The UK government has opened applications for a fellowship to accelerate AI in the hope of bringing together 25 of the country’s leading tech experts into public service
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) Fellowship offers a unique opportunity for top scientists, technologists, and innovators to embed within government for 12-month, part-time secondments.
A fellowship to accelerate AI: Targeting the UK’s leading innovators
This initiative is part of a strategy to modernise the public sector and support the UK’s ambitions to become a global leader in artificial intelligence and digital innovation.
With applications closing on 3rd June, the fellowship targets professionals currently employed and affiliated with partner organisations such as the Royal Society, Royal Academy of Engineering, Academy of Medical Sciences, techUK, IET, and the British Standards Institute.
Fellows will contribute to key national priorities, including boosting digital resilience, advancing quantum technologies, supporting semiconductor leadership, and promoting digital inclusion.
They will bring deep expertise from industry and academia into the heart of government, helping to shape strategies, improve services, and deliver innovation that benefits both citizens and businesses.
Focusing on four strategic themes
The programme focuses on four main areas: AI, including emerging challenges like deepfake threats and opportunities in AI for science; Technology, covering topics like semiconductors and telecoms standards; future thinking, including climate security, quantum technology, and space policy; and Public Sector Innovation, with emphasis on digital inclusion and science capability within government.
This third cohort of the DSIT Fellowship builds on the success of previous programmes such as the Expert Exchange and earlier science and technology fellowship pilots. Past fellows have played key roles in shaping national policies and returned to their institutions enriched with knowledge, insights, and networks gained from their time in government.
The fellowship bridges the public sector and the UK’s world-class tech and research ecosystem. The programme aims to create a more productive, agile, and digitally empowered state by bringing external expertise into policymaking and service design. Fellows won’t just be observing. They are fully embedded in policy teams, working on real-world challenges and contributing directly to government decision-making.
Participating professionals gain unique exposure to the inner workings of government, access to high-level networks, and valuable professional development.
Meanwhile, their home organisations benefit when they return equipped with a better understanding of policy processes, strengthened connections, and strategic insights.
This initiative also supports the government’s wider hopes to nearly double the number of digital roles in the civil service. It recognises that attracting top tech experts is critical to delivering more innovative, more efficient public services and ensuring the UK stays at the forefront of emerging technologies.
