Talos Network Policy Leaders Programme

Benefits & funding

• Placement Track: a 12-month full-time placement at an AI-focused organisation, with base compensation of EUR 5,000 a month for placements based in Brussels, adjusted for cost of living in other cities. Talos may offer a higher stipend for outstanding candidates.
• Talos Network pays that money directly as an educational stipend at the end of each month. Fellows are typically not onboarded as employees of the host organisation.
• The fellowship is classified as public and vocational education under German charity and tax law, and the stipend is treated as tax-free income in many European countries. Fellows arrange their own health insurance, and a European EHIC card can usually be used for up to six months.
• Travel, accommodation, breakfast and lunch for the six-day Brussels summit are covered on both tracks.
• Tailored financial support according to need, for example coworking space memberships, conference attendance and career transition costs.
• Intensive one-to-one mentoring and career coaching from the programme leads throughout.
• Access to alumni of earlier cohorts and to the wider Talos network, monthly alumni dinners in Brussels and other European AI governance hubs, and monthly online meet-ups during the placement year.
• Named past placement hosts include the UK AI Security Institute, RAND, KIRA, Windfall Trust, the Centre for European Policy Studies and The Future Society.
• Training Track fellows receive no stipend.

Eligibility

• Placement Track: at least 8 years of experience in high-stakes environments — government, international organisations, think tanks, industry or academia — with a track record of influencing or interacting with senior decision-makers.
• Training Track: 12 or more years of relevant professional experience, plus a current role in which knowledge of European AI governance is useful.
• Placement Track: the right to work in the EU or the UK is required. Applicants must already hold it, or be in the process of obtaining it and expect it during or shortly after the bootcamp. The programme does not sponsor visas. Current location does not matter, provided the applicant is open to moving to Brussels or to their national capital.
• Training Track: fellows do not need the right to work in Europe. This track carries no work-authorisation bar.
• Talos states a strong preference for candidates with European work rights, because many of the most important roles in European institutions are open only to citizens. Europe here means the EU member states, the UK, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Norway.
• Candidates based outside Europe are generally not accepted unless the case is an exceedingly relevant one — for example 5 to 10 or more years of AI lab experience, or policy and lobbying experience in the United States or another relevant middle power country.
• No age limit and no stated degree requirement. The programme looks for experience of working effectively inside policy institutions, or research that transfers into policy.
• About 10 hours a week free during the six-week bootcamp, plus the ability to attend the Brussels summit in person.
• Applicants are expected to have already tested their interest in AI governance through courses, research fellowships or related projects.

Application process

1. 1
   Wait for a cycle to open. Talos posts the application link at the top of the programme page.
2. 2
   Choose the Placement Track or the Training Track inside the application form.
3. 3
   Submit the online application before the published closing date.
4. 4
   Applicants hear whether they have reached the second stage within four weeks of the deadline.
5. 5
   Complete a test task and an interview. Talos sends detailed instructions before each stage.
6. 6
   Selection follows: Spring cohort fellows are usually chosen in December, Autumn cohort fellows in July.
7. 7
   Placement Track fellows are then introduced to potential host organisations, often more than one, and pick the best fit with the programme leads.

Program timeline

1. applications have closed. Talos publishes no application deadline on the programme page; each new window is announced at the top of that page

   Autumn 2026 cohort

2. July 2026

   Autumn 2026 fellows selected

3. European AI Policy Bootcamp, weekly calls on Thursdays, 17:00 to 19:00 CET

   10 September to 22 October 2026

4. six-day Talos Summit in Brussels

   3 to 9 October 2026

5. 12-month placements begin for Placement Track fellows

   Late 2026

6. December 2026

   Spring 2027 cohort selected; that cohort starts in January