4th Call for Founding Heads of R&D Laboratories

Deadline: December 15, 2026

Aumenti le sue possibilità di arrivare alla fase del colloquio leggendo la descrizione completa del lavoro e candidandosi tempestivamente.
The Italian Institute of Artificial Intelligence (AI4I) is seeking for talented and ambitious Heads of R&D Laboratories to lead the next generation of AI research and development in AI-driven industries
APPLICATION DEADLINE

Hybrid arrangements may be negotiated.

Lead the next generation of artificial intelligence research for industrial innovation.

The Italian Institute of Artificial Intelligence (AI4I) invites applications from outstanding, entrepreneurial and ambitious researchers to establish and lead new R&D Laboratories at the intersection of frontier artificial intelligence and industrial transformation.

Founding Heads

will define the scientific identity of their Laboratories, build internationally competitive teams, create reusable AI assets, and translate research excellence into industrial, technological and societal impact.

AI4I is seeking outstanding AI researchers and scientific leaders capable of making major, original contributions to frontier artificial intelligence and its industrial application. Candidates are invited to propose a distinctive R&D Laboratory, define its scientific identity and set out a credible four-year path from research excellence to reusable technological assets, industrial validation and impact.

About AI4I’s R&D Laboratories

R&D Laboratories are the cornerstone of the Institute’s scientific and technological architecture.

Each Laboratory may focus on foundational AI methods, enabling platforms or application-driven domains and is expected to grow beyond its initial endowment by attracting competitive research funding, industrial collaborations and technology-transfer opportunities.

AI4I Laboratories operate at the convergence of frontier research and real-world validation, primarily across TRL 2–6. They are expected to produce internationally visible science while creating reusable software, models, datasets, benchmarks, prototypes, IP and industrial demonstrators. Collaboration and cross-fertilization across Laboratories are strongly encouraged.

Labs are at the centre of an articulated organization:

Collaboration:

Collaboration and cross-fertilization between labs are strongly encouraged.

HPC & AI Supercomputing Resources:

An extensive GPU-based accelerated computing facility and high-performance data infrastructure is available to support lab activities.

Engineering Support:

A dedicated Engineering unit provides on-demand, specialized support in high-performance computing (HPC), software engineering, data engineering, and more.

The Institute for Advanced Study:

The FCSP Institute of Advanced Study, as an integral part of AI4I organization, provides continuous contact with and exposure to cutting-edge AI research at the world’s leading academic and industrial organizations, enriching and supporting advanced research activities.

Academic Collaborations:

A broad network of collaborations with leading research institutions and universities, through joint research programs, international grants, and doctoral grants, provides opportunities to broaden and deepen the scope of research.

Entrepreneurship:

A “spin-off friendly” policy and a network of agreements with VC funds, accelerators, etc., encourage entrepreneurship among AI4I researchers. This is further facilitated by our physical proximity to key players in the deep-tech startup ecosystem.

Business Development:

A dedicated business development unit ensures continuous exposure to numerous industrial partners, expanding opportunities for research and development. It also supports securing additional funding opportunities such as European and national grants.

What We Are Looking For

AI4I is looking for leading AI researchers with the ambition and scientific depth to make major contributions to frontier artificial intelligence and its industrial application. The call is open to distinctive proposals across the full spectrum of foundational methods, enabling technologies and application-driven domains, and candidates are invited to define the scientific direction they consider most original and consequential.

Within this broad and open scope, AI4I has identified several areas of particular interest, reflecting current strategic opportunities for the Institute and its industrial ecosystem. The areas listed below are intended to highlight these opportunities rather than delimit the call: proposals outside them, spanning multiple areas or introducing entirely new research directions are equally encouraged, provided they are grounded in a compelling scientific vision and a credible path to industrial impact.

The areas of particular interest are: