The ELLIS unit Amsterdam provides travel grants for BSc and MSc students of the University of Amsterdam to present their papers at top-tier ML or AI conferences. Students are encouraged to submit a request for funding after acceptance of the paper, but well before the camera-ready deadline of their paper. Note that the quality of the conference will be important for the decision to grant the award.

Who can apply?

To be eligible for an ELLIS travel grant, applicants must:

• Be a bachelor’s or master’s student at the University of Amsterdam’s Faculty of Science
• Have written a paper on an ELLIS-relevant topic that is accepted at the main venue of a top-tier conference (machine learning or artificial intelligence related)*. Papers accepted at workshops (including those held in conjunction with top-tier conferences) no longer qualify for this grant.
• Be the presenting author of the paper. Only one student (among co-authors) per paper can apply for the ELLIS/Qualcomm travel grant. MSc AI students can only apply if they have also requested the MSc AI internal funding for conference visits. The ELLIS travel grant can be used as a top-up for expenses that exceed the amount funded by this MSc AI programme. 
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What can be applied for?

Costs eligible to be covered by the ELLIS travel grant are costs for travel, accommodation, conference registration, and meals. In their application, students are asked to submit a budget with a reasonable estimate for these costs (please see: https://www.caorijk.nl/cao-rijk/bijlage-6). In case the travel grant is awarded, the student’s actual costs will be reimbursed retroactively upon submission of receipts and/or invoices, if reasonable. The recipients of the travel grants should submit all the expense claims in one time/attempt.

MSc AI students can only apply for the ELLIS travel grant if they have also requested the MSc AI internal funding for conference visits. The ELLIS travel grant can be used as a top-up for expenses that exceed the amount funded by the MSc AI programme.

How to apply?

To apply, please send a completed application form (word/pdf) along with details on your paper and travel to ellisinfo-science@uva.nl along with the following information:

– The title and abstract of the accepted paper (on the form);

– A budget with estimated costs for the conference visit (on the form);

– The complete list of names of all the authors of the paper (on the form);

– Acceptance notification of the paper;

– For MSc AI students: a confirmation that funds from the Msc AI have been requested (this should also be included in the budget);

– A one-page resumé and transcript of your grades so far.

What to do after the grant is awarded?

The ELLIS unit Amsterdam will ask the recipients of the ELLIS travel grant to acknowledge ELLIS and Qualcomm in the acknowledgments section of their paper and on their scientific posters or presentation slides. To make this possible, please apply as soon as you receive your acceptance notification. Furthermore, grantees are asked to provide their papers to the ELLIS unit Amsterdam. The name of the grantees, the title of the papers, and the conferences will be listed on the ELLIS unit Amsterdam website. The grantees are required to present their research at an ELLIS unit Amsterdam event.  

If you have questions regarding the travel grants, you may wish to check the FAQ below. If you still can’t find answers to your questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at ellisinfo-science@uva.nl. Kindly let us know the complete list of names of all the authors of the paper.

*A maximum of two co-authors can receive the Travel Grants if the paper is accepted at the main venue of a top-tier conference

ELLIS offers an honours programme for talented MSc students at the University of Amsterdam, allowing them to connect with leading researchers and top-tier academics in their field. In the ELLIS honours programme, you are first conducting an independent research project together with an ELLIS member at the University of Amsterdam. With your Amsterdam supervisor, you will start a collaboration with an ELLIS member at an ELLIS partner institution outside of the Netherlands (host institution), and conduct your MSc thesis under their joint supervision. During your thesis project, you will spend (a minimum of) two weeks at the host institution, sponsored by the ELLIS Amsterdam honours programme. Students admitted to the ELLIS honours programme that successfully finish their independent project and thesis and finish their degree cum laude will be awarded an ELLIS Amsterdam MSc honours certificate.

What does the programme offer?

The ELLIS Amsterdam MSc honours programme allows you to connect with excellent researchers in your field, and covers up to 2,500 euro of expenses to visit your co-supervisor at an ELLIS partner institution outside of the Netherlands. Students that successfully finish the ELLIS honours programme will get the opportunity to present their MSc thesis work at an ELLIS workshop organised for ELLIS honours students and will be awarded an ELLIS Amsterdam honours certificate if they graduate cum laude.

