Apart Sprints

Apart Sprints is the research hackathon program of Apart Research, an independent AI safety organization founded in 2022 by Esben Kran in Copenhagen, Denmark. The sprints program is Apart Research's primary vehicle for accelerating AI safety research and identifying new talent at scale. Each sprint is a structured 3-day weekend event running from Friday through Sunday, held simultaneously online and across dozens of in-person hub locations worldwide. Events open with a keynote from a senior AI safety researcher, a team matchmaking session, and logistics overview, followed by technical talks and Q&A sessions throughout Saturday. Teams submit their work by Sunday evening and top projects are presented in a follow-up online session the next week, with winners announced at that time. Expert mentors from Apart's team are available throughout on Discord. The program has covered a wide range of AI safety research topics: mechanistic interpretability, AI control, CBRN risks, AI manipulation and dark patterns, AI forecasting, technical governance, AI security evaluations, defensive acceleration, and adjacent-field challenges (physics, economics, etc.). Participants include engineers, researchers, and students from diverse global backgrounds, many of whom would not otherwise have access to AI safety research networks. As of 2025, Apart Sprints has run 55+ events, engaged 6,000+ participants across 200+ global locations, and produced 22+ peer-reviewed papers accepted at major ML conferences. Alumni have gone on to positions at METR, Oxford, FAR.AI, the UK AI Safety Institute, Anthropic, and OpenAI. The sprints program feeds into the Apart Lab Fellowship, a 3-6 month remote research program where top participants receive mentorship and support toward publication and career transitions into AI safety. Apart Research's funding history includes grants from Open Philanthropy (2022 and 2025), LTFF, Foresight Institute, and ACX Grants. In 2024, Apart raised $700,000 and tripled its core team. In 2025, the organization faced a funding gap and ran a community fundraiser targeting $954,800 to sustain operations for 12 months; they raised approximately $619,921 through Manifund and direct donations. All donations are tax-deductible through fiscal sponsor Ashgro Inc, a 501(c)(3). The organization has approximately 8 full-time equivalent staff members.

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