Paid AI and EU Law Summer Fellowship 2026: Earn up to €2,000 per Week in Cambridge While Shaping AI Governance

If you care about how artificial intelligence is regulated in Europe and you can think like a lawyer, this is one of those rare opportunities that can tilt an entire career.

The Institute for Law and AI Summer Research Fellowship (EU Law) 2026 is a paid, full‑time summer program that drops you right into the deep end of AI governance: serious research, real policy questions, and direct contact with people who are actually shaping EU AI law.

This is not a “pad your CV with a line item and sit in the corner summarizing PDFs” experience.

You are looking at:

• €1,000 per week in compensation, plus
• up to another €1,000 per week for living costs if you are based in Cambridge,
• travel‑covered participation in the Cambridge Forum on Law and AI, and
• close mentorship from researchers who live and breathe AI governance.

And crucially, they explicitly welcome applicants from all countries, including Africa and other regions outside the EU, as long as you can meet work authorization requirements for where you will be based.

If you are a graduate law student, early‑career professional, or academic who wants to work at the intersection of EU law, AI regulation, and public policy, this is the kind of fellowship that can change what doors open for you over the next decade.

At a Glance

What This Summer Fellowship Actually Offers

Think of this fellowship as a structured crash course in becoming a serious voice in EU AI governance.

First, the money. Fellows receive €1,000 per week as a baseline stipend. If you work in person at the Institute’s Cambridge office (which they strongly encourage), you can receive up to another €1,000 per week to help cover living costs. That means a full‑time summer in Cambridge where you are not scrambling for side gigs or worrying about rent.

For candidates with particularly strong backgrounds—say you already worked on the EU AI Act, clerked at a top court, or have a strong publication record—they may offer higher compensation.

Second, the work itself. You are not just reading memos; you are expected to apply serious legal reasoning to urgent, unresolved questions about how AI should be governed under EU law. That could mean:

• Analyzing how the EU AI Act interacts with fundamental rights under the Charter.
• Looking at liability questions: who is responsible when AI systems cause harm?
• Examining gaps between AI safety research and current legislative proposals.
• Drafting material that might actually inform policymakers, think tanks, or regulators.

Third, the people and network. You work closely with the Institute’s researchers and affiliates, including:

• Dedicated mentorship on your research directions and writing.
• Q&A sessions with leading experts in AI law and policy—people who spend their days talking to regulators, AI labs, and civil society organizations.
• Exposure to policy practitioners, from EU agencies to national regulators, and potentially industry and lab actors.

Previous fellows have gone on to roles at the EU AI Office, the UK AI Safety Institute, AI labs, universities, and think tanks—including at LawAI itself. This is a serious pipeline, not just a speculative “maybe someone will see your CV” program.

And then there is the Cambridge Forum on Law and AI in August. Being admitted to the forum, with flights, accommodation, and meals covered, gives you a front‑row seat to high‑level debates on AI regulation. You are no longer just reading about these discussions on blogs; you are in the room.

The fellowship is also deliberately intellectually developmental. Alongside your research, you get:

• Career planning support if you are weighing options: academia vs. public sector vs. think tanks vs. industry.
• Opportunities to discuss next steps like follow‑on funding, future collaborations, and even job possibilities with LawAI or partner organizations.

In other words, this fellowship is both a paid summer job and a career accelerator for people who want to work seriously in AI governance.

Who Should Apply (And Who Will Actually Be Competitive)

This program is aimed squarely at people who understand law deeply and want to apply that training to AI.

You are likely a strong fit if you see yourself in some of these profiles:

• Graduate law students (LLM, JD, LPC/BPTC, Master’s, early PhD) who have taken courses in EU law, technology law, data protection, human rights, competition, or administrative law and can translate those concepts to AI.
• Practicing lawyers or legal trainees interested in transitioning into AI governance—maybe you work in tech, data protection, consumer protection, or human rights and want to pivot toward AI specifically.
• Early‑career academics or researchers, including doctoral students or postdocs in law, public policy, or related fields, who are writing or planning work on AI regulation, digital regulation, or EU governance.
• Policy professionals with substantial legal training who want to strengthen the doctrinal side of their AI policy work.

They explicitly welcome applicants from all countries, whether or not you studied in the EU or are qualified to practice in an EU jurisdiction. So if you are, for example, a Nigerian LLM student in South Africa writing about the EU AI Act, or a Kenyan lawyer working on digital policy who has independently studied EU regulatory models—you are very much in the target group.

