Mateen Program — Apply as a student or project participant
A guide for participants
This guide is for students, researchers, professionals, and capable self-taught applicants considering the Mateen Program — SAIF's project-based applied AI research and talent-development program. It explains eligibility, what to prepare, how review works, and what to expect during a project cycle.
Who this is for
You may apply from inside or outside Syria, regardless of nationality, when your skills and interests are relevant to Mateen projects and to SAIF's mission in Syria and the Levant. Formal university enrolment is not required. Eligible applicants may include students, researchers, professionals, and capable self-taught applicants.
Applicants under 18 are not part of the present intake, unless SAIF later establishes a specifically supervised youth pathway.
What to prepare
Before applying, it helps to have ready:
- A short description of your current education or professional background.
- A summary of your technical and applied AI experience.
- Links to a portfolio, GitHub, LinkedIn, personal website, or similar, if available.
- A short statement of your motivation for applying to Mateen.
- Your general availability and any constraints on remote or in-person participation.
Eligibility and suitability
Applications are assessed according to project needs, readiness, relevant skills, availability, commitment, and project fit. Applying does not guarantee admission, matching, employment, funding, or project assignment.
How review works
Review is human and project-specific. SAIF considers eligibility, technical and project fit, readiness, availability, and commitment; a conversation or short practical exercise may be used where relevant.
Responsibilities and expected commitment
If matched to a project, you should expect a normally focused active delivery period of approximately eight weeks — not a guarantee or a rigid requirement, as actual duration and commitment expectations depend on the specific project. Participation may be remote, hybrid, or in person, depending on the project, and generally continues throughout the delivery period, including a final review, presentation, documentation, or transition step.
Cost and financial support
Applying to Mateen is free. Any stipend, travel support, equipment, computing access, or other financial support depends on the specific project and program cycle, and will be communicated before you accept participation. Do not assume support is available unless it is explicitly stated.
Privacy, consent, and the Syrian Computer Society
As with any SAIF form, your information is handled under SAIF's Policies and Code of Conduct, which you are asked to acknowledge when applying.
The application also includes a separate, optional, unchecked consent question about sharing relevant parts of your submission with the Syrian Computer Society, for consideration in one clearly identified joint activity — Training of Trainers is one example. This consent does not authorize any other information transfer, and it is never treated as declined simply because it was not asked.
What selection does and does not imply
Being matched to a project is not a guarantee of employment, funding, publication, continued study, or startup formation. It means SAIF has assessed your application as a good fit for a specific project at this time.
What happens after you apply?
- SAIF confirms receipt immediately.
- The Mateen team reviews your background, interests, availability, readiness, and project fit.
- We may request clarification or invite you to a conversation or short practical exercise where relevant. We explain the format, expected duration, and preparation in advance; it is not intended to test every area of AI.
- You may be invited to a next stage, shortlisted for a project, waitlisted, retained for a future suitable opportunity with your consent, or told there is no suitable match at present.
- Selection is not final until the project, commitment, dates, participation terms, and any support are confirmed.
Who can apply and what participation may offer
You do not need to be an established AI researcher. University and graduate students, researchers, software or technical practitioners, engineers, domain specialists, professionals, and capable self-taught applicants may be suitable. Different projects require different backgrounds: some need established AI experience; others value a sound technical or analytical foundation, learning ability, motivation, domain knowledge, commitment, and availability. Do not avoid applying merely because you lack experience in one specific AI field. Project requirements differ, and any project-specific prerequisites will be communicated for that opportunity.
Selected participants may gain experience with a real applied-AI problem, collaboration with an institution and project team, mentor guidance, exposure to research, data, engineering, evaluation, product, or delivery methods, a documented contribution where confidentiality permits, consideration for later SAIF opportunities, and professional relationships. These are potential benefits, not guaranteed outcomes.
The Mateen Program does not guarantee employment, paid work, project placement, future engagement, publication, funding, commercial adoption, public portfolio use, or assignment to a preferred specialization. Applying is free. Any stipend, travel, equipment, connectivity, computing access, or other support is project- or cycle-specific and is communicated before participation is accepted.
Frequently asked questions for participants
Do I need to be a university student to apply?
No. Formal university enrolment is not required. Students, researchers, professionals, and capable self-taught applicants may all be considered, based on project needs.
Can I apply from outside Syria?
Yes. You may apply from inside or outside Syria, regardless of nationality, when your skills and interests are relevant to Mateen projects and to SAIF's mission in Syria and the Levant.
Does applying guarantee I will be matched to a project?
No. Applying does not guarantee admission, matching, employment, funding, or project assignment. Applications are assessed against project needs, readiness, relevant skills, availability, commitment, and project fit.
Is there a fee to apply?
No. Applying to Mateen is free.
Will I receive a stipend or other support?
Any stipend, travel support, equipment, computing access, or other financial support depends on the specific project and program cycle, and will be communicated before you accept participation. Do not assume support is available unless it is explicitly stated.
What does the optional consent question about the Syrian Computer Society mean?
It is a separate, optional, unchecked question that asks whether you consent to SAIF sharing relevant parts of your submission with the Syrian Computer Society for consideration in one specific joint activity — Training of Trainers is one example. It does not authorize any other information transfer, and leaving it unchecked is not treated as a decline.
Do I need advanced AI experience, Python, or one specific specialization?
No universal language, specialization, or formal-degree requirement applies. Some projects need established AI experience; others suit strong analytical or technical foundations, learning ability, motivation, domain knowledge, and availability. Any project-specific prerequisites are communicated for that opportunity.
Will every applicant be interviewed or given a test?
No. Some opportunities may include a conversation or short practical exercise where relevant. SAIF explains its purpose, expected duration, preparation, and accessible alternatives in advance.
Am I eligible if I am under 18?
Applicants under 18 are not part of the present intake, unless SAIF later establishes a specifically supervised youth pathway.
Apply as a student or project participant
Applying is free and does not guarantee a project match, but it is the only way to be considered.