Career development award
Vienna Research Groups for Young Investigators 2027: AI/ML for Vienna
Vienna Science and Technology Fund (WWTF)
- at 13:00 UTC
- Up to €1,800,000
- Postdoc · Early independent researcher
- Austria
- Apply with a supervisor or host
About
The Vienna Science and Technology Fund (WWTF) funds up to four new research groups in Vienna under its Vienna Research Groups for Young Investigators programme, in the Information and Communication Technology area with the theme “AI/ML for Vienna”. Applicants choose one of two tracks, each ranked separately. The “Foundational AI/ML Research” track is for candidates advancing the theoretical or methodological foundations of AI/ML. The “Advancing discipline(s) with AI/ML” track is for candidates in other fields, such as life sciences, physics, environmental sciences or the social sciences and humanities, who develop AI/ML concepts or methods to answer open questions in their field. Proposals must make genuine methodological contributions rather than apply existing tools. A group typically runs six to eight years with a maximum budget of EUR 1.8 million; the call reserves EUR 7.2 million.
The deadline is 2 March 2027 at 14:00 CET via the WWTF Funding Portal. An online information session takes place on 21 January 2027 (14:00–16:00 CET), hearings in September 2027 and the funding decision in October 2027.
Eligibility
Covers: Up to EUR 1.8 million per research group for a group that typically runs six to eight years, with a permanent position at the latest after a successful interim evaluation; EUR 7.2 million is reserved for up to four groups. Industry partners are not eligible for funding.
The research group is hosted by a university or non-profit research institution in Vienna. At application the candidate must be based at an institution outside Austria: no Austrian employment contract in the three months before the deadline and at least two of the last three years employed at a foreign research institution. Partners outside Vienna may receive up to 20% of the requested funding.
The future group leader (VRG candidate) applies in tandem with a proponent, an established scientist at a university or non-profit research institution in Vienna that will host the group and selects the candidate through an internationally advertised recruitment. Candidates are early-career researchers, generally postdocs, up to eight years after their PhD (cut-off 2 March 2019), extendable by up to four years for care duties. Candidates must be based outside Austria: no Austrian employment contract in the three months before the deadline, and at least two of the last three years employed at a foreign research institution. Austrian citizens returning from abroad are welcome. Non-university hosts must show academic links to a university partner.
Source: wiki.wwtf.at