The 2002 Starting Artificial Intelligence Researchers Symposium

During the 2002 European Conference on Artificial Intelligence (ECAI-02) was introduced the Starting Artificial Intelligence Researchers Symposium STAIRS), the first-ever international symposium specifically aimed at Ph.D. students in AI. The outcome was a thorough, high-quality, and successful event, with all the features one usually finds in the best international conferences: large international committees, comprehensive coverage, published proceedings, renowned speakers and panelists, subsidized awards, and an exciting social program. Considering the numerous benefits gained by the young researchers through such a forum, no doubt STAIRS will become a regular and well-established biennial event.