AI Entrepreneurs Lab

AI Entrepreneurs Lab is a five-day in-person venture-building bootcamp run by 28DIGITAL under the EIT AI & Robotics Community as part of the EU ApplyAI Strategy that will select up to 15 participants. The cohort attends a bootcamp across Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam from 9 to 13 November 2026, culminates in Demo Day on 13 November and an awards ceremony at the EU AI Summit on 17 November, and up to five prizes of €10,000 each (total €50,000) will be awarded. Eligible applicants are Master’s and PhD students, recent graduates and early-stage founders with AI or robotics ideas, applying solo or in teams of up to two via a single-stage submission on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by 21 October 2026, 17:00 CET. Selected participants receive intensive mentoring, customer and investor exposure, and may be offered travel and accommodation support subject to programme rules.

What it funds

Purpose

A five-day intensive bootcamp that selects up to 15 early-stage AI and robotics founders to turn research and raw ideas into company foundations. The programme includes mentoring, customer and investor exposure, Demo Day and up to five monetary prizes of €10,000 each. Travel and accommodation support for selected participants may be available.

Who can apply:Master’s and PhD students and recent graduates, applying solo or as teams of up to two, with AI or robotics ideas (including pre-launch startups). Work must centre on core AI or robotics areas such as autonomous systems, edge AI, AI infrastructure, robotics intelligence, trustworthy AI, foundation/generative models, or industrial AI deployment ¹.

1. 1Maximum cohort size: 15 participants
2. 2Prizes: up to five awards of €10,000 each
3. 3Application format: single-stage online submission with CVs and a short creative pitch

Total programme budget available for prizes and activities is €50,000. Apply through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal; submit the completed application form, one CV per team member and a short creative presentation of the idea before the deadline EU Funding Portal. ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Programme is operated by 28DIGITAL under the EIT Community AI & Robotics as part of the EU ApplyAI Strategy. Full details and eligibility are on the call page.

Basic facts and timeline

Title:AI Entrepreneurs Lab. Call identifier: HORIZON-EIT / Cross KIC EIT Innovation & Business Creation Business Plan 2026. Project acronym: EIT INNOBC. Grant agreement number: 101268805. Total cascade funding available for this call: €50,000. Opening date: 07 September 2026. Call opens for submission: 1 September 2026. Information session: 25 September 2026. Application deadline: 21 October 2026 at 17:00 CET (Brussels time). Top 15 participants announced: 26 October 2026. Bootcamp (in person across three cities): 9 to 13 November 2026. Demo Day and winners announcement: 13 November 2026. Awards ceremony at EU Apply AI Summit, Brussels: 17 November 2026.

Purpose and scope

The AI Entrepreneurs Lab is an intensive five-day, in-person bootcamp that brings together up to 15 early-stage founders, founders-to-be, and researchers in AI and robotics to transform research or raw ideas into the foundations of a company. The programme runs across three cities (Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam in 2026) and finishes with a Demo Day. Up to five prizes of €10,000 each are awarded to teams showing the strongest evidence of a real venture. The Lab is part of the EU ApplyAI Strategy and operated by 28DIGITAL under the EIT Community AI & Robotics. Support for travel and accommodation may be provided for the Top 15 subject to programme rules and available budget.

Who should apply and eligibility summary

Primary target applicants are master’s and PhD students, recent graduates and early-stage researchers with strong AI or robotics ideas and the drive to build a business. Applicants may apply solo or as a team of up to two. Eligibility accepts individuals applying in a personal capacity, including people who have a recently incorporated startup at pre-launch stage. Applicants must show that AI or robotics is central to the idea, demonstrate a real problem, a credible technical direction and a plausible path to market, and be ready to test the idea publicly within the five-day programme.

Eligible Applicant Types:Primary eligible applicant types are individuals: master’s and PhD students, recent graduates, early-stage researchers and aspiring founders. Teams are permitted but limited to up to two people and still act as individuals or very early-stage pre-launch startups. Secondary beneficiary types implicitly supported by the programme include startups at pre-launch stage (recently incorporated). The call is not targeted at large enterprises, established SMEs, universities acting as organisations, research institutes applying as legal entities, public bodies or investors in the formal application process; the application is intended for people in their personal capacity.

Funding Type:The primary financial mechanism is cascade funding in the form of prizes and direct awards. Up to five monetary prizes of €10,000 each are awarded on merit at Demo Day. The programme budget for this call is €50,000 to cover prizes and potentially some participant support. The funding is not provided as repayable finance (loans) or equity investments under this call.

Consortium Requirement:Single applicants or small teams (up to two people) apply. No consortium is required or expected. The call is single-stage and designed for individual applicants or very small teams rather than multi-organisation consortia.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):This programme sits under the EIT Community AI & Robotics and the EU ApplyAI Strategy and targets participants in Europe. The call materials and events are EU-focused; eligible applicants are expected to be located in or able to travel to EU Member States (notably Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam for the bootcamp). The published entry is distributed via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and is intended primarily for applicants from EU/EEA countries and associated territories, consistent with EIT community events, though the call text emphasises Europe-wide applicants rather than non-EU international applicants.

Target Sectors and Technologies:The Lab targets core AI and robotics themes. Accepted technology and sector focuses explicitly listed include: AI agents and autonomous systems; edge AI and AI infrastructure; robotics intelligence; trustworthy and secure AI; foundation and generative models; industrial AI deployment. Sectoral applications within the Apply AI Strategy include healthcare and pharmaceuticals, mobility, transport and automotive, robotics, manufacturing, engineering and construction, climate and environment, energy, agri-food, defence, security and space, electronic communications, and cultural and creative sectors, but the Lab is specifically for applied AI and robotics ideas where the technology itself is central.

Mentioned Countries and Cities:Cities explicitly mentioned for the 2026 bootcamp: Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam. The programme and documentation reference the European Union and EU-wide strategies and events such as the EU Apply AI Summit in Brussels. No non-European countries are named in the call text.

Project Stage (Expected maturity):Targeted project maturity ranges from early concept and research-stage ideas through pre-launch startups. The Lab is intended for idea and early validation stages: idea, research, development and early validation/demonstration aimed at founder readiness and investor pitch development.

Funding Amount and Awards:Total call funding: €50,000. Up to five prizes of €10,000 each will be awarded at Demo Day to teams that demonstrate the strongest venture potential. Travel and accommodation support for the Top 15 may be provided subject to programme rules and budget, but no fixed per-person travel allowance is specified in the published call text.

Application Type and Submission Method:Application method: single-stage open call submitted through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal submission platform. Applicants must submit: the completed application form on the platform, a CV for each team member (one CV per applicant), and a short creative presentation of the idea. Call is open for submission (published on the portal) and has an online information session.

Nature of Support:Beneficiaries will receive monetary prizes (up to €10,000 per winning team). Additionally, non-monetary support includes intensive mentoring, customer discovery exercises, pitch coaching, investor introductions, direct market contact with mentors, startups, corporates and investors, and possible travel and accommodation support to attend the bootcamp.

Application Stages and Selection Process:The call uses a single-stage submission and selection process. Applicants submit one application before the deadline. Selection yields a Top 15 cohort announced shortly after the deadline. The Top 15 attend a five-day in-person bootcamp; winners are selected at Demo Day at the end of the bootcamp. Key steps: (1) open call and submission; (2) selection to Top 15; (3) participation in bootcamp; (4) Demo Day and prize awards.

Success Rates and Selection Intensity:Exact success rates are not published. The programme accepts up to 15 participants in the cohort; up to five of those will receive monetary prizes. Given the Europe-wide outreach of the call and typical interest levels in cascade funding and bootcamps, acceptance to the Top 15 is competitive. From the Top 15, up to five teams (maximum one third of the cohort) will win prizes.

Co-funding Requirement:No co-funding from applicants is required to participate or to receive the prize awards. Applicants are expected to cover any costs related to participating in the application process and, unless travel and accommodation support is granted by the programme, attendance costs to the bootcamp. The call does not specify a mandatory financial contribution or co-funding.

Selection criteria and what the assessors will look for

The call emphasises selection of applicants who:have AI or robotics genuinely central to the proposition; can demonstrate a real problem and a credible technical approach; show a plausible path to market; operate within core AI and robotics themes such as agents, autonomous systems, edge AI, infrastructure, robotics intelligence, trustworthy and secure AI, foundation/generative models, or industrial AI deployment; and are ready to publicly test their ideas in an intensive five-day environment with mentors, customers and investors. During Demo Day assessors will evaluate evidence of venture potential, quality of pitch, validation with customers and investors, business model plausibility and founder readiness.

Application materials and template structure guidance

Applicants must submit the completed application form on the EU submission platform, plus a CV for each team member and a short creative presentation of the idea. The portal-hosted application form will capture standard information (applicant details, short description of the idea, technology readiness, market problem, technical approach, team background, and expected outcomes). The call text provides guidance about the elements judges will evaluate; applicants should structure submissions to cover problem, technical approach, market and customer evidence, validation plans, founder/team profile and immediate next steps if awarded.

