing social activities
➔ media and content creation
➔ logistical support
training format
-
mandatory lectures on each field -
practical seminars mainly focused on demonstrating the operation and programming of the discussed methods and algorithms -
team formation of 2–4 people and implementation of one of the proposed projects during the hackathon -
session with presentations by teams on the results of the projects implemented during the summer school -
poster session with the presentation of the results of scientific works by the participants of the summer school -
the best presentations will be awarded with commemorative prizes
schedule
Each day will consist of three lectures or seminars, followed by time for working on projects and for relaxation. The schedule will be published later.
22/APRIL
Application deadline
15/MAY
Admission lists
13/JULY
START >>>
partners
host
general partner
registration
previous SMILES
FAQ
Senior undergraduate students, graduate students, PhD students, early-career researchers, and young faculty with a strong interest in machine learning, Engineering AI, and industrial applications.
No. Anyone who passes the selection process may participate.
Participation is free of charge. Travel grants, accommodation, and meals are covered by the organizers for selected participants.
There are no such restrictions, anyone who passes the selection process can take part in the school. However, the flight to China is paid by the organizers only from the cities of the Russian Federation (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Kazan).
The application process will be open until April 22. We will review all applications and send invitations to selected participants on May 15.
We want to share your work with all Summer School participants and faculty members. We have planned various activities for discussing your work, where you can also learn about the projects of other participants.
We welcome all types of projects and publications. They can include both published work and work in development.
SMILES participants will receive a digital (in the case of online participation) or paper certificate confirming their participation at the end of the event.
SMILES volunteers are enthusiastic participants who become part of the organizing team. They help make the school not only educational, but truly unforgettable for everyone. Outside of lectures and workshops, volunteers take on various extra roles. For example:
- Organizing social activities: hosting games, quizzes, sports or creative evenings so that participants can unwind, bond with each other, and enjoy a fun break from studies in a friendly setting.
- Media and content creation: taking photos, shooting videos, and interviewing fellow students and speakers – even running the school’s social media with live updates. This way, all the best moments of SMILES are captured and shared with the community, keeping everyone engaged from start to finish.
- Logistical support: handling small organizational tasks – helping with distributing materials, assisting instructors during sessions, or keeping an eye on the schedule. Volunteers are on the ground to help peers and ensure everything runs smoothly and comfortably.
Having volunteers injects the event with a special energy and personal touch. They bring experience, enthusiasm, and fresh ideas while interacting with fellow students as equals. The core staff can focus on the academic program, and volunteers complement it with community spirit: fostering teamwork, suggesting new fun initiatives, and turning the school into a lively, welcoming space. For participants, this means a richer experience – a warm, collaborative atmosphere, an exciting lineup of extracurricular activities, and tons of memorable photos and stories. It’s no coincidence that many educational events embrace a similar “students for students” approach.
Likewise, major AI conferences rely on student volunteers who contribute their passion and knowledge to make the event memorable for all involved.
What do volunteers get in return?
First, invaluable experience in event organization and teamwork – a chance to develop leadership skills, creativity, and communication in a real-world setting. Second, as a volunteer you become a co-creator of the event, and we will recognize your contribution: you’ll earn the gratitude of the organizers and stand out as an integral part of the SMILES community. And importantly, volunteers receive extra points in the selection process for on-site participation, boosting your chances to join the school in person. It’s a win-win: you help make the event amazing for everyone, and you yourself gain more experience, opportunities, and recognition in the process.
- Organizing social activities: hosting games, quizzes, sports or creative evenings so that participants can unwind, bond with each other, and enjoy a fun break from studies in a friendly setting.
- Media and content creation: taking photos, shooting videos, and interviewing fellow students and speakers – even running the school’s social media with live updates. This way, all the best moments of SMILES are captured and shared with the community, keeping everyone engaged from start to finish.
- Logistical support: handling small organizational tasks – helping with distributing materials, assisting instructors during sessions, or keeping an eye on the schedule. Volunteers are on the ground to help peers and ensure everything runs smoothly and comfortably.
Having volunteers injects the event with a special energy and personal touch. They bring experience, enthusiasm, and fresh ideas while interacting with fellow students as equals. The core staff can focus on the academic program, and volunteers complement it with community spirit: fostering teamwork, suggesting new fun initiatives, and turning the school into a lively, welcoming space. For participants, this means a richer experience – a warm, collaborative atmosphere, an exciting lineup of extracurricular activities, and tons of memorable photos and stories. It’s no coincidence that many educational events embrace a similar “students for students” approach.
Likewise, major AI conferences rely on student volunteers who contribute their passion and knowledge to make the event memorable for all involved.
What do volunteers get in return?
First, invaluable experience in event organization and teamwork – a chance to develop leadership skills, creativity, and communication in a real-world setting. Second, as a volunteer you become a co-creator of the event, and we will recognize your contribution: you’ll earn the gratitude of the organizers and stand out as an integral part of the SMILES community. And importantly, volunteers receive extra points in the selection process for on-site participation, boosting your chances to join the school in person. It’s a win-win: you help make the event amazing for everyone, and you yourself gain more experience, opportunities, and recognition in the process.
contacts
Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech)
Bolshoy Boulevard 30, bld.1
Skolkovo Innovation Center Territory
Bolshoy Boulevard 30, bld.1
Skolkovo Innovation Center Territory