KU Leuven AI Safety Lab Visiting Fellowships 2027 | €2,000 Monthly Allowance in Belgium
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The KU Leuven AI Safety Lab Visiting Fellowships 2027 offer researchers an opportunity to spend three months in residence at KU Leuven in Leuven, Belgium, working on a self-directed research project related to AI safety. The programme will select five visiting fellows for the first cohort running from March to May 2027.
The KU Leuven AI Safety Lab fellowship is designed for researchers interested in the large-scale risks of advanced artificial intelligence, democratic control of AI companies, AI governance, and related questions. Fellows become part of a multidisciplinary research community while receiving a €2,000 monthly allowance.
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KU Leuven AI Safety Lab Visiting Fellowship 2027 Overview
| Opportunity | Details |
|---|---|
| Fellowship | KU Leuven AI Safety Lab Visiting Fellowship |
| Location | Leuven, Belgium 🇧🇪 |
| Host | KU Leuven AI Safety Lab |
| Duration | 3 months |
| First cohort | March – May 2027 |
| Cohort size | 5 fellows |
| Allowance | €2,000 per month |
| Level | PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers, faculty and researchers outside academia |
| Deadline | 31 October 2026 |
| Application method | Email application |
| Work mode | In residence; remote participation is not possible |
About KU Leuven AI Safety Lab
The KU Leuven AI Safety Lab conducts academic research on the large-scale risks of advanced AI and who controls advanced artificial intelligence.
The Lab is anchored in philosophy but takes a strongly multidisciplinary approach. Its research welcomes perspectives from fields including law, political science, economics, psychology and computer science, as well as adjacent disciplines.
The KU Leuven AI Safety Lab Visiting Fellowship provides researchers with an opportunity to become part of this research environment for three months in Leuven.
What Is the KU Leuven AI Safety Lab Visiting Fellowship?
The KU Leuven AI Safety Lab Visiting Fellowship 2027 is a three-month residential research fellowship for researchers who want to pursue an independent project connected to AI safety.
Five fellows will form a multidisciplinary cohort and participate in the Lab’s day-to-day research environment.
Rather than following a fixed research project, fellows develop and complete a self-directed research project that fits one of the Lab’s research programmes or makes a strong contribution to AI safety through another research direction.
KU Leuven AI Safety Lab Research Programmes
Applicants must indicate which research programme their project belongs to.
1. Theories of Victory and Viable Endgames
This programme examines positive futures involving advanced AI.
Researchers may explore what a good outcome from advanced AI could look like in concrete terms and what conditions would need to exist for society to reach that outcome.
The research can therefore focus on questions surrounding desirable AI futures, pathways to achieving them and the conditions necessary for viable endgames.
2. Democratic Control over AI Companies
This programme examines the concentration of power created by AI-enabled frontier AI companies.
It considers the institutional, legal and political mechanisms through which democratic societies could exercise meaningful control over powerful AI companies.
Applicants interested in AI governance, regulation, political institutions, law and technology policy may find this research programme particularly relevant.
3. Other AI Safety Research
Strong proposals outside the two named programmes can also be considered.
However, applicants must demonstrate a clear contribution to AI safety and explain why the proposed research is important.
What Does the KU Leuven Fellowship Provide?
Successful fellows receive several forms of academic and research support.
€2,000 Monthly Allowance
The KU Leuven AI Safety Lab Visiting Fellowship provides an allowance of €2,000 per month.
The allowance is intended to cover accommodation and other living costs during the three-month fellowship.
Three Months in Leuven
Fellows spend three months in residence at the Lab’s offices in Leuven, Belgium.
Each fellow receives a desk and access to KU Leuven libraries and facilities.
Visiting Scholar Status
Fellows receive formal status as a visiting scholar at KU Leuven.
The fellowship does not create an employment contract. Fellows remain responsible for their own tax and social-security situation.
Research Supervision and Feedback
Fellows receive supervision and feedback from the Lab’s core team.
They also have opportunities to present work in progress during internal seminars and receive feedback from the research community.
Conference and Summer School Opportunities
Fellows can present their work at the Lab’s annual conference and summer school.
They are also expected to contribute to the organisation of the annual conference and/or summer school, providing additional opportunities to engage with the research community.
Who Can Apply for the KU Leuven AI Safety Fellowship?
The KU Leuven AI Safety Lab Visiting Fellowship is open to a broad range of researchers.
Eligible applicants include:
- PhD candidates
- Postdoctoral researchers
- Faculty members
- Researchers working outside academia
Applicants outside academia should clearly demonstrate that the fellowship stay serves a research purpose.
The Lab particularly encourages applications from women, minorities and underrepresented groups.
KU Leuven AI Safety Fellowship Requirements
The fellowship is designed as an intensive residential research experience.
In-Person Presence
Fellows are expected to regularly attend the Leuven office during the fellowship.
The programme does not prescribe a specific number of days in the office. Instead, it is designed around a shared research environment where fellows can interact directly with colleagues.
Remote participation is not possible.
Research Output
Each fellow is expected to complete a research paper by the end of the fellowship.
The completed paper should be deposited as a preprint on arXiv, PhilPapers or an equivalent repository and submitted to a target publication venue identified in the research plan.
Research Dissemination
Fellows are expected to present their research at the Lab and actively disseminate their work after the fellowship.
Contribution to Lab Activities
Fellows will assist with the annual conference and/or summer school.
These activities also provide fellows with opportunities to showcase and discuss their own research.
Co-authorship
Co-authored research papers are encouraged, although co-authorship is not a requirement.
KU Leuven AI Safety Fellowship Application Materials
Applicants need to prepare three main documents.