The non‑negotiable piece is this: you need a solid understanding of legal principles applicable to AI regulation under EU law. You do not need to be a walking encyclopedia of every article of the AI Act, but you should be able to reason comfortably about:

• How EU regulatory frameworks work (e.g., risk‑based regulation, fundamental rights, role of agencies).
• How concepts like liability, due diligence, or data protection might apply to AI systems.
• Why AI raises new or intensified legal concerns compared with traditional software.

What you do not need is deep technical AI expertise. They want people who are legally sharp and curious about AI, not necessarily people who can write PyTorch code. You should, however, be ready to learn enough technical context to make your legal writing meaningful and not just hand‑wavy.

You must also be able to:

• Commit to full‑time work from June 29 to September 4, 2026. Minor adjustments to start or end dates may be considered in exceptional cases, but they clearly prefer fellows who can attend the entire program.
• Attend the in‑person week in Cambridge from July 6 to 10, 2026, with travel, accommodation, and meals covered.
• Hold valid work authorization for wherever you will be based. They will try to support visa sponsorship if you are offered a place, but ultimately immigration authorities decide. This is particularly important if you are based in the UK or planning to relocate to Cambridge.

If you are unsure whether your background “counts” as strong EU law understanding, imagine explaining the core logic of the EU AI Act, or how it interacts with GDPR, to a smart non‑lawyer in 10 minutes. If that feels doable—with some prep—you are probably in range.

Insider Tips for a Winning Application

This will be a competitive fellowship. Here is how to give yourself a real shot.

1. Show you can think like an EU AI lawyer, not just recite doctrine

In your application, do not just list courses or say “I am interested in the EU AI Act.” Show how you reason.

For example, you might briefly explain:

• A specific tension you see between innovation incentives and fundamental rights in AI regulation.
• A concrete problem: e.g., “How should EU law handle frontier models with cross‑border impacts when accountability chains are unclear?”

You want them to think: “This person can actually help us think through real questions.”

2. Tie your background to AI governance, even if it is indirect

Maybe you have not worked directly on AI before. Fine. Then connect the dots.

If you did work in:

• Data protection: explain how that shapes your thinking about AI model training and deployment.
• Human rights: discuss how you would approach AI systems used in migration control or policing.
• Competition law: reflect on concentration of power in AI labs and platforms.

Make it obvious how your prior work prepares you to tackle AI‑specific issues.

3. Be honest and specific about your research interests

You do not need a fully fleshed‑out thesis, but you should have real questions.

Instead of saying: “I am interested in the risks of AI and EU law,” say something like:

“I am particularly interested in how the EU AI Act’s risk categories will be operationalized for general‑purpose models, and how that interacts with existing product safety and liability frameworks.”

Specificity signals that you are ready to hit the ground running.

4. Treat the asynchronous interview as a writing sample in video form

The asynchronous exploratory interview is only ~30 minutes, but it is where they evaluate:

• How clearly you explain complex issues.
• How you think about AI’s impact on society, law, and policy.
• Whether you can avoid jargon and still be precise.

Prepare three or four key points you want to hit: a core concern about AI, a reason EU law is uniquely positioned (or not) to respond, an example, and your long‑term motivation. You want to sound thoughtful, not rehearsed.

5. Use the research interview to signal that you are a good collaborator

In the research interview, they will test your fit with the program and team.

Come ready with:

• One or two potential research angles you would be excited to pursue.
• A realistic understanding of what you can achieve in 10 weeks.
• A willingness to adapt your ideas to the Institute’s priorities.

Ask smart questions: e.g., “How do you usually integrate fellows into ongoing projects?” or “What kind of outputs (memos, papers, policy briefs) do fellows typically produce?”

6. Make your motivation credible, not theatrical

They do not need grand statements like “AI will determine the fate of humanity” unless you can back them up with careful reasoning.

Instead, focus on why you personally are committing your time and career to this area—maybe:

• You worked with communities already affected by algorithmic decision systems.
• You care about aligning rapidly advancing AI with democratic oversight.
• You see EU regulation as a template for other regions, including your own.

Grounded motivation is far more persuasive than slogans.

Application Timeline: Working Backward From January 30, 2026

The formal deadline is January 30, 2026 at 11:59 pm ET, but you should pretend it is earlier.

