4th European Summer School on Artificial Intelligence
2nd International Summer School on Bilateral AI

The purpose of travel grants is to support students who have limited or no access to other funding for supporting their attendance at ESSAI 2026. The amount of the travel grant awarded to each student will be 525€ (amount equal to the early registration fee for students).

Deadline for submissions: April 17th, 2026 (updated deadline).
Notification: April 27th, 2026 (updated deadline).

Application Process

Applications for the Travel Grant should be submitted as a single zip file (formatted with your name as LastNameFirstName.zip) containing the following documents in PDF format:

• A brief statement from the applicant (up to 500 words) outlining how they have contributed or plan to contribute to the field of AI, and how they will benefit from attending the summer school.
• A detailed CV (including the list of publications, if applicant has already published in scientific venues).
• If the applicant is a student, a signed letter from the applicant's supervisor certifying their status (e.g., PhD student) and why the financial support is needed (e.g., there are no such grants available to the student). If the applicant is not a student, a signed letter by the applicant explaining why the financial support is needed.
• A part of the available budget for student funding is reserved for members of EurAI member societies. Note that EurAI is an association of national AI societies from various European countries. If you are an applicant from a country with an established EurAI member society, you are strongly advised to include a proof of membership in your country's AI society. Without this proof, you are not eligible for the dedicated EurAI funding. The list of national societies that are members of EurAI can be found here. If you are not yet a member of an EurAI society in your country of residence, you should become a member before submitting your application, so that the relevant membership certificate is part of your application. If you are not sure which national society to become a member of, please discuss this with your supervisor who should be able to advise you on the matter (however, any national AI society which is a member of EurAI will do!).

Applicantion for ESSAI 2026 travel grants should be sent to Prof. Manolis Koubarakis.

Selection criteria

In the likely case that the total amount requested exceeds the available budget, applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• The extent to which attendance at ESSAI will impact the applicant's research career.
• The career stage of the applicant, where students will be given priority over postdoctoral researchers and faculty.
• The extent to which other funding is available to the applicant.

Payment of the grant and other conditions

In the case of a successful application, proof of participation in the event must be provided. As a result, the Travel Grant will only be paid after ESSAI-2026 has taken place. The grant can only be used to support your attendance at ESSAI. By accepting the grant, you confirm that you will participate in the Summer School and that your total expenses (including travel, accommodation and registration fee) equal or exceed the value of the grant.