AI Metascience Fellowship Programme is sponsored by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Fellowships exploring how AI could change the way scientists drive future discoveries.

UKRI Metascience AI early career fellowships – UKRI Funding opportunity: UKRI Metascience AI early career fellowships Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) , Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) , Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) , Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) , Medical Research Council (MRC) , Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) , Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), Alfred P.

Sloan Foundation 13 February 2025 9:00am UK time 10 April 2025 4:00pm UK time Last updated: 11 March 2025 - see all updates The UK Metascience Unit will fund a cohort of early career fellows to build our understanding of how the growing adoption of AI is changing the research landscape, including what epistemic, metascientific, ethical and socioeconomic questions this raises, and how governments, industry, and funding organisations should respond.

You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for UKRI funding. Fellowships can be up to two years duration, with full economic cost (FEC) up to £260,000. UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC.

Please note that this opportunity closes on 10 April 2025. To lead a project, you must be based at an eligible organisation. Check if your organisation is eligible .

For full details, visit Eligibility as an individual . The funding opportunity is open to early career researchers who have completed their PhD by the start date of the fellowship or who can demonstrate equivalent research or innovation experience. There are no eligibility rules based on years since PhD or whether the applicant currently holds a permanent or open-ended academic position or job role.

However, individuals should not previously have been a project lead or lead on an externally funded project or led a significant programme of work in a commercial or non-academic setting. This fellowship programme is intended for researchers who are uniquely interested in AI’s impact on science, rather than general AI ethics, safety and society-related topics, as these are covered substantially elsewhere.

Who is not eligible to apply This programme will not fund fellows whose primary research objective involves working directly on scientific AI tool development. We will not accept uninvited resubmissions of projects that have been submitted to UKRI Find out more about Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)’s resubmissions policy .

Equality, diversity and inclusion We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers. We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances.

This includes: support for people with caring responsibilities alternative working patterns UKRI can offer disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process.

This is a fellowship programme for early career philosophers, social scientists, or AI researchers interested in building a career in understanding the implications of AI for the science and research ecosystem, and how governments, industry, and funding organisations should respond. UK based fellows will be funded by the UK Metascience Unit, with a parallel international cohort expected to be supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

The funders plan to hold a fully funded summer school for the combined fellowship cohort in 2026. AI (currently understood as a set of technologies including machine learning, deep learning, and foundation models) will accelerate scientific discovery, whether through narrow applications like DeepMind’s AlphaFold, or general applications such as advances in AI-enabled lab robotics, evidence synthesis, or statistical inference.

There are practical and technical challenges to solve before society has fully-fledged autonomous ‘AI scientists’. Nevertheless, it seems inevitable that over the coming years public and private R&D funders will make significant investments both to diffuse and adopt AI technologies, and to solve technical challenges, in the direction of a more heavily AI-mediated science.

The AI Metascience Fellowship Programme will support a cohort of early career researchers to deepen their understanding of AI technology and pursue career paths which evaluate the phenomenon of AI-mediated science and guide our pursuit of it, covering one or more of the following objectives: building our understanding of how the growing adoption of AI is changing the research landscape and the day-to-day work of researchers building our understanding of the epistemic, metascientific, ethical or socioeconomic implications of these changes building understanding of how governments, industry, or funding organisations should respond to improve our research landscape The following are some indicative examples of topic areas of interest: the impact of AI on the topics and methods of scientific research, and how this varies across disciplines AI and the pace of scientific progress explainability and alignment in scientific AI the educational and training implications of scientific AI the role of humans in AI-driven science epistemic and ethical considerations concerning the application of AI in the production of research outputs and the assessment of research This programme will not fund fellows whose primary research focus is the direct development of scientific AI tools.

However, given the rapidly evolving landscape of AI technology and the importance of understanding its actual nature and practically engaging with the topics above, applicants are encouraged to identify research organisation and industry-based opportunities for technical training and mentorship over the fellowship period and note these in their application.

Applicants including such opportunities in their proposal must obtain the consent of any named individual or organisation before submitting their application.

We will also support and encourage our fellows to deeply engage with those at the technological frontier, through our summer school and by connecting fellows to existing UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) investments related to AI, such as Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)’s AI research hubs.

This programme will favour researchers uniquely interested in AI’s ‘impact on science and the research ecosystem’, rather than general AI ethics, safety and society-related topics, not because these general topics are not important within and beyond science, but because they are covered much more substantially elsewhere.

Topics that might be considered too general include examinations of data and algorithmic bias, hallucinations and AI-generated disinformation, dual use of AI tech, environmental costs of AI, or applications of AI to other industries like clinical medicine, law or fintech rather than to the activities uniquely undertaken in scientific research.

Existing funding schemes are available for general research in AI across a broad range of public and philanthropic funding bodies. Please note that if your application is outside the scope, you will be advised by email, and your application will be rejected. The duration of this award is up to two years, or equivalent length of time extended pro rata for part-time applicants.

These awards allow fellows protected time to concentrate fully on their research or innovation, training and development. In most cases a fellow is expected to spend 100% of their working time on their fellowship (which includes all activities associated with the fellowship).

Note that you may spend up to six hours a week (pro rata for part-time applicants) on other commitments or related activities, provided they enhance career development. Fellowships may be held on a part-time basis, to a minimum of 0. 5 FTE, in order to combine research and innovation with personal responsibilities.

Fellowships may not be held on a part-time basis to combine the research and innovation with another part-time job. In all cases, the value of a part-time award should be requested on a pro rata basis (not exceeding the full-time equivalent of the fellowship scheme period). For example, a two-year fellowship on a full-time basis would equate to a four-year fellowship with the fellow working 0.

5 FTE, but the value of the award would remain the same. Projects must start by 30 September 2025. The FEC of your project can be up to £260,000.

UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC. AI and Metascience Summer School This fellowship programme is expected to include the opportunity for all fellows to attend a fully funded residential one to two week summer school in 2026, delivered in partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

The summer school is likely to be held in the US (date and location to be confirmed). The summer school will bring together a transatlantic community of researchers in this field to facilitate collaboration and exchange of ideas. The event will feature teach-ins from leading experts in AI for Science, AI philosophy, metascience and more, to ensure fellows’ research is up to date in this fast-moving field.

Please note that you do not need to cost this opportunity in your application. If successful, this will be awarded as additional funding. We will fund 80% of the FEC of your fellowship.

You may request funding for: equipment and other items needed to carry out the project We will not fund costs for project co-leads, additional researchers or individual items of equipment over £10,000 (including VAT). Contributions of the host research organisation All applicants are required to have a named mentor based at the research organisation where the grant is to be held.

The proposed mentor should have a strong interest in the applicant’s field of research. The mentor should be able to offer the applicant advice and assistance in developing their application, building suitable links with leading researchers in their field, as well as with potential beneficiaries and users of the applicant’s research. The role of the mentor is to support the work of the fellow.

They will not be directly involved in running the project. Regular contact must be maintained between the fellow and mentor through the course of the project, and the mentor will help the fellow to review progress against agreed milestones, including the implementation of training and development.

Costs for mentoring time cannot be claimed as part of these grants, they must be met as part of the host institution’s contribution to the award. Supporting skills and talent We encourage you to follow the principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and the Technician Commitment .

Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) UKRI is committed in ensuring that effective international collaboration in research and innovation takes place with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks.

Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) is a UKRI work programme designed to help protect all those working in our thriving and collaborative international sector by enabling partnerships to be as open as possible, and as secure as necessary. Our TR&I Principles set out UKRI’s expectations of organisations funded by UKRI in relation to due diligence for international collaboration.

As such, applicants for UKRI funding may be asked to demonstrate how their proposed projects will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help proportionately reduce these risks. See further guidance and information about TR&I – including where you can find additional support.

Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) supports a range of data infrastructure. Where relevant, we encourage applicants to consider whether the use of these resources could add value to the project. See Facilities and resources for information on finding and using ESRC datasets which are available across the UK.

Where relevant, details of datasets and infrastructure to be used in your project should be given in the Facilities section. ESRC recognises the importance of data quality and provenance. Data generated, collected or acquired by ESRC-funded research must be well-managed by the grant holder to enable their data to be exploited to the maximum potential for further research.

See our research data policy for details and further information on data requirements . The requirements of the research data policy are a condition of ESRC research funding. Where relevant, details on data management and sharing should be provided in the Data management section.

See the importance of managing and sharing data and content for inclusion in a data management plan on the UK Data Service (UKDS) website for further guidance. We expect applicants to provide a summary of the points provided. The UKDS (email: datasharing@ukdataservice.

ac. uk ) will be pleased to advise applicants on the availability of data within the academic community and provide advice on data deposit requirements. Impact, innovation and interdisciplinarity We expect applicants to consider the potential scientific, societal and economic impacts of their research .

Outputs, dissemination and impact are a key part of the criteria for most peer review and assessment processes. We also encourage applications that demonstrate innovation and interdisciplinarity (research combining approaches from more than one discipline). Knowledge exchange and collaboration We are committed to knowledge exchange and encouraging collaboration between researchers and the private, public and civil society sectors.

Collaborative working benefits both the researchers and the individuals or organisations involved. Through collaboration, partners learn about each other’s expertise, share knowledge and gain an appreciation of different professional cultures. Collaborative activity can therefore lead to a better understanding of the ways that academic research can add value and offer insights to key issues of concern for policy and practice.

Knowledge exchange should not be treated as an ‘add-on’ at the end of a project but considered before the start and built into a project. ESRC requires that the research we support is designed and conducted in such a way that it meets ethical principles and is subject to proper professional and institutional oversight in terms of research governance.

We have agreed a Framework for Research Ethics that all submitted proposals must comply with. Read further details about the Framework for Research Ethics and guidance on compliance. We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service so please ensure that your organisation is registered.

You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system. The fellow is responsible for completing the application process on the Funding Service, but we expect all team members and project partners to contribute to the application. Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI.

Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page. Confirm you are the fellow. Please allow at least 10 working days for your organisation to be added to the Funding Service.

We strongly suggest that if you are asking UKRI to add your organisation to the Funding Service to enable you to apply to this funding opportunity, you also create an organisation Administration Account. This will be needed to allow the acceptance and management of any grant that might be offered to you. Answer questions directly in the text boxes.

You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on this Funding finder page.

Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office. Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.

Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI. Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.

You should: use images sparingly and only to convey important information that cannot easily be put into words insert each new image onto a new line provide a descriptive legend for each image immediately underneath it (this counts towards your word limit) ensure files are smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format Watch our research office webinars about the Funding Service .

For more guidance on the Funding Service, see: how applicants use the Funding Service how research offices use the Funding Service how reviewers use the Funding Service Applications should be self-contained, and hyperlinks should only be used to provide links directly to reference information. To ensure the information’s integrity is maintained, where possible, persistent identifiers such as digital object identifiers should be used.

Assessors are not required to access links to carry out assessment or recommend a funding decision. You should use your discretion when including reference and prioritise those most pertinent to the application. References should be included in the appropriate question section of the application and be easily identifiable by the assessors, for example (Smith, Research Paper, 2019).

You must not include links to web resources to extend your application. Generative artificial intelligence (AI) Use of generative AI tools to prepare funding applications is permitted, however, caution should be applied. For more information see our policy on the use of generative AI in application and assessment .

Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) must receive your application by 4:00pm UK time on 10 April 2025. You will not be able to apply after this time. Make sure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines.

Following the submission of your application to the funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and applications will not be returned for amendment. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected. ESRC, as part of UKRI, will need to collect some personal information to manage your Funding Service account and the registration of your funding applications.

We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely. For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our privacy notice . If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email metascience@ukri.

org Include in the subject line: [the funding opportunity title; sensitive information; your Funding Service application number].

Typical examples of confidential information include: individual is unavailable until a certain date (for example due to parental leave) additional information about eligibility to apply that would not be appropriately shared in the ‘Applicant and team capability’ section conflict of interest for UKRI to consider in reviewer or panel participant selection the application is an invited resubmission For information about how UKRI handles personal data, read UKRI’s privacy notice .

ESRC, as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity at What ESRC has funded . If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research . In plain English, provide a summary that can be used to assess your application.

We may make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, therefore do not include any confidential or sensitive information. Make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example: the wider research community Guidance for writing a summary Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of: the challenge the project addresses potential applications and benefits Only list one individual as fellow.

You should not enter any other applicants. The fellow is responsible for setting up and completing the application process on the Funding Service. Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications .

What are you hoping to achieve with your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Explain how your proposed work: is of excellent quality and importance within or beyond the field(s) or area(s) has the potential to advance current understanding, or generate new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the field or area of its focus is timely, given current trends, context, and needs impacts world-leading research, society, the economy or the environment meets the scope of the fellowship and covers one or more of the objectives specified above References may be included within this section.

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service. How are you going to deliver your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Explain how you have designed your work so that it: is effective and appropriate to achieve your objectives is feasible, and comprehensively identifies any risks to delivery and how you will manage them uses a clearly written and transparent methodology (if applicable) summarises the previous work and describes how you will build on and progress this work (if applicable) will maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts References may be included in this section.

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service. Applicant capability to deliver Why are you the right individual to successfully deliver the proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Evidence of how you have: the relevant experience (appropriate to career stage) to make best use of the benefits presented by this funding opportunity to develop your career the right balance of skills and aptitude to deliver the proposed work contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.

Further details are provided in the Funding Service. The word limit for this section is 1,650 words, 1,150 words to be used for R4RI modules (including references) and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions. Use the Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) format to showcase the range of relevant skills you have and how this will help to deliver the proposed work.

You can include specific achievements and choose past contributions that best evidence your ability to deliver this work. Complete this section using the following R4RI module headings. You should use each heading once, see the UKRI guidance on R4RI .

You should consider how to balance your answer, and emphasise where appropriate the key skills you bring: contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge the development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships contributions to the wider research and innovation community contributions to broader research or innovation, users and audiences, and towards wider societal benefit Additions: Provide any further details relevant to your application.

