Nebula is a new Network Institute initiative that aims to provide researchers from all departments with safe, seamless access to open-source large language models (LLMs). Nebula is one of the first fully-localized Large Language Model (LLM) deployments in the Netherlands—and likely across the EU.
Developed to support researchers at VU Amsterdam, Nebula is designed to foster a research ecosystem that is:
✅ Fully Replicable: Ensuring that AI-powered research can be reproduced without reliance on proprietary, black-box models.
✅ Independent from Private Companies: Unlike typical AI deployments that depend on private companies outside the EU, Nebula enables researchers to work with an entirely open and locally hosted system, guaranteeing full control over data and compliance with EU regulations.
✅ 1500+ models: Using Ollama and Open WebUI, Nebula will have the capability to access over 1500 different LLMs of different sizes and capabilities.
✅ An Open-Source Powerhouse: Demonstrating the strength of open-source AI models, Nebula will make its source code available via the NI GitHub organization, encouraging collaboration and continuous improvement.
Key Features of Nebula
🔍 Web Search & Browsing Integration: Leverage search engines (Google, DuckDuckGo, Bing, and more) and embed web content into research discussions.
✒️ Markdown & LaTeX Support: Ideal for academic writing, allowing seamless integration of formulas and structured formatting.
🎤 Hands-Free Communication: Integrated voice and video call features for enhanced collaboration.
🛠️ Custom Model Building: Easily create and fine-tune models via the Web UI, with the flexibility to import and customize AI agents.
🐍 Native Python Function Calling: Researchers can enhance AI interactions with custom Python functions, seamlessly integrated within the system.
🎨 Image Generation: Supports local and external APIs for visual content generation.
🌍 Multilingual & Localized: Nebula supports multiple languages for international research collaboration as one of the Netherlands’s first fully localized AI systems.
By leveraging Open WebUI, Nebula is not just an AI-powered tool—it is a statement on the future of open, independent, and replicable research in Europe. Researchers at VU will have the power to push the boundaries of AI while ensuring full transparency, reproducibility, and data sovereignty.
The image above is a screenshot of the current prototype of Nebula showcasing the chat function using DeepSeek’s R1 1.5B model from Ollama. Currently Nebula can switch between multiple LLMs, keeps a history of all chats, and allows for searching across chats (left side). Interaction with Nebula can be done by typing, or by speaking (bottom side). System prompts and advanced parameters can be controlled using Nebula, allowing for granular customizations (right side).
Contacts: Radu Apsan, Marco Otte
Nebula is built on the following open-source projects:
This text was partially generated by Nebula 🙂