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AI-deas Sprint Programme Call 2026

  • Application Deadline: 14 September 2026

The path from a promising research result to a working prototype that can attract partners and funding is hard, and it’s where too many strong AI ideas stall. The AI-deas Sprint Programme exists to close that gap. Over six months, we’ll help you develop your most promising research into a working prototype that demonstrates real-world value, backed by technical support and a route to implementation partners.

Our first cohort — eight interdisciplinary teams — built prototypes addressing challenges from adenomyosis diagnosis and brain tumour surgery to crop disease forecasting and housing planning. Building on that, ai@cam is running a second 6-month accelerator to turn pioneering research ideas into minimum viable products that make a positive impact on society.

We’re looking for ambitious projects that can create working prototypes in these high-impact domains:

🧠  AI for mental health and brain research: Turn diagnostic algorithms into tools clinicians can actually use, or transform research insights into interventions that reach patients.

🌍  AI for climate and nature: Convert environmental monitoring research into decision-support systems that help organisations take climate action now.

👩‍⚕️  Women’s health: Transform research breakthroughs into accessible diagnostic tools or treatment platforms that address the gender health gap.

🏛️  AI for cultural heritage: Turn digitisation and analysis research into public-facing tools that make cultural collections more accessible and engaging.

📚  AI in education and assessment: Convert education research into practical tools that can be tested in real educational settings.

🗣️  Language equity and inclusion: Transform communication research into assistive technologies that support people with language barriers.

🏙️  AI for connected cities: Turn urban research insights into decision-support tools that local authorities can pilot and implement.

🔬  AI for science: Build tools that accelerate the scientific process itself, from autonomous discovery and reproducibility to making research evidence accessible and trustworthy.

✨  Wild card: Have a compelling problem that doesn’t fit neatly into the categories above? We welcome ambitious, problem-first projects in any domain where AI can deliver real societal value.

What a strong project looks like

The AI-deas Sprint Programme will provide teams with up to £25,000 of funding to rapidly transform their innovative project ideas into a prototype in 6 months. Teams will be given access to technical support from machine learning engineers, in addition to follow-on opportunities to engage and develop external partnerships and validate their prototypes with end-user communities.

The best Sprint projects start from a concrete problem identified by the people closest to it, and a clear sense of who would use the result. We’re looking for teams who understand the problem they’re tackling, who have established connections or pathways to engage partners or end-user communities to act on a solution, and who have thought realistically about the data, workflows, and relationships it will take to get a prototype working in six months. Projects that arrive with those foundations in place are the ones that go on to attract partnerships and follow-on funding.

Each sprint team will follow a 6-month programme from November 2026 to April 2027:

Challenge definition and team formation (month 1): Interdisciplinary teams form around concrete deliverables and begin rapid development.

Mid-sprint check in (month 3): Teams to provide a project update in a networking event with potential partners.

Demonstration (month 6): Showcase event presenting prototypes to potential funders and implementation partners.

How to get started

  1. Join us for our information session on Wednesday 22 July, 09:30 - 10:30 to find out more about the programme sprint. Make sure to register for the information session here.
  2. Apply to the AI-deas Sprint Programme call here. The deadline for applications is 09:00, Monday 14 September 2026.

  3. This year the programme is run in two stages. All applications will first be assessed by a shortlisting panel against the written proposal.

    Shortlisted teams will then be invited to deliver a short in-person pitch to our selection panel on our pitch day, 5 October, 12:30 - 17:30. The venue will be confirmed shortly.

Apply now

Frequently Asked Questions

The AI-deas Sprint Programme aims to:

  • Accelerate real-world implementation of promising research ideas;
  • Create stronger connections to external partners and stakeholders; and
  • Enhance the impact of the AI-deas portfolio.

This call is open to research staff at the University of Cambridge, working in any discipline, including natural, physical, biological, social, medical, and computer sciences, arts, humanities, and engineering, and the University’s collections community. Funding needs to be held by a member of University research staff who has authority to hold grants, but PhD students may be named on applications. We’re looking for projects that build on our existing portfolio, and for applications to think about how they have engaged with our existing programmes or how they might enhance them.

  • Names, CRSID, department and job title of all team members
  • A 2-page proposal on your project idea that sets out:
  • the problem you hope to address;
  • the proposed solution;
  • the partners or end-user communities positioned to act on the solution, and how you have engaged or will engage with them;
  • the deliverables that would need to be met over six months to deliver a minimum viable product;
  • how you have linked with existing ai@cam programmes or how their work will enhance those programmes.
  • Budget summary
  • Agreement to collaborate with ai@cam on communications activities related to the project

09:00 (UK) on Monday 14 September.

This year the programme runs in two stages. All applications will first be assessed on the written proposal by a shortlisting panel, evaluated on innovation, real-world impact potential, and achievable delivery within the allocated time frame.

Shortlisted teams will then be invited to deliver an in-person 10-minute pitch presentation on their project idea in front of a panel of entrepreneurs, academics and industry experts on our pitch day (5 October, 12:30 - 17:30). We ask applicants to please hold this date in their diary, as we have limited scope for flexibility.

If your team is shortlisted but you or a member of your team aren’t able to be present in person on the pitch day, please get in touch with contact@ai.cam.ac.uk

Up to £25,000 is available for a duration of 6 months. The funding can cover research related and staff costs. Projects should be costed in line with University and Departmental policies.

AI-deas sprint projects will have access to technical support from machine learning engineers while they set up their projects and opportunities to shape a support programme for the cohort.

Teams that have been selected for funding will be announced in late October, following the pitch day. Projects will be set up over the following two weeks, with sprints beginning at the start of November.

Yes, please provide a brief summary in the application form of what you would like to use the funding for. Projects need to be completed within a 6-month time period.

We encourage you to create cross-disciplinary teams; they can be made up of researchers from different departments.

AI-deas sprint projects should fall under one of the following challenge areas:

  • AI for mental health and brain research
  • AI for climate and nature
  • Women’s health and fertility
  • AI for cultural heritage
  • AI in education and assessment
  • Language equity and inclusion
  • AI for connected cities
  • AI for science
  • Wild card (a compelling, problem-first project in any other domain)

Successful AI-deas sprints will be given opportunities to work with external stakeholders to further develop their prototypes, creating pathways to follow-on funding and demonstrable societal benefits.

Researchers may submit more than one application. We’d encourage you to think about strength of application over volume.

  1. Information session: 09:30 - 10:30, Wednesday 22 July. Sign up here.
  2. Application Deadline: 09:00, Monday 14 September
  3. Shortlisted teams will then be invited to deliver a short in-person pitch to our selection panel on our pitch day. The pitch day is: 12:30 - 17:00, Monday 5 October. The venue will be confirmed shortly.

Please complete the application form here by 09:00, Monday 14 September 2026.

You will need to be logged in to your @cam.ac.uk account to access the form.

Please contact ai@cam via: contact@ai.cam.ac.uk