This section is optional and can be up to 500 words. You should not use it to describe additional skills, experiences, or outputs, but you can use it to describe any factors that provide context for the rest of your R4RI (for example, details of career breaks if you wish to disclose them). You should complete this section as a narrative.

Do not format it like a CV. The roles in funding applications policy has descriptions of the different project roles. Why is this fellowship the right way to develop your career and how will you use it to benefit others?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Ensure that you have identified: career development goals appropriate to the fellowship funding opportunity how the fellowship will provide a feasible and appropriate trajectory for your personal development and to achieve your stated career development goals (as appropriate to your career stage and field) how you will instigate positive change in the wider research and innovation community, for example through Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), advocacy or advisory roles, stakeholder engagement, participation in peer review, influencing policy, public engagement, or outreach Within the Career development section we also expect you to describe: how the proposed work will provide a feasible and appropriate trajectory for you to acquire additional skills, like research, leadership, communication and management any other technical training opportunities previously agreed by named research organisations or industry.

If your application is recommended for funding, we will ask you to provide further proof of these opportunities in form of letters from the organisations involved what mentoring arrangements are proposed and how they are appropriate to you Host organisation support How will the host organisation support your fellowship?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Provide a support statement including: evidence detailing how the host will support you, as appropriate for your career development and the vision and approach of the fellowship who you have engaged with in your host organisation (name and role) how your research environment will contribute to the success of the work, in terms of suitability of the host organisation and strategic relevance to the project how the host organisation will ensure your time commitment to the fellowship is protected what development and training opportunities will be provided and how they form a cohesive career development package tailored to your aims and aspirations what financial or practical support, such as access to the appropriate services, facilities, infrastructure, or equipment, is being provided and how this strengthens your application Resources and cost justification What will you need to deliver your proposed work and how much will it cost?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Justify the application’s more costly resources, in particular: significant travel for field work or collaboration (but not regular travel between collaborating organisations or to conferences) any consumables beyond typical requirements, or that are required in exceptional quantities all facilities and infrastructure costs all resources that have been costed as ‘Exceptions’ Assessors are not looking for detailed costs or a line-by-line breakdown of all project resources.

Overall, they want you to demonstrate how the resources you anticipate needing for your proposed work: are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes maximise potential outcomes and impacts For detailed guidance on eligible costs please see the ESRC Research Funding Guide .

Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI) What are the ethical or RRI implications and issues relating to the proposed work? If you do not think that the proposed work raises any ethical or RRI issues, explain why.

What the assessors are looking for in your response Demonstrate that you have identified and evaluated: the relevant ethical or responsible research and innovation considerations how you will manage these considerations You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

Provide a statement from your mentor that demonstrates how they will support your career trajectory and how the support offered forms a cohesive career development package tailored to your aims and aspirations. Upload the statement and write ‘attachment supplied’ in the text box.

What the assessors are looking for in your response how your mentor has tailored their programme of support to your individual needs how your mentor will ensure you are kept active and focused throughout the award how your mentor will keep your long-term career prospects clearly in mind how your mentor has the relevant skills and experience to be your mentor The statement should be completed by the primary mentor but must detail the relevant skills and expertise of all mentors and their approach to mentoring.

The statement should not exceed two sides of A4. Save the statement of support from your mentor(s) in a single PDF no bigger than 8MB. Unless specially requested, please do not include any sensitive personal data within the attachment.

For the file name, use the unique Funding Service number the system gives you when you create an application, followed by the words ‘Mentor Statement’. If the attachment does not meet these requirements, the application will be rejected. The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply.

Data management and sharing How will you manage and share data collected or acquired through the proposed work? What the assessors are looking for in your response Provide a data management plan that clearly details how you will comply with UKRI’s published data sharing policy , which includes detailed guidance notes.

Demonstrate that you have designed your proposed work so that you can appropriately manage and share data in accordance with ESRC’s Research Data Policy and ESRC Framework for Research Ethics (if applicable).

Within the ‘Data management and sharing’ section we also expect you to: plan for the research through the life cycle of the award until data is accepted for archiving by the UK Data Service (UKDS) or a responsible data repository demonstrate compliance with ESRC’s Research Data Policy and ESRC Framework for Research Ethics .

This should include confirmation that existing datasets have been reviewed and why currently available datasets are inadequate for the proposed research cover any legal and ethical considerations of collecting, releasing or storing the data, including consent, confidentiality, anonymisation, security and other ethical issues If this does not apply to your proposed work, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

Does your proposed research require the support and use of a facility? What the assessors are looking for in your response If you will need to use a facility, follow your proposed facility’s normal access request procedures. Ensure you have prior