Breakthrough Innovation Researcher

About Arq

What we do

Arq Foundation is an independent, philanthropically funded think tank based in Brussels. We focus on preparing for transformative AI and what it means for Europe, from economic competitiveness and industrial policy to safety, governance, and scientific progress. We produce research that shapes how policymakers navigate these dynamic, global, and unprecedented changes.

We are building an organisation from scratch. That means every early hire shapes what Arq becomes. We’re looking for people with high agency who see incomplete systems as opportunities, think in positive-sum terms, and bring genuine curiosity about the technology and policy questions we work on.

Our Values

• High agency — You take ownership and drive things forward. You don’t just execute; you think along, notice what’s missing or could be improved, and take initiative to fix it. You follow through to outcomes, and use sound judgment about when to act independently and when to align, particularly where there are reputational or stakeholder implications.
• Intellectual humility — You update your views when presented with evidence.
• Positive-sum thinking — You believe in solutions that grow the pie, not zero-sum competition.
• Authenticity — You mean what you say, and you say it with respect and good judgment. You’re consistent in how you show up across contexts.
• Optimism — You believe things can be better and that it’s worth trying.

About the Role

Arq is launching its Breakthrough Innovation workstream: our effort to reform how Europe funds and organises R&D. We work to accelerate the breakthroughs that make the continent stronger and more secure, from discovery through to deployment. Breakthrough here means discontinuous change: new capabilities and new institutions, not incremental improvement of what already works.

In European science policy, there is a rare and important policy window: Competitiveness is at the top of the political agenda, NATO members are raising spending across resilience and dual-use research, and the 10th Framework Programme (FP10), which will set the EU’s research strategy for the next decade, is being determined now. All this creates what might be the single best opportunity to reform European R&D in anticipation of transformative AI systems that could accelerate or change the way science happens altogether.

These shifts come with new questions for Europe. Some will need new answers. Others might have answers already tested elsewhere in Europe or beyond, but not yet surfaced in Brussels. Your role is to bring these areas to Brussels. Metascience is one such area, a field focused on how research gets funded and judged, through experimental funding units, funding lotteries, and distributed peer review. Research-system reform is another, building better institutions such as ARPA-style agencies and focused research organisations (FROs). AI for Science is the third, working out where AI can actually relieve bottlenecks in research and what Europe needs to do to act on that, from datasets to evaluation to procurement.

We are hiring two full-stack policy entrepreneurs to run this work. We don’t silo research from outreach: you own a piece of the agenda end-to-end, from the underlying analysis through to tabled amendments, published concept notes, and the relationships that make them land. And the work doesn’t stop after the politicians are done: a reform that is won in legislation but hollowed out in implementation is no reform at all, so the job runs through to how programmes are actually built.

What You’ll Do

You own a piece of the agenda end-to-end, from the underlying analysis through to the relationships that get it adopted and the implementation that makes it real. The work falls into four areas. The balance shifts over time: it is heavy on legislative work now, while various acts are open, and tilts towards implementation and agenda-building as those files move past trilogue.

Shaping European legislation

This will be your anchor responsibility over the next ~12 months.

• Monitor the dossiers that matter to research and innovation, and read where they are heading before it becomes common knowledge.
• Work the institutions that shape these files, from Parliament committees and rapporteur offices to Council working groups and the Commission, and turn Arq’s positions into tabled amendments and actual legislation.
• Build the briefing materials and relationships that get those positions in front of the right offices at the right moment.
• FP10 is the central file today, with the ERA Act, the European Innovation Act, and others alongside it. This is where most of the visible impact sits over the next twelve months.

Building the policy agenda

• Identify which interventions are worth pursuing, and then build the case for them.
• Adapt mechanisms proven elsewhere to EU legal frameworks and turn them into institutional blueprints.
• In dialogue with stakeholders, keep the question of how AI is reshaping research live throughout the agenda.

Seeing reforms through implementation

• Stay engaged through trilogue and early implementation, so good policy is delivered in practice and not quietly watered down.
• Track how programmes are actually built and intervene where ambition and impact are eroding.

