AgenTrust Fellowship to Advance Open Standards for Verifiable AI Agents 2026

Applications are now open for the AgenTrust Fellowship to Advance Open Standards for Verifiable AI Agents 2026, a paid fellowship for engineers, researchers, and AI governance professionals interested in building the next generation of open infrastructure for trustworthy artificial intelligence.

The fellowship is organized by OPAQUE, a company specializing in Confidential AI, and is designed to support the development of open standards that enable AI systems to be independently verified. Over six months, selected fellows will contribute to the AgenTrust open-source ecosystem while working alongside leading experts in AI governance and confidential computing.

About the AgenTrust Fellowship

Artificial intelligence is increasingly being deployed in sectors such as healthcare, finance, government, and critical infrastructure. As AI systems become more autonomous, ensuring transparency, accountability, and security has become an important challenge.

The AgenTrust Fellowship was created to address this challenge by bringing together technical experts and governance practitioners to develop open standards that make AI systems verifiable and trustworthy.

Rather than building commercial AI products, fellows will contribute to open-source infrastructure that allows organizations, regulators, and developers to verify how AI agents operate while protecting sensitive data and models.

Fellowship Benefits

Selected fellows will receive a comprehensive package of financial and professional support, including:

• A stipend ranging from US$30,000 to US$50,000 for the six-month fellowship.
• Flexible part-time participation (20 hours per week).
• The opportunity to keep existing employment while participating.
• Direct mentorship from Imran Siddique, OPAQUE's Chief Platform Officer and creator of the Agent Governance Toolkit (AGT).
• Opportunities to contribute to internationally recognized open-source AI governance projects.
• Collaboration with experts in AI security, confidential computing, and policy.
• Professional recognition through the publication of a technical artifact such as:
  • A research paper.
  • A conference presentation.
  • An engineering or technical blog.
• Global networking opportunities with researchers and practitioners working on trustworthy AI.

Fellowship Areas

During the programme, fellows may contribute to several cutting-edge technical areas, including:

• AI governance.
• Runtime verification.
• Confidential computing.
• Cryptographic attestation.
• Open AI standards.
• Agent identity.
• Secure AI infrastructure.
• Policy enforcement.
• Machine-executable governance.
• Verification of AI system behaviour.

Participants may work on projects within the AgenTrust ecosystem such as:

• TRACE.
• Agent Manifest.
• Confidential MCP.
• Agent Governance Toolkit (AGT).

Eligibility Criteria

The fellowship welcomes applicants from several technical and policy backgrounds.

Ideal applicants include:

• Security engineers who have experience testing or securing AI systems.
• Researchers working in formal verification.
• Distributed systems researchers.
• PhD students.
• Postdoctoral researchers.
• AI governance practitioners.
• Compliance professionals.
• Professionals interested in trustworthy AI and open technical standards.

Who Should Apply?

The fellowship is particularly suitable for professionals interested in:

• Artificial Intelligence.
• AI Safety.
• AI Governance.
• Cybersecurity.
• Confidential Computing.
• Distributed Systems.
• Machine Learning Infrastructure.
• Formal Verification.
• Digital Trust.
• Compliance and AI Regulation.

Selection Process

Applicants will be evaluated primarily on the strength of their technical proposal.

The proposal should explain:

• How the applicant intends to contribute to the AgenTrust ecosystem.
• The technical problem they wish to address.
• Their relevant expertise and experience.
• The potential impact of their proposed work.

Required Application Materials

Applicants should prepare:

• A completed online application.
• A technical proposal outlining their intended contribution.
• Professional or academic background information.
• Relevant experience in AI, security, governance, or related fields.
• Any additional documents requested through the official application portal.

How to Apply

Interested applicants should:

1. Review the fellowship objectives and technical focus areas.
2. Develop a strong technical proposal explaining how they will contribute to the AgenTrust ecosystem.
3. Gather relevant supporting information about their professional or academic experience.
4. Complete the online application form.
5. Submit the application before the deadline.

Since applications are assessed based on technical merit and the quality of the proposed contribution, applicants should ensure their proposal is clear, practical, and aligned with the fellowship's goals.