1. Curriculum Vitae
The CV must be no more than two pages, including a list of publications.
Applicants should therefore make the CV concise and focus on their strongest academic and research experience.
2. Cover Letter
The cover letter must be no more than one page.
It should explain:
- Your motivation for applying
- Your fit with the KU Leuven AI Safety Lab
- What you hope to gain from the three-month research stay
3. Research Plan
The research plan can be up to 1,500 words.
It should cover:
- The research question
- Why the research question matters for AI safety
- Research methodology
- Theory of change
- Expected academic, policy or field-building impact
- Target journals, conferences and workshops
- Why the project can realistically be completed within three months
- The KU Leuven AI Safety Lab research programme you are applying to
The research plan is particularly important because the selection process assesses both the quality of the proposed research and its feasibility within the fellowship period.
How Competitive Is the KU Leuven AI Safety Fellowship?
The KU Leuven AI Safety Lab will select only five fellows for the first cohort.
Because the fellowship combines a small cohort with a specialised research focus, applicants should submit a highly focused and well-developed research proposal.
A strong application should demonstrate:
- A clear and important AI safety research question
- Strong originality
- A convincing research methodology
- A realistic three-month research timeline
- Strong alignment with one of the Lab’s programmes
- A credible theory of change
- The ability to contribute to the Lab’s research community
Applicants should avoid submitting a broad research idea that cannot realistically be completed during a three-month residential fellowship.
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KU Leuven AI Safety Fellowship Selection Criteria
Applications are assessed according to five main criteria.
Research Quality and Originality
The Lab evaluates the quality and originality of the proposed research.
Programme Fit
The proposed project should fit one of the available research programmes or clearly demonstrate its relevance to AI safety.
Theory of Change
Applicants need to explain how their research could create an impact.
This could involve academic impact, policy impact or field-building impact.
Three-Month Feasibility
The research project must be realistically achievable within the three-month fellowship period.
Contribution to the Research Community
The Lab also considers what the applicant would contribute to its research community.
How to Prepare a Strong KU Leuven AI Safety Fellowship Application
Applicants should treat the research plan as the centrepiece of the application.
Make the Research Question Specific
Instead of presenting a broad topic such as “AI safety,” identify a precise research question that can be investigated within three months.
Explain Why It Matters
Clearly connect the research question to AI safety.
The selection committee should be able to understand why answering the question could matter for AI governance, AI safety research, policy or broader field-building.
Demonstrate Feasibility
A three-month fellowship requires a realistic research plan.
Explain what you will accomplish during the fellowship and how you will move from research question to completed paper.
Show Your Theory of Change
Explain what you expect your research to influence and through what route.
For example, explain whether the expected contribution is primarily academic, policy-related or intended to build capacity within the AI safety research field.
Demonstrate Programme Fit
Clearly identify whether your research belongs under:
- Theories of Victory and Viable Endgames
- Democratic Control over AI Companies
- Other AI Safety Research
Then explain the connection.
KU Leuven AI Safety Fellowship Timeline 2027
The application process follows a clear timeline:
- 21 September 2026: Call published
- 31 October 2026: Application deadline
- November 2026: Interviews for shortlisted applicants
- End of November 2026: Successful applicants contacted
- March – May 2027: First fellowship cohort in residence
KU Leuven AI Safety Fellowship Deadline
The deadline for the KU Leuven AI Safety Lab Visiting Fellowship 2027 is:
31 October 2026
Applicants should prepare their CV, cover letter and research plan before the deadline and ensure that the application is sent to the correct email address.
How to Apply for the KU Leuven AI Safety Lab Visiting Fellowship
Applications should be sent by email to:
The subject line should follow the format:
“Fellowship application — [programme]”
Questions about the fellowship programme can also be sent to the same email address.
Career Benefits of the KU Leuven AI Safety Fellowship
The KU Leuven AI Safety Lab Visiting Fellowship can provide valuable research and professional development opportunities for researchers interested in advanced AI.
Potential benefits include:
- Research experience within a specialised AI safety research lab
- Visiting scholar status at KU Leuven
- Access to KU Leuven libraries and facilities
- Feedback from experienced researchers
- Opportunities to present research
- Participation in a multidisciplinary research community
- Development of a publishable research paper
- Exposure to AI governance and AI safety research
- Networking with researchers from different academic disciplines
- Opportunities to contribute to an annual conference and summer school
Who Should Consider Applying?
The KU Leuven AI Safety Lab Visiting Fellowship 2027 may be particularly suitable for researchers working on topics connected to:
- Artificial intelligence safety
- AI governance
- AI policy
- AI regulation
- AI companies and power concentration
- Democratic control of technology
- Philosophy of AI
- Political science and AI
- Economics and AI
- Law and artificial intelligence
- Psychology and AI
- Computer science and AI safety
- Long-term risks of advanced AI
The fellowship is also suitable for researchers outside traditional academic careers when their proposed stay has a clear research purpose.
Final Thoughts
The KU Leuven AI Safety Lab Visiting Fellowship 2027 offers five researchers the opportunity to spend three months in Leuven, Belgium, developing an independent research project focused on AI safety.
With a €2,000 monthly allowance, visiting scholar status, access to KU Leuven facilities, research feedback and opportunities to present work, the fellowship provides a strong environment for researchers working on advanced AI safety and governance questions.
The first cohort will be based in Leuven from March to May 2027, and the application deadline is 31 October 2026.
Researchers interested in the KU Leuven AI Safety Fellowship 2027 should focus on developing a clear, original and feasible research plan that demonstrates strong alignment with the Lab’s research programmes.
Application deadline: 31 October 2026.
