Call for applications: Next Frontier AI

The goal is clear: to ensure Europe is not only a user of advanced AI systems, but a creator of the next generation of AI technologies.

Why Next Frontier AI?

While Europe leads in AI research and adoption, many of today’s frontier AI systems are developed and scaled elsewhere. Next Frontier AI addresses this gap by supporting teams willing to take high-risk, high-impact bets on what comes after today’s dominant AI paradigms. Rather than prescribing what the “next frontier” should be, the initiative invites researchers and builders to define it themselves – whether through new algorithms, training paradigms, data modalities, architectures, or entirely new approaches to AI.

A challenge-based approach

Next Frontier AI follows a challenge-based funding model designed to maximize experimentation and learning:

• €125M in total challenge funding
• Initial selection of 10 teams, each receiving €3M in non-dilutive funding
• Multiple phases with progressive funding and selection
• Full freedom to experiment, pivot, and pursue bold hypotheses
• A long-term pathway toward up to €1B per team for those ready to scale globally

The objective of the early phases is not to produce a finished frontier lab, but to identify and prepare exceptional teams capable of scaling transformative AI systems over the long term.

Who should apply

The initiative is aimed at:

• AI researchers, engineers, and technical builders
• Small, highly skilled teams (typically 3–5 people)
• Existing startups or newly formed teams
• Applicants with bold visions – entrepreneurial experience is not required

SPRIN-D supports participating teams not only with funding, but also with company-building support and ecosystem access.

Europe at the center

Next Frontier AI is designed to strengthen European AI sovereignty by building AI systems in Europe, aligned with European values, markets, and industrial needs  while remaining globally competitive. Cyber Valley is one of Europe’s leading AI and robotics ecosystems. We are amplifying these initiatives to reach frontier builders in Europe and Europeans working abroad who may be ready to come back.

All details on eligibility, timelines, and the application process are available on the Next Frontier AI website. 

If you want to join the challenge, sign up here: https://next-frontier.ai/join

For deeper context on the vision behind Next Frontier AI, listen to the SPRIN-D podcast episode with Mirko Holzer and Dr. Johannes Otterbach.