AI Partnership & Exchange for Tech Leaders (APEX)

Program Purpose

The U.S. Embassy Riyadh Public Diplomacy Section is accepting applications for a cooperative agreement to run the AI Partnership & Exchange for Tech Leaders. The goal of this program is to connect rising Saudi Artificial Intelligence (AI) leaders with American experts in business, tech, and academia. This initiative helps participants build professional networks, study U.S. technology standards, and create lasting partnerships between American and Saudi institutions.

Target Audience and Participants

The program should be designed for Saudi nationals aged 20 to 30. Participants must be undergraduate, graduate, or post-doctoral students, or recent graduates who are studying or working in AI-related fields (such as data science, robotics, or machine learning). They must also speak fluent English and show strong leadership potential. Provide three complete budget scenarios for 12 participants, 16 participants (primary), and 20 participants.

Applicants must provide budget scenarios for three participant cohort sizes:

· 12 participants

· 16 participants (primary scenario)

· 20 participants

Each budget scenario should maintain program quality while demonstrating cost-effectiveness at different scales.

Program Components

In addition to the planning and preparation with the Embassy and partner organizations, the selected partner will plan and run three mandatory participant-focused phases:

Trimmed here, the full scope, expected outcomes and award criteria are on the official topic page ↗.