Building coalitions and convening

• Be the Brussels partner for reform-minded officials and national agencies, from Council working groups to national bodies focused on breakthrough innovation, who often have strong ideas but lack someone to frame them in the institutional logic EU co-legislators respond to.
• Bring international experts to Brussels, and run targeted workshops and roundtables with policymakers and funding agencies.
• Gather the evidence base that gives reformers the political air cover to act, and represent Arq’s work at events, panels, and closed-door convenings.

What We’re Looking For

Not all candidates will meet every criterion, and we do not expect anyone to. If you see yourself in much of what follows, we want to hear from you.

Essentials (regardless of your background)

• Motivation for Arq’s mission. You care about preparing Europe for transformative AI and see R&D-system reform as part of that.
• A track record of ownership. You have taken something from idea to outcome and can talk us through how.
• Grounding in the field. Experience in or adjacent to AI, technology, research, or innovation policy, enough to engage credibly with the debates you will be shaping.
• Fluency in English. English is Arq’s working language. Strong written and spoken English is essential.
• Brussels strongly preferred. You are based in Brussels or willing to relocate. An exceptional candidate elsewhere may still be considered.

Where your strengths might lie

The role draws on three kinds of expertise that rarely sit in one person. We are running a single search to fill two positions and read applications generously across all three profiles, so you do not need to cover them all. Think of these as directions rather than boxes; the strongest candidates will combine elements of more than one, so lean into wherever your experience runs deepest.

• The policy operator knows the EU legislative machine from the inside, with experience running files through the Parliament or Commission, ideally in research, innovation, or industrial policy. They can read where a dossier is heading, work shadow and rapporteur offices, and turn our positions into tabled amendments.
• The research-systems specialist has implemented or seriously worked on the intervention portfolio, with particular weight on ARPA-like institutions and new funding mechanisms (FROs, lotteries, distributed peer review). They lend the workstream substantive credibility and can author the concept note as a genuine product of expertise.
• The hands-on science accelerator has worked close to where research actually happens or gets funded, whether as a scientist themselves, in a startup, or as an expert at an innovative science funding agency. They have thought hard about the bottlenecks holding back European science (datasets, evaluation, in-process data, procurement, and the rest) and broader themes that shape the science fundamentally, from AI’s impact on science to uptake in dual-use research. They may have tackled these directly, or be able to engage closely enough with those who have to keep that knowledge current and sniff-test what matters.

Valuable but not required

• A network across European institutions, government, or the research community.
• Experience building something (a team, a programme, an organisation) from an early stage.

Compensation and Benefits

• Salary: €65,000–90,000 gross per annum, depending on experience and fit
• Additional benefits: Equipment budget, learning and development budget and dedicated learning time, meal vouchers, public transport support.
• Paid time off: 20 statutory days + 12 ADV days (working-time reduction days, which come with a 40-hour week in Belgium) + public holidays (~42 days total).

Hiring Process

*We use a short async interview stage early in the process to reduce scheduling overhead, keep timelines fast, and allow multiple reviewers to evaluate candidates consistently.

How to Apply

Submit your application via our application form and select Breakthrough Innovation Researcher from the role dropdown.

You will be asked for your CV, a few short answers on your motivation, fit for the role, and a recent example of work you owned end-to-end. The full application should take 30–60 minutes.

First review: 21 August 2026, with applications considered on a rolling basis after that. We review applications as they arrive and are keen to move quickly for the right candidate, so applying early is to your advantage.

Referrals

Know someone who would be a great fit? We offer a €1,000 referral bonus when the candidate you refer is hired and completes their probation period. We don’t pay bonuses for referrals already known to us or in our pipeline. Submit referrals via our Refer a candidate form.

Encouragement to Apply

We encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet every qualification listed. Research shows that people from underrepresented groups are more likely to doubt the strength of their candidacy, so we urge you not to exclude yourself prematurely. If you need accommodations during the hiring process, contact Sam Bogerd.