Get an introduction through a structured ten-week cohort, or pursue a larger goal through individualized research mentorship.
A ten-week applied AI program for students with prior programming experience. Learn the foundations, join a small Applied Lab, and complete one substantial project.
A three-to-six month engagement for students ready to pursue a larger technical goal, competition target, research paper, or production system.
Both programs end in technical work a student can defend. What changes is the structure, the level of customization, and how long you have.
| DIMENSION | AI Innovators | 1:1 Research Fellowship |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Small cohort with a 3–5 student Applied Lab | One-to-one apprenticeship with a specialist |
| Length | 10 live weeks | 3–6 months |
| Next start | September 12 – November 22, 2026 | Rolling — matched when a specialist is available |
| Weekly commitment | 3 live hours + 1–2 project hours | Weekly 1:1 session + independent build time |
| Prerequisite | Prior programming experience | Meaningful programming or project experience |
| Curriculum | Shared AI and research foundation, then track work | Scoped to the student’s named target |
| Mentorship | Core instruction plus a weekly lab pod | A dedicated specialist matched to the field |
| Direction | Choose one of two Fall tracks | The student’s own goal defines the scope |
| Outcome | One finished, defensible project | A competition entry, paper, production system, or launch |
| Admissions | Application, then a program-fit and track-placement call | Consultation, then a specialist match |
Cohort lab
1:1 mentor
10 weeks
3–6 months
September 12 – November 22, 2026
Rolling
3 hrs + build
Weekly 1:1
Python ready
Project ready
Shared core
Custom scope
Lab pod
Specialist
Pick track
Named goal
One project
Paper / launch
Fit call
Match call
Most students start with the cohort. Students who already have a target and the background to chase it start with a mentor.
The two programs are designed to stack. Nothing about the cohort is a prerequisite for the Fellowship, but it is the most common path into it.
Ten weeks on how modern AI systems actually work, plus research design and project scoping — enough to make real technical decisions instead of guessing.
Enter an Applied Lab of three to five students, pick a specialist track, and finish one project you can explain end to end.
Bring a named target to a matched specialist and spend three to six months building the competition entry, paper, system, or product around it.
The differences are structural. The bar for the work, and who the student works with, is the same in both.
Every student works with people who have won, published, or shipped in the field they teach.
The standard is not a finished demo. It is a student who can defend how the thing was built.
Written feedback and code review between sessions, not just live time.
Code, documentation or a paper, a presentation, and a concrete plan for what comes next.
If the answer you need is not here, the fit conversation covers it.
Yes, and most Fellowship students come from AI Innovators. The cohort builds the foundation and produces a first project; the Fellowship takes a specific goal further with a specialist. There is no requirement to do them in that order if a student already has the background.
If you are unsure, apply to AI Innovators. The application takes about ten minutes and the fit conversation covers both programs — if the Fellowship is the better match for the student’s background and goal, we will say so.
For AI Innovators: you can write and debug your own programs in some language, typically a year of coursework or equivalent self-directed work. For the Fellowship: you have already built something substantial and can point to it.
No. The scope is built around the student’s target and the mentor’s field. That is the core difference between the two programs — AI Innovators teaches a common foundation, the Fellowship starts from your goal.
We say so on the consultation call rather than assigning a generalist. Timing and specialist availability are part of the admissions conversation.
The application takes about ten minutes. We use the fit conversation to place the student in the program that matches their background and goal.
Start the application
