The ChatMED research ecosystem continues to grow through a new bilateral project between North Macedonia and Austria: TopX – Comparative Study of Explainable AI Techniques with a Focus on Topological Data Analysis.
TopX has been selected among the 14 joint scientific-research projects between North Macedonia and Austria that will be financed by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of North Macedonia, in areas recognized as having strong development potential. The projects are supported under the scientific and technological cooperation framework between the two countries, with implementation planned over a two-year period starting from 1 July 2026.
As a direct continuation of the collaboration initiated and strengthened through ChatMED, TopX marks another important step in building sustainable research bridges between Macedonian and Austrian institutions. The project will explore and compare explainable artificial intelligence techniques, with a particular focus on Topological Data Analysis (TDA) as a promising approach for improving the interpretability, reliability, and transparency of AI models.
The project brings forward a topic of strategic relevance for the future of trustworthy AI. As AI systems become increasingly embedded in sensitive and high-impact domains, explainability is no longer a technical add-on, but a core requirement for scientific validity, regulatory preparedness, and real-world adoption. Through TopX, the partnering teams will investigate how different explainable AI methods can support more transparent model behaviour, with TDA offering a mathematically grounded perspective on complex data structures.
We warmly congratulate Prof. Dr. Kostadin Mishev and Prof. Dr. Franz Wotawa for starting another successful story of Macedonian–Austrian scientific cooperation. Their leadership continues the strong partnership developed through ChatMED and opens new opportunities for joint research, capacity building, and future European project development.
