Deadline: April 16, 2026
Applications are open for the Mila AI Policy Fellowship 2026. AI is rapidly reshaping society. Yet a significant gap remains between research and policy, as policymakers struggle to process the vast information needed to make decisions that serve societal needs.
Mila’s AI Policy Fellowship bridges this gap, connecting research and policy through a socio-technical approach. This six-month program brings together experts from AI and other fields, including the social sciences and humanities, to collaborate on real-world challenges.
Through public events and policy briefs, Fellows translate research into practical, evidence-based guidance for local and global decision-makers. Each year, a new cohort works with Mila AI Advisors and the Mila AI Policy Secretariat to develop policy insights that address societal challenges and opportunities related to AI development, deployment, and governance, within the framework of annual thematic areas.
Benefits
- The fellowship is paid. Compensation is based on an hourly rate for a dedicated 15 hours per week. The rate is variable within a set range based on profile and experience.
- All travel and event-related costs associated with the required in-person components of the fellowship are covered by the program.
Eligibility
The Mila AI Policy Fellowship welcomes junior and senior researchers and professionals from public policy, social sciences, humanities, or related fields who aim to apply AI expertise for policy impact. Designed for those active in academia, civil society, public service or private sector with relevant policy experience, the Fellowship allows participants to pursue a focused, time-bound project alongside existing commitments, with the aim of bridging research, practice, and policy impact.
Specifically, they are looking for researchers and practitioners with:
- A graduate degree (MSc, MA, or equivalent) in a relevant field such as public policy, law, ethics, AI, sociology, economics or related disciplines.
- At least 3 years of professional or academic experience.
- Demonstrated policy related experience or expertise, either through roles interfacing with policy-making processes or through subject matter expertise.
- An original, relevant, and feasible proposal demonstrating strong subject knowledge, commitment, and the potential for real-world policy impact.
- Experience with interdisciplinary or multi-stakeholder initiatives is an asset.
Application
To apply to Mila’s AI Policy Fellowship Program, you must:
- Create your application on the Awards platform, where you can save your application and return to it before submission
- Ensure you meet listed eligibility requirements
- Complete the application form
- Upload all required documents
For the application to be considered complete, you must submit:
- A fully completed application form that meets the program requirements
- A project proposal (approximately 2 pages, maximum 1,000 words)
- One published writing sample (e.g., academic publication, policy brief, blog post, or other professional writing)
- Contact information to one reference
- A CV
The project proposal must:
- Clearly identify key objectives with specific policy issue(s) or gap(s), target audiece(s), and intended policy impact
- Align with the selected thematic area (or other relevant area) and the Fellowship’s objectives, contributing to interdisciplinary collaborations and the translation of research into actionable policy insights
- Demonstrate feasibility within the six-month fellowship period
- Describe your policy relevant experience or expertise
- Represent original, independent work and must not be heavily AI-generated
For more information, visit Mila AI Policy Fellowship.