Here is a realistic planning timeline:

• By early December 2025: Decide you are applying. Skim recent developments in EU AI law (especially the AI Act and related policy debates) to refresh your thinking. Identify which parts of your background best align with the fellowship.

• Mid–December 2025: Draft your core application answers in a separate document—especially anything asking about your motivation, experience, and research interests. Share with one trusted colleague or mentor who knows your work.

• First half of January 2026: Refine your answers, tightening them for clarity and focus. Confirm your availability for the full‑time dates and the in‑person week; check any conflicts with exams, clerkships, or work.

• By January 20, 2026: Finalize your responses and double‑check key logistical details like passport validity and potential visa needs, especially if you expect to be based in Cambridge.

• January 25–28, 2026: Complete and submit the online form. Do not flirt with the deadline—technical errors on January 30 cannot be fixed.

After submission:

• February–early March 2026: Expect the asynchronous exploratory interview and, if you advance, the research interview.
• By mid‑March 2026: The Institute aims to send final decisions. If you need a decision sooner due to other offers, make that clear in your application.

Required Materials and How to Make Them Strong

The application form is supposed to take around 20 minutes, but only if you already know what you want to say. You will likely need:

• Personal and contact details, including current institution or employer.
• Background on your legal training: degrees, jurisdictions, relevant courses.
• Short answers about your interest in AI law and policy, especially EU law.
• Description of your research interests or questions you might like to explore.
• Availability confirmations for the program dates and the in‑person Cambridge week.
• Information about your work authorization status and any visa constraints.
• Possibly a CV or short academic/professional profile (if the form requests uploads, have a crisp 2–3 page CV ready).

When preparing your answers:

• Treat each text box as mini‑advocacy: you are advocating for yourself as someone who can contribute meaningfully in 10 weeks.
• Keep your writing clear and organized—one idea per paragraph where possible.
• If you have publications, notable cases, or policy experience, highlight only what is most relevant to AI and EU law rather than dumping your entire history.

Your CV (if requested) should foreground:

• Law degrees and ongoing study.
• Courses or theses in EU law, tech law, human rights, or related fields.
• Any writing—academic, policy briefs, blog posts—touching digital regulation or AI‑adjacent topics.
• Work experiences that show you can handle responsibility, research, or policy work.

What Makes an Application Stand Out to Reviewers

While the Institute does not publish a scoring rubric, you can reasonably assume they care about four things:

1. Substantive legal capability

They want to see that you can think rigorously about law, especially EU law. Evidence includes:

• Strong academic record in relevant subjects.
• Professional experience handling complex legal questions.
• Writing samples (if discussed) or descriptions that show analytical depth.

You do not have to know every detail of the AI Act, but you do need to show that you can learn fast and reason carefully.

2. Genuine interest in AI governance, not general tech hype

They are not looking for people who just like gadgets or buzzwords; they want candidates who care about how AI systems intersect with law, institutions, and real people.

Concrete signals:

• Prior work on related tech governance topics (data protection, platform regulation).
• Self‑directed learning: reading serious writing on AI safety, EU AI regulation, and governance.
• Specific concerns or questions you are already grappling with.

3. Capacity to produce meaningful outputs in one summer

Reviewers will ask: “If we bring this person in for 10 weeks, will they generate analysis, writing, or research that moves things forward?”

Help them say yes by:

• Proposing realistic research goals.
• Showing you have completed complex projects before (theses, major memos, litigation, policy reports).
• Demonstrating you can work independently and do not need constant hand‑holding.

4. Long‑term trajectory in the field

They are trying to “empower experts of today and tomorrow.” Your application stands out if your long‑term plans make sense in that light.

Explain clearly:

• Where you see yourself in 5–10 years—e.g., in EU institutions, national regulators, academia, public interest orgs, or AI labs’ policy teams.
• How this fellowship fits into that path—what you hope to learn, who you hope to meet, and what you plan to do with that experience.

Common Mistakes to Avoid (And How to Fix Them)

Mistake 1: Vague “AI is important” statements

Saying “AI will impact all aspects of society” does not distinguish you from anyone else.

Fix: Tie your interest to specific legal questions, like fundamental rights impacts, enforcement challenges, or institutional design in the EU context.

Mistake 2: Treating this like a general academic summer school

This is not just a reading group. They expect you to work full time and contribute to serious research and analysis.

Fix: Signal that you are ready for that level of commitment. Mention previous full‑time roles or intensive projects and how you managed them.

