CNRS PNRIA call for proposals

As part of its mission to strengthen research in artificial intelligence (AI), the French National AI Research Programme (PNRIA) is launching a call for projects to identify research initiatives that could benefit from technical and scientific support provided by PNRIA AI engineers.

This support is intended for well-defined research projects with solid scientific foundations and clear objectives, requiring technical assistance for the implementation, optimisation, experimentation, or deployment of AI-based methods and tools.

Documents to provide and link to the survey website

To apply for this call, please find below the link to the project submission questionnaire and the templates for the documents you will be asked to complete during the procedure:

• CNRS PNRIA policy to validate during the procedure: CNRS PNRIA charter (FR)
• Scientific document template to be completed: Scientific document template (FR)
• Link to the survey website: PNRIA CFP

Support details

Support terms: Several person-months with a final evaluation (3 to 9 person-months are usually allocated to the projects)

Scope of support:

Assistance may include:

    design and implementation of machine learning architectures
    development of tools, prototypes, or scientific demonstrators

Human resources: Each selected project will be supported by 1 or 2 PNRIA engineers, working closely with the hosting research team.

International cooperation

If the project involves a researcher or team affiliated with the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers, a co-supervision or joint support by Helmholtz AI consulting may be arranged. This mechanism aims to strengthen Franco-German collaborations in AI and foster exchange of expertise between both research communities.


Eligibility criteria

Projects must

• Be led by a French academic research team
• Present a clear scientific objective, a technical roadmap, and a feasible support plan for the duration of the requested support.
• Specify the technical skills requested from the PNRIA engineer(s)
• Indicate any international collaborators, especially those affiliated with Helmholtz Association.

Submission procedure

Candidate teams are invited to submit an application file including:

• a 2‑pages presentation of the scientific objectives and expected outcomes
• a description of the required technical support
• a project schedule with expected deliverables
• an approval from the line manager
• contact details of the scientific coordinators and, if applicable, the international partners

Selection will be based on scientific relevance, technical feasibility, and alignment with the expertise available within the PNRIA engineering team.

This call is organized within the framework of France2030  (ANR project "Ingénieurs du PNRIA" - ANR 24-RIIA-0001 led by CNRS Informatics).