Who can apply?

The ELLIS Amsterdam honours programme is open for excellent MSc students obtaining a degree in artificial intelligence, computer science, computational linguistics, or related fields. Applications are open for students who are in their second semester and have a grade point average of at least 8.0 and no single grade lower than 7.0. Third semester applications may also be permitted, if you have already started a research project that is not your thesis with an ELLIS member at the university of Amsterdam.

We encourage strong applications from women, people of color, LGBTQ people, and members of other marginalized communities.

How to apply?

Step 1. Identify a potential supervisor

Step one in the application process is to find a suitable supervisor. To do so, start by having a look at potential supervisors at the people page of the ELLIS Amsterdam website. All ELLIS members at the University of Amsterdam can serve as potential supervisors. To find out more about the research topics of the different researchers, check their website and publications, to which links are provided under their photo.

Step 2. Approach a potential supervisor

After you have identified a potential supervisor, you can approach this supervisor to ask them if they have the time and are interested in supervising you. We recommend you to send an email in which you briefly explain something about your research interests and why you are excited about working with this supervisor, and attach your CV and grades to this email. If you have the opportunity to first talk with your prospective supervisor in person, this may help you to capture their interest. If your prospective supervisor agrees to supervise you, you can move to step 3.

Step 3. Find a second supervisor

Now that you have found a supervisor at the UvA, your next step is to find a second supervisor at a different ELLIS institution abroad. You should find your second supervisor in consultation with your UvA supervisor. Your supervisor will likely have some suggestions, but you are free to suggest potential second supervisors yourself as well. A list of all ELLIS members, which are eligible to be a second supervisor, can be found at the ellis.eu webpage.

Step 4. Write a research proposal

Together with your first and potentially also second supervisor, you can now write a brief research proposal of maximally 250 words, in which you describe the research that you will conduct with them. Put the research proposal in the application form, and collect (digital) signatures of both your supervisors. You don’t have to specifically mention what you will do in your independent project, and what in your thesis, but bear in mind you have to do research with your supervisor before starting the thesis!

Step 6. Submit your application

To apply, please send an application form (word/pdf) along with a one-page CV, and your transcript as one merged pdf file to ellisinfo-science@uva.nl.

Honours certificates

If you successfully complete the ELLIS Honours programme, you will receive a certificate. Requirements to receive the certificate are:

• You were admitted to the ELLIS Honours programme (see above);
• You have conducted a prior research project under supervision of an ELLIS member at the University of Amsterdam and can show that (for instance by a grade in your grade list, a report, publication or preprint);
• You have conducted your MSc thesis under the joint supervision of the same ELLIS member at the University of Amsterdam and another ELLIS member at an institution outside of the Netherlands;
• You have done a research visit of at least two weeks to the partner institution of your co-supervisor;
• You graduated cum laude.

Honours students will get the opportunity to present their MSc thesis work at an ELLIS workshop organized for the ELLIS Honours students as well as other ELLIS events.

The ELLIS unit Amsterdam asks the MSc Honours students to acknowledge ELLIS unit Amsterdam in the acknowledgment sections of their papers and on their scientific posters or presentation slides. The students are also asked to provide to the ELLIS unit Amsterdam their research information. The name of the Honours student, the research and/or paper information, and the conferences where the papers are published, if any, will be listed on the ELLIS unit Amsterdam website. 

The Amsterdam ELLIS unit financially supports short visits of talented master students to the University of Amsterdam. The ELLIS unit Amsterdam MSc hosting programme can be used to cover costs of MSc students obtaining a degree related to Artificial Intelligence that visit an ELLIS member at the UvA in the context of an existing collaboration between the host researcher and an ELLIS member in a different country.

Who can apply?

You can apply for funds from the ELLIS unit Amsterdam MSc Hosting Programme if you are an ELLIS researcher at the UvA and would like to host a master’s student in the context of a joint project with an ELLIS researcher at an ELLIS partner institution.

The ELLIS Amsterdam Msc Hosting programme supports costs made by master students temporarily hosted at the UvA, but the application should be done by their supervisor and signed by both the student and supervisor.