Mistake 3: Hand‑waving around EU law if you are from outside Europe

If your degree is not from an EU institution, reviewers may wonder how well you know EU law.

Fix: Explicitly mention any EU‑law‑relevant coursework, research, or self‑study. If you focused on EU regulation in your thesis or a paper, say so. Show you are not starting from zero.

Mistake 4: Ignoring the practical constraints

If you cannot realistically attend the in‑person week or do not have a path to work authorization, that will be a problem.

Fix: Be transparent and concrete. If you anticipate visa challenges, show that you have thought them through (e.g., current status in the UK or EU, typical processing times, previous visa experience).

Mistake 5: Waiting until the last day to submit

Submitting at 11:57 pm ET on January 30 is an excellent way to watch your browser crash.

Fix: Set yourself a personal deadline at least three days before the official one. Treat January 27 as the real deadline.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to already be an AI expert?

No. You do not need to write code or have a machine‑learning research background. You do need:

• A strong legal foundation, particularly around EU law and regulation.
• Genuine interest and willingness to quickly absorb the technical basics relevant to your work.

Curiosity plus legal rigor beats shallow tech enthusiasm.

Can I apply if I am based in Africa or another non‑EU region?

Yes. The fellowship is open to applicants from all countries. Your eligibility hinges on:

• Your ability to work full‑time during the fellowship dates.
• Your work authorization for wherever you will be based (e.g., UK, EU, or elsewhere if you work remotely, depending on arrangements).
• Whether visa sponsorship is practically feasible in your situation.

They will “make every reasonable effort” to support visa sponsorship for successful candidates, but authorities make the final call.

Do I have to be in Cambridge, or can I work remotely?

They strongly encourage fellows to work in person in Cambridge with LawAI staff, and the funding structure (living support) is designed with that in mind.

At a minimum, you must be able to attend the in‑person week in Cambridge from July 6–10. Beyond that, whether a hybrid or remote arrangement is possible will depend on program needs and your work authorization; plan on Cambridge being the default.

What kind of outputs will I produce?

This will vary by fellow and project, but typical outputs might include:

• Policy memos or briefing notes on specific AI governance questions.
• Draft academic or quasi‑academic papers.
• Analytical notes or frameworks for internal or external stakeholders.
• Contributions to ongoing LawAI projects that combine legal, policy, and technical input.

You should expect to write a lot, and at a high standard.

How many hours per week is “full time”?

Assume a standard full‑time workweek (roughly 35–40 hours) devoted to the fellowship. This is not something to juggle alongside another full‑time commitment.

Can I get a decision earlier because of another job or scholarship deadline?

Possibly. The Institute aims to notify all applicants by mid‑March, but if you need a decision by a particular date, state that clearly in your application. They may be able to accommodate if they know in advance.

Can I reapply in a future year if I am not selected?

While they do not explicitly say so, fellowships of this type generally allow reapplications. If you are not selected, use the coming year to:

• Strengthen your EU law grounding.
• Produce at least one substantial piece of writing in AI or tech governance.
• Gain experience in policy, research, or legal practice that touches digital regulation.

Your second application will be stronger if you can show clear progress.

How to Apply

Ready to throw your hat in the ring? Here is how to move from “this sounds interesting” to a submitted application.

1. Read the official information carefully. Before anything else, visit the application page and read through all current details. Programs occasionally tweak timelines or requirements.

2. Block out time for a serious draft. Even though the form is billed as a 20‑minute task, give yourself several hours to think and write. Draft your answers offline; then paste them into the form.

3. Align your story. Make sure your CV, your short answers, and your stated research interests all tell a coherent story: you are someone with real legal training, a growing focus on AI governance, and a plausible path to impact in the field.

4. Double‑check dates and logistics. Confirm you can:

   • Work full time from June 29 to September 4, 2026 (or very close, if you request a justified adjustment).
   • Attend the in‑person Cambridge week, July 6–10, 2026.
   • Realistically handle visa and work authorization processes if you are not already authorized.

5. Submit well before January 30, 2026. Aim to send your form a few days early to avoid last‑minute glitches. Once submitted, keep an eye on your email for interview invitations.

Ready to apply? Visit the official application page here:

Apply Now: https://airtable.com/app5cvdeXoRE1FvKj/pag4U6UPbUKKTSl4i/form

If you are serious about shaping how AI is governed in Europe—and you want a summer where your legal training is actually used on live questions—this fellowship is absolutely worth the effort.