Emergence in the loop (EMIL)

EMIL aims to understand and develop design strategies able to cope with the complex two-way dynamics of emergent and immergent processes: the emergence from interaction among individual agents to the aggregate level, and the immergence of entities (norms) at the aggregate level onto agents.

EMIL is a project supported by the New and Emerging Science and Technology programme of the sixth Framework Programme of the European Commission. It started on 1st September 2006 and continues for three years.

The main objective of this project is to understand and develop design strategies able to cope with the complex 2-way dynamics of sociality, consisting of emergent and immergent processes: from interaction among individual agents to aggregate level, and immergence of entities (norms) at the aggregate level into agents' minds. In particular, we plan to focus on norm innovation. As research priorities, beside dealing with incompleteness and uncertainty, we intend to contribute to the understanding and description of hierarchic systems by describing agents acting on multiple, i.e. individual, communitarian and institutional levels.

Project partners are: Institute of Cognitive Science and Technology, National Research Council CNR-ISTC Italy, University of Bayreuth, Dept. of Philosophy UBT Germany, Universität Koblenz-Landau KL Germany, Manchester Metropolitan University, Centre for Policy Modelling MMU United Kingdom, and AITIA International Informatics Inc. AITIA Hungary.