International mobility is a cornerstone of academic and professional development—especially for young scientists eager to shape the future of sustainable innovation and AI through applied research or collaboration within the industry sector. The ELIAS Mobility Program offers PhD students and postdoctoral researchers across Europe the opportunity to expand their networks, gain new perspectives, and collaborate with leading institutions in the ELLIS and ELIAS networks.

Whether through academic or industry exchanges, the program supports short- and long-term research stays that advance both individual careers and collaborative breakthroughs in sustainable AI.

Why join?

Travel within the ELLIS and ELIAS network for a research exchange with industry or academic partners across Europe and join forces to drive your AI and sustainability project to the next level.
Gain funding for short- and long-term stays
Build partnerships across academia and industry in Europe

What the Program Offers?

Financial support for Europe-based PhD students and postdocs
Year-round applications accepted
Visits of up to 6 months in academia or 3 months in industry or startups
Grants of up to €2,400 per year
Access to an exceptional network of AI researchers and institutions across Europe
Attend workshops championing diversity and women in AI/ML learning

⚠️ Please note: Mobility grants are not available for attending conferences, workshops, or similar events, except for diversity and inclusion-focused workshops supporting women in machine learning (e.g., WiML, WiCV). These must be held in conjunction with top-tier conferences like ICLR, NeurIPS, CVPR, ECCV, ICCV, ICML, AAAI, or IJCAI. Only applicants affiliated with an ELIAS Beneficiary are eligible for this exception.

Program Impact at a Glance

Countries represented 14

Applications submitted 51 (48 PhDs, 3 Postdocs)

Partner institutions 18

Diversity (non-ELIAS) 31%

Interdisciplinary collaborations 22%

Total mobility time 11 years

Eligibility Criteria

Please read the Terms and Conditions for application carefully before completing and submitting the application form.

*Please note ELIAS/ELLIS-external participants can only apply for a mobility grant under the following conditions:

✔ The research visit must directly contribute to the objectives of the ELIAS project.

✔ For applicants employed at an ELIAS Beneficiary: Both advisors are ELLIS members

✔ For applicants NOT employed at an ELIAS Beneficiary: One of the advisors must either be an ELLIS Fellow/Scholar OR an ELLIS Unit Faculty.

For applicants employed at an ELIAS Beneficiary/partner, the ELIAS Mobility program further supports attendance to select events:

✔ The annual ELLIS Doctoral symposium (current edition in Warsaw, Poland: https://eds2025.pl/)

✔ Workshops focusing on inclusivity or supporting women in machine learning (e.g.,WiML, WiCV), which should be held in conjunction with top-tier conferences associated with the ELIAS project (i.e., ICLR, NeurIPS, CVPR, ECCV, ICCV, ICML, AAAI, or IJCAI).

For events unrelated to these conferences, a justification explaining how the venue relates to ELIAS should be provided and support from the ELIAS mobility program will only be granted pending the Mobility committee’s prior approval.

How to apply

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and must be submitted at least one month prior to the planned start date of the visit to allow processing by the ELIAS PhD & Postdoc Mobility Committee.

Submission Instructions: