Deadline: September 08, 2026
The AI-BOOST is an EU-funded open challenge prize programme designed to support outstanding artificial intelligence innovators and advance trustworthy, human-centric AI solutions across Europe.
The key focus areas and objectives of the programme are: creating and running highly replicable AI Challenge Competitions, driving scientific progress in major AI areas, fostering collaboration among AI community stakeholders, defining high social impact AI challenges, developing breakthrough technologies and solutions, providing access to infrastructure and expert knowledge, attracting outstanding talent and research teams, engaging private and public sponsors, and building an AI community that encourages interaction among relevant stakeholders.
The AI Challenge Competition will launch four Generative AI challenges focused on strategic industrial and societal domains, including autonomous robotics, engineering design and simulation, healthcare AI, and automotive safety. The competition aims to advance innovative Generative AI solutions from Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 2–3 to TRL 4–5.
The programme follows a two-phase approach to identify, support, and accelerate promising teams from academia and industry. The competition structure allows resources and support to be focused on strong candidates while monitoring scientific and technical progress throughout the development process.
In the Spark Phase, participants will submit and have their Concept Notes evaluated. Five winners will be selected for each challenge, with each winner receiving a prize of EUR 28,500.
The Advance Phase will support the development, validation, and demonstration of AI solutions. The Spark Phase winners will participate in a five-month development programme covering algorithm development, validation activities, conceptual and technical monitoring, and a final live demonstration. One winner from each challenge will receive a final prize of EUR 100,000.
The AI-BOOST competition is expected to generate 20 breakthrough AI solutions that contribute to scientific and technological progress in targeted AI domains. Four solutions, one from each challenge, will be recognised as the most promising for industrial adoption and real-world deployment.
The competition also includes Special Awards with a total budget of EUR 25,000 per challenge. The Innovation Excellence Award provides EUR 12,500, and the Responsible AI Award provides EUR 12,500.
AI-BOOST is open to students, scientists, researchers, developers, high-tech SMEs, spin-offs, start-ups, and other participants from academia and industry. Eligible applicants include individuals, single legal entities, small and medium-sized enterprises including startups, academia, universities, NGOs, non-profit organisations, or consortia of these.
Applicants must have technical capacity and experience working on AI systems, with projects focused exclusively on civil applications. Participants must be established in a Member State of the European Union, including overseas countries and territories, or eligible Associated Countries.
Applications must be submitted through the AI-BOOST F6S page during the announced application period from 19 June 2026 until 25 August 2026, and from 3 July 2026 until 8 September 2026.
For more information, visit AI BOOST.
