Are you developing an artificial intelligence-based technology that could become an exceptional startup?

Could your innovation contribute positively to people, society or the nation?

Do you have the personal ambition to launch a tech startup?

AIR26 is a launchpad for researchers from across the UK to create innovative AI startups. Our programme is a supportive yet challenging experience intended for researchers who are ambitious to commercialise their technology through a startup.

Organised by Future Worlds (University of Southampton), Responsible Ai UK and The UCL Centre for Digital Innovation (UCL CDI), the six-month AIR26 programme starts in September 2025. Interested researchers are invited to attend a two-day Bootcamp (2-3 September 2025) to establish if the full programme is a good fit for them and their technology. Attending the Bootcamp is a pre-requisite for joining the full six-month programme.

Join the AIR26 Bootcamp

Join a two-day startup immersion and explore the commercial potential of your idea or technology.

The AIR26 Bootcamp is a two-day event designed to enable aspiring startup founders to assess whether their artificial intelligence idea or technology has the potential to become a scalable startup.

Designed by startup experts, the Bootcamp takes founders through the core principles of a startup, including business models, market potential, customers and technology.

At the end of the Bootcamp, you can choose to pitch for a space on a fully-funded six-month acceleration programme that will get your startup investor-ready.

This Bootcamp is free to attend, and reasonable travel and accommodation costs are covered.

Key dates

• Applications open 09:00 Monday 7 July
• Applications close 23:59 Sunday 17 August
• Outcomes communicated by 17:00 Friday 22 August
• Bootcamp Tuesday 2 September 10:00 – 18:00 & Wednesday 3 September 09:00 – 16:00

This is an in-person event, hosted in Winchester (University of Southampton Winchester campus).

Application form

The application form is linked here. The form will close for application at 23:59 on Sunday 17 August.

Who is this for?
– This Bootcamp is for researchers who intend on commercialising their research through launching a startup
– You may already be building the startup or will have ambitions of doing so this year
– This opportunity is particularly designed for researchers who can build, or have already developed, the technology that is core to their startup idea. Support is available to teams without the technical expertise needed to develop their product, provided artificial intelligence is core to their innovation

Why attend?

The AIR26 Bootcamp is a great way to quickly assess whether your startup idea has the capacity to grow and flourish.

During the two days, we give the founders all the information and support they’d need to assess the viability of their idea and their best course of action.

Over the course of the Bootcamp you will:
– Develop your understanding of key startup concepts including product-market fit and value proposition
– Apply these concepts to your own startup
– Develop a high-level plan for the next steps for your startup
– Practice pitching your startup
– Meet other founders in the AI startup community
– find out all about the next step AIR26 Cohort programme and decide if now is the right time for you to apply

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for this opportunity, you/your startup should meet each of these criteria:

– You are working on a startup/idea that uses artificial intelligence
– Your startup/idea embodies a responsible use of artificial intelligence
– At least one of your team is a UKRI-funded researcher
– Your startup/idea is linked to UKRI-funded research
– You are resident, and eligible to work, in the United Kingdom

UKRI funding bodies include:
– Arts and Humanities Research Council
– Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
– Economic and Social Research Council
– Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
– Innovate UK
– Medical Research Council
– Natural Environment Research Council
– Research England
– Science and Technology Facilities Council

Contact for questions

Please feel free to contact AIR26 programme manager Dr Alice Iles with questions: alice.iles@soton.ac.uk