1. 1Application form (platform): contact details; basic personal and team info; succinct description of idea and value proposition; technical novelty and why AI/robotics is central; current maturity and any IP status; planned use of prize funds if awarded; availability to attend bootcamp.
2. 2CVs: one CV per applicant emphasising relevant AI/robotics research, development or entrepreneurship experience.
3. 3Short creative presentation: a concise deck or video that explains the problem, solution, market, traction or validation to date, team and ask from mentors/investors.

Applicants are encouraged to join the online information session on 25 September 2026 which explains programme details, application and selection process, and practical logistics. The session is delivered via Microsoft Teams and will cover the programme across Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam and the Demo Day arrangements. The primary official information and submission portal is the EU Funding & Tenders Portal EU Funding & Tenders Portal. ¹

Practical considerations and recommended applicant actions

Prepare a concise application that demonstrates technical credibility and market reasoning. Provide one CV per person focused on AI/robotics research or entrepreneurial experience. Create a short, creative presentation (deck or short video) that can be shared on the platform and used during selection. Confirm travel availability for the in-person bootcamp and Demo Day dates. If travel and accommodation support is required, indicate this in the application per programme instructions and expect that support is subject to available budget and rules.

Comprehensive summary — what is this opportunity about and how to explain it

The AI Entrepreneurs Lab is a Europe-focused, intensive five-day bootcamp for the most promising early-stage AI and robotics talent. It is run under the EIT Community AI & Robotics as part of the EU ApplyAI Strategy and delivered by 28DIGITAL. The programme selects up to 15 individuals or very small teams (maximum two people per team) from master’s, PhD and recent-graduate backgrounds who have an AI or robotics idea where the technology is central. The selected cohort attends a hands-on programme across three European cities (Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam in 2026) to test customer hypotheses, develop a commercial model, work on pitches and engage directly with mentors, corporates and investors. The programme culminates in a Demo Day where up to five teams can each win €10,000 to accelerate tangible venture progress. Applications are submitted through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal in a single-stage process, requiring an online application form, one CV per applicant and a short creative presentation of the idea. Participation does not require co-funding; the main benefits are mentoring, market exposure and the opportunity to win prize funding and secure introductions that can support future fundraising and business development.

Footnotes

1. 1Call reference Cross KIC EIT Innovation & Business Creation Business Plan 2026. Full call and submission platform available at the EU Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page.

AI Entrepreneurs Lab is a five-day, in-person venture-building programme for early-stage AI and robotics talent that aims to turn research and raw ideas into the basis of a company. It is operated by 28DIGITAL under the EIT Community AI and Robotics and is part of the EU ApplyAI Strategy.[1][2]

Opportunity summary

This call is not a conventional research grant. It is a competitive cascade-funding opportunity that selects up to 15 participants for a bootcamp, then awards up to five prizes of €10,000 to the strongest ventures at Demo Day.[1][2]

Who can apply

The call is aimed at Master's and PhD students and graduates with strong AI or robotics ideas, including solo applicants and teams of up to two people acting in a personal capacity. The open call materials also indicate that applicants must live in or be established in an eligible country.[1][13]

• The AI or robotics element must be central to the venture, not a superficial label.[1][13]
• Applicants should be able to explain a real problem, a credible technical direction and a plausible route to market.[1][13]
• The programme is open to early concepts and recently incorporated startups at pre-launch stage.[1][13]

Thematic focus and fit

• AI agents and autonomous systems.[1][13]
• Edge AI and AI infrastructure.[1][13]
• Robotics intelligence.[1][13]
• Trustworthy and secure AI.[1][13]
• Foundation and generative models.[1][13]
• Industrial AI deployment.[1][13]

What the selected participants receive

Selected participants join a cohort of up to 15 people and receive hands-on mentoring on founder readiness, customer discovery, commercial-model testing, pitch development and investor readiness. They also get direct feedback from mentors, startups, corporates and investors, with introductions that may continue beyond the programme week.[1][2]

• Travel and accommodation support for the Top 15 may be provided, subject to programme rules and budget.[1][2]
• The programme is designed to expose participants to customers, founders and investors during the bootcamp.[1][2]
• There is a merit-based prize opportunity at Demo Day for concrete venture progress.[1][2]

Application requirements

Applicants submit one application through the official platform and need the completed application form, a CV for each team member and a short, creative presentation of the idea. A full business plan is not required, which makes the call suitable for early-stage founders still validating the concept.[1][2][13]

What applicants should know

This opportunity is best suited to applicants who want a short, intensive founder-development experience rather than long-term project financing. Because the support is structured as prizes, the call materials do not describe a standard reimbursement funding rate or cost-eligible budget framework, so applicants should focus on venture potential, clarity of the problem and readiness to test the idea publicly.[1][2]