Are you an early-career researcher in artificial intelligence looking for opportunities to advance your career? Do you want to connect with leading AI researchers in Germany and explore potential collaborations? The DAAD AInet Fellowship might be the perfect opportunity for you. This fellowship is designed to bring together outstanding international AI researchers and provide them with unique networking and research opportunities.

The DAAD AInet Fellowship, awarded twice a year, invites selected researchers to participate in the Postdoctoral Networking Tour in Artificial Intelligence (Postdoc-NeT-AI). This program includes a Virtual Networking Week, where awardees will engage with top German AI researchers and institutions, and a one-week travel stipend to Germany for face-to-face meetings. The fellowship also offers the possibility of applying for short-term research funding to conduct a research project in Germany.

As a DAAD AInet Fellow, you’ll be part of an exclusive network of AI researchers worldwide, gaining long-term access to German AI research and collaboration opportunities. Whether interested in basic or applied research, this fellowship offers a comprehensive overview of the German AI landscape and the chance to create lasting professional connections.

Key Details and Dates

• Application Deadline: September 16, 2025, at 11:59 pm CEST/UTC+2
• Virtual Networking Week: November 17 – 21, 2025
• Funding Type: Fellowship (includes travel stipend and possible short-term research funding)
• Organizer:  The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
• Eligible Countries: International
• Eligible Gender: Male/Female
• Target Group: Early-career researchers in Artificial Intelligence
• Focus Area/Field: Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Study Level: Postdoctoral
• Duration: Virtual Networking Week (one week) + one-week travel stipend (extendable by one week at own expense)
• Program Language: English
• Host Country: Germany

Host Institutions:

Host researchers and institutions will cover a wide range of subjects within the research area of AI in CPS, including circuit and system safety and correctness; hybrid models, physical and learned models; automation solutions for energy networks; information fusion, nonlinear state estimation, Stochastic Modeling; CPN transport layer; assessment of user presence in CPS, mobile physiological recordings, multi-modal recordings, virtual reality, and electroencephalography; adaptive wireless networking and wireless-based sensing; control and machine learning for reliable autonomous CPS; 6G communications for networked robotics; time-sensitive networking, cps decentralization, resilience, and autonomy; risk analysis, anomaly detection, model-based system analysis, deep learning in safety-critical applications; machine learning, and dynamical systems, to mention just a few.

Benefits

You will benefit from the program as follows:

• Comprehensive overview of the German AI research landscape and career options.
• One-week travel stipend to Germany (extendable by one week at the participant’s own expense).
• Individual advice and exclusive access to funding opportunities by DAAD.
• One-on-one meetings with top researchers from German institutions.
• A one-week travel stipend to Germany is extendable by an additional week at the participant’s own expense.
• Opportunity to apply for short-term research funding in Germany for one to three months.
• Long-term membership in the DAAD AInet Fellows & Alumni Network provides ongoing access to German AI research and collaboration opportunities.

What Successful Candidates Can Expect

• Gain a comprehensive understanding of the German AI research landscape and explore various career paths during the Virtual Networking Week.
• Receive expert advice on AI research and funding opportunities from the AInet Open Days.
• Engage in one-on-one meetings with top researchers to explore collaboration and employment prospects.
• Utilize a one-week travel stipend to visit German institutions, with the option to apply for short-term research funding (1-3 months) to conduct research in Germany.
• Build lasting connections through the DAAD AInet Fellows & Alumni Network, fostering long-term ties with fellow researchers and the German AI community.

Eligibility

Candidates should have the following qualifications:

• Applicants must have a strong scientific track record evidenced by relevant publications or academic accomplishments.
• PhD/doctorate obtained no longer than five years ago (candidates in the final year of their PhD/doctorate are eligible).
• Experience or demonstrated interest in the research areas of the host institutions.
• No affiliation with a German institution in the past two years.

How to apply?

The application for this program is online, and you can complete and submit it through the application portal.

Apply Now

Required documents

• Your brief cv
• Contact information of two professional referees,
• AI conferences to which you have contributed, and
• Your publications in scientific journals.

Visit the DAAD website for further details about the Postdoctoral Networking Tour Fellowship in Artificial Intelligence.

You may also be eligible for these opportunities:

DAAD Scholarship 2026/27 for the Master of Natural Hazards and Risks in Structural Engineering in Germany

Russian Government Scholarships for Bachelor, Master and PhD in 500 Russian Universities

MBA Scholarship at Brunel University London United Kingdom