CHAIR Research Themes call for 2026

Grant period: 1 April 2026 – 31 March 2027
Grant amount: Maximum 500 000 SEK per theme
Call deadline: 28 February 2026
Publication of grant award: No later than 31 March 2026
Number of granted projects: 3

What are CHAIR Research Themes? 

Themes are ambitious, focused activity programs, dedicated to topics within one or more of the tracks AI Foundations, AI for Science and AI Applications. The programs are expected to foster and disseminate excellent AI research at Chalmers, to strengthen and generate new external collaborations, and to create opportunities to learn from world-class international researchers. 

A CHAIR Research Theme should:

• Cover a range of topics broad enough to garner a consistent audience at Chalmers, and specific enough for most participants to have interests in common. As a guide: the scope should be slightly broader than most NeurIPS workshops, but much narrower than NeurIPS itself.
• Be organized by Chalmers researchers  who have demonstrated research excellence within topics related to the theme. We also welcome GU researchers in active collaboration with Chalmers researchers to co-organize themes, but require that at least one of the main organizers is employed at Chalmers or at a shared department. PhD students and post-docs are welcome to co-organize themes, but cannot be lead PI for a theme. This is important to ensure the quality of activities and international networks.
• Contribute to positioning Chalmers nationally and internationally within AI.
• Organize activities where research groups (and/or industry partners) can meet, exchange knowledge and ideas, and form collaborations. 

What activities are funded?

Research Themes are expected to organize activities that a) help build the AI research community at Chalmers, and b) disseminate knowledge across departments or from international researchers to local groups. Typical examples include:

• Seminar series dedicated to the theme topics
• Workshops and conferences
• Industry meet-ups
• MSc thesis fairs, thesis awards
• Grant workshops, collaboration retreats
• Communication of research results
• PhD courses
• Summer schools

However, we are more than open to suggestions from theme organizers that expand on these examples. 

CHAIR will not fund the following activities through research themes: 

• Regular conference/workshop travel for organizers
• Salary for the organizers
• Hardware/material purchases

Neither of these examples directly contribute to the Chalmers AI research community.

Operational support from CHAIR

Research Themes are intended remove obstacles for researchers who want to organize events around AI researchers, and allow them to focus on intellectual output and exchange of ideas, both within Chalmers and internationally. Aside from the grant budget, the center will contribute:

• Support from CHAIR:s administrative coordinator, communications officer and financial officer
• Contacts with industry and public partners
• Space for smaller events in the Origo building

Proposal

Proposals should use the template provided below and submit it to chair@chalmers.se before the end of the deadline day.

Evaluation criteria

Proposals will be evaluated by the CHAIR Scientific Committee based on the following criteria:

• Quality of the proposed activities in terms of their relevance to the theme, their potential for community building and knowledge transfer, their feasibility, and their value for money. 
• Strength of the organizing team in terms of their research output in areas related to the theme, their national and international network, and their experience hosting activities. 
• Community interest for the theme at Chalmers and externally, as described by the organizers. 

When the proposals have been reviewed and selected, funded projects will prepare a detailed project plan and simplified budget for the grant period to be handed in within the first month.