27.01.2026
Next Frontier AI Launches at EurIPS in Copenhagen
Next Frontier AI – our initiative to establish Europe an equal player in frontier AI – made its debut at EurIPS 2025 in Copenhagen in early December, marking a decisive step towards establishing Europe as an equal player in frontier AI.
EurIPS brought together 2,200 attendees at the Bella Center, with the conference selling out ahead of schedule. As Europe's answer to the North American-dominated AI research landscape, EurIPS provided a natural stage for an initiative with equally bold ambitions: to build three new Frontier AI Labs for research and deployment in Europe.
The two strategic heads of our initiative, Johannes Otterbach and Mirko Holzer of SPRIND, presented the initiative in a session that sparked significant interest and discussion. SPRIND coordinates a European coalition with a unique mandate: deploy public money to pursue breakthroughs others can't risk. For Next Frontier AI, this means backing researcher-founders to develop frontier models with access to legal, strategic, and company-building support. This begins with a competitive challenge starting in July 2026, in which we aim to identify up to three teams capable of raising €1B in equity on their path to becoming a European AI champion.
Beyond the formal presentation, our stand became a focal point throughout the week. The space attracted a steady stream of researchers, builders, investors, and policymakers engaged in substantive discussions about Europe’s position in AI and the technical possibilities ahead. The stand served as an informal gathering space where ideas were tested, connections formed, and the initiative's vision took shape through direct exchange.
The feedback and energy from EurIPS have been instrumental in shaping our direction moving forward:
“I’m now calling on all builders, hackers, researchers, VCs, corporates, policymakers, startups, investors – you name it – to assemble and help us to move the needle on deployed AI within Europe. We have the resources, but we need to discover and align them now.”
With the launch behind it, Next Frontier AI now moves into its next phase: hitting the road across Europe. Between early March and May 2026, we will host events about frontier AI in seven cities, creating spaces for builders, researchers, and potential co-founders to connect, debate bold theses and pressure-test their ideas.
The goal is clear: recruit the people who share our vision and are ready to turn Europe’s AI ambitions into reality.