What can be applied for?

The ELLIS Amsterdam MSc Hosting programme covers costs for short research visits of MSc students to ELLIS members at the University of Amsterdam. The ELLIS Amsterdam Msc Hosting programme covers up to 2,500 euro in costs. The minimum duration of the visit is one week. Eligible costs are:

• Travel costs to travel to the University of Amsterdam
• Accommodation costs in Amsterdam

Applicants to the ELLIS Amsterdam MSc Hosting Programme are asked to submit a reasonable estimate of the costs to be made (please see: https://www.caorijk.nl/cao-rijk/bijlage-6). The costs funded through the ELLIS Amsterdam MSc Hosting Programme are reimbursed retroactively upon submission of receipts, if reasonable.

How to apply?

To apply, ELLIS members at the University of Amsterdam can send an application form (word/pdf) along with the CV of the visiting student to ellisinfo-science@uva.nl. The form requires signatures from the local supervisor at the UvA, the ELLIS collaborator abroad, and the visiting student.

Applications will be evaluated on the quality of the student as well as the suitability of the project and collaboration.

Hosting students will get the opportunity to present their MSc thesis work at an ELLIS workshop organized for the ELLIS Honours and Hosting students as well as other ELLIS events.

The ELLIS unit Amsterdam asks the MSc Hosting students to acknowledge ELLIS unit Amsterdam in the acknowledgment sections of their papers and on their scientific posters or presentation slides. The students are also asked to provide to the ELLIS unit Amsterdam their research information. The name of the Hosting student, the research and/or paper information, and the conferences where the papers are published, if any, will be listed on the ELLIS unit Amsterdam website. –

The ELLIS PhD & Postdoc Program supports excellent young researchers by connecting them to leading researchers across Europe and offering a variety of networking and training activities, including summer schools and workshops. ELLIS PhDs and postdocs conduct cutting-edge curiosity-driven research in machine learning or a related research area with the goal of publishing in top-tier conferences in the field.

See a list of our current ELLIS PhDs and postdocs here!

There are two two tracks within the ELLIS PhD & Postdoc Program: the academic track and the industry track. These tracks have separate requirements for admission and criteria for activity during the appointment, but otherwise offer the same benefits, network and resources to the applicant. 

Academic Track: PhDs and postdocs in the academic track are supervised by one ELLIS fellow/scholar or unit faculty, and one ELLIS fellow/scholar/member from different European countries. During their appointment, they visit the exchange institution for a minimum of 6 months (normally sponsored by the exchange institution and ELISE Mobility Grant). See the list of ELLIS Amsterdam Fellows, Scholars, and Members here.

Industry Track: PhDs and postdocs in the industry track will be part of a collaboration between an academic institution and an industry partner. The candidate will spend a minimum of 50% of their time at the academic institution, and at least 6 months (cumulative) with the industry partner. For this track, both advisors may be located in the same country. The academic advisor must be an ELLIS fellow or scholar, and the industry advisor can be an ELLIS fellow, scholar, or member*. ELLIS Amsterdam is proud to have the most industry track students of the ELLIS network, thanks to our widespread collaborations with industry through partnerships such as the Bosch-Delta and QUVA labs.

Visit ellis.eu/phd-postdoc and check out the information deck for more details about the ELLIS PhD and Postdoc Program. 

Who can apply? (MSc students in their final year)

Prospective students may apply through the central ELLIS application portal to become a PhD student within the ELLIS network (deadline once a year in November). In their application, applicants choose from a set of ELLIS research areas and indicate preferences for ELLIS fellows, scholars or unit faculty they would like to work with. Candidates will be centrally reviewed for excellence by a pool of experts; the best candidates will be eligible for the ELLIS program and may be invited for interviews by individual advisors. See ellis.eu/phd-postdoc for more information on applying.

*It is now possible for industry representatives to join the ELLIS PhD & Postdoc program as Industry Track advisors if they are not ELLIS Members, if they have already published a first-author paper together with the applying student candidate in a top-tier publication in machine learning or related sub-fields (see ellis.eu/members for a list of accepted publications).