Forward Deployed Engineer certification: programme, labs and assessment
The SciTechBiz Institute's Forward Deployed Engineer certification trains people who deploy artificial intelligence inside client companies: 12 weeks with 13 modules, 80 lessons, 12 labs, a four-week project at a real company and a 30-minute oral defence. It is accessed with the FDE Licence, at €4,990 a year, excluding VAT.
Updated: 23 October 2026 · Deibson Silva · Forward Deployed AI Engineer and Founder
How are the 12 weeks organised?
About 80 hours of guided work plus the project, online and at your own pace within each stage.
| Weeks 1 to 8 | Weeks 9 to 12 | |
|---|---|---|
| What you do | The 13 modules, the 80 lessons and the 12 labs | The final project at a real company |
| How it is checked | Labs that check themselves and are marked against a human rubric, a quiz per lesson and the knowledge exam in week 8 | An anonymised portfolio of 11 artefacts and the oral defence |
| Which data | Synthetic data only, never client data | The company's own data, with its written consent and without leaving its systems |
| Who signs off | The rubric for each lab | The company signs the Loop, Bearer, Mirror and Security tests and plans the Adoption and Handover tests |
What do the 13 modules cover?
The modules follow the seven stages of the Legathum AI-First Hybridisation Method v3, with the EU AI Act and the GDPR built into each one.
The craft and the method
- 01M0 · The FDE craft
- 02M1 · The Method v3
- 03M2 · Qualify and discover
- 04M3 · Data and model
- 05M4 · Capture the criterion
Build and measure
- 01M5 · Build with coding AI
- 02M6 · Agent architecture
- 03M7 · Prototype in a day
- 04M8 · Evals and the Mirror
Production and handover
- 01M9 · Security and EU compliance
- 02M10 · The Legathum and iPersonality stack
- 03M11 · Production, adoption and value
- 04M12 · Handover and final project
Every lesson has a PDF and a quiz. Today 27 Spanish videos are published at the Academy, and the English videos arrive in November 2026.
What happens in the 12 labs?
Each lab is a complete piece of work with a starting point and an automatic check: it fails at the start and passes once the solution is right.
- 01Environment: Claude Code, Python, Node and git installed and working.
- 02Decomposition: from a vague «we want AI» to problems with an owner, a metric and a baseline.
- 03Dirty data: cleaning and modelling a business's data.
- 04Book of Criteria from a transcript: an expert's rules, written down.
- 05An app with Claude Code and tests.
- 06An agent with MCP, the Model Context Protocol that connects an agent to tools and data.
- 07A simulated prototype day, with a decision on whether to go ahead.
- 08An evals suite and regression.
- 09A simulated attack and the AI Act sheet.
- 10The sales engine and Master Brain in the demo organisation.
- 11Adoption and the value ledger.
- 12The handover package.
You need to pass 10 of the 12, and the evals and security labs are compulsory.
How is the Forward Deployed Engineer certification assessed?
Code of Conduct
20 scenarios in 20 minutes. The pass mark is 18 out of 20 with all 8 critical questions right. It is the key to selling.
Knowledge exam
50 scenarios in 90 minutes, in week 8. The pass mark is 38 out of 50.
Final project
Four weeks at a real company, as a pilot the company does not pay for, with its written consent and its data kept inside its own systems.
Oral defence
30 minutes before Deibson Silva: 10 minutes of presentation and 20 of questions, including a surprise decomposition case. The pass mark is 18 out of 24, with no zero in evals, security or ethics.
What does the certification attest?
You receive a digital certificate with a verification code and the title of AI-First Hybridisation Architect, valid for 24 months, with an update module to renew it.
The title allows you to deploy Legathum, iPersonality and Digital Twin inside the client company, paired with a certified consultant, once the Framework Contract and the data protection agreements are signed.
It attests a competence: what you can do and how you have shown it. Never a job or an income.
Who is the Forward Deployed Engineer certification for?
For people who already build with Claude or ChatGPT and want to move from a prototype to a system a company uses every day, whether or not they can code.
For engineers, data analysts, developers and systems consultants who deploy automations and want a method, a credential assessed in practice and products of their own to work with.
And for heads of operations or product who need to turn a vague «we want AI» into measurable problems inside their own company.
How much does it cost and how do you access it?
€4,990
a year, excluding VAT
- List price: €4,990 a year, excluding VAT, renewable. Annual payment only, with no breakdown by component.
- The certification is not sold separately: it comes inside the Forward Deployed Engineer Licence, with the Organizational Consultant's rights from the day you buy and the Digital Entrepreneur and Organizational Consultant certifications as a bonus.
- Spain: plus 21% Spanish VAT. Rest of the European Union: VAT is calculated at payment according to your country and VAT number. United Kingdom: prices in euros, exclusive of VAT. No Spanish VAT is charged to UK customers.
- Full refund within 30 days of payment, provided you have not used more than 20% of the content or attended any live session.
The FDE Licence is not part of the certifications' free-of-charge membership until 31 December 2026.
Before you decide
- There is no entry test and no technical prerequisite: the craft is taught, Claude Code included.
- The FDE annex to the contracts, which sets the conditions for delivering to client companies, is being prepared.
- The SciTechBiz Institute is not a university: its certifications are awarded by the Institute itself and are not recognised by any education authority.
- Sold, signed and invoiced by iPersonality Global Institute, S.L. (NIF B27580042), Madrid.
What people ask most
01Is there an entry test?
No. It is for people who already build with Claude or ChatGPT, whether or not they can code, and for engineers, data analysts and heads of operations or product. Python, Node and git are installed with you in the first week.
02How long does it take?
12 weeks: 8 of modules and labs and 4 of project at a real company, with about 80 hours of guided work plus the project. Access to the programme lasts as long as the licence is valid.
03Can I take it in English?
Today it is taught in Spanish: 27 Spanish videos are published and every lesson has a PDF and a quiz. The English videos arrive in November 2026; the licence page is already in English.
04Which tools are used?
Claude Code as a copilot, Python 3.12, Node 22 and git, installed with you in the first week. Each lab is checked by our own tool, which fails at the starting point and passes once the solution is right.
05What if I fail an exam?
Each exam can be retaken twice more. The labs check themselves and you need to pass 10 of the 12, with the evals and security labs compulsory.
06Can I buy it from the UK?
Yes. The FDE Licence is sold in the European Union and in the United Kingdom. UK customers pay the price in euros with no Spanish VAT.
Sources
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, the AI Act (EUR-Lex) · accessed 23 October 2026
- Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, the Digital Omnibus on AI (EUR-Lex) · accessed 23 October 2026
- ICO, Guidance on AI and data protection · accessed 23 October 2026
Founder of Legathum and iPersonality and Forward Deployed AI Engineer. He leads the SciTechBiz Community from Madrid and examines the FDE Certification defence.
Start from your dashboard
On the licence page you request access; requesting access costs nothing. You then sign the contract and pay the annual licence from your dashboard.
iPersonality Global Institute, S.L. · NIF B27580042 · Madrid · Privacy policy
Prices in euros, exclusive of VAT. In Spain, Spanish VAT is added. In the rest of the EU, VAT is calculated at payment according to your country and VAT number. No Spanish VAT is charged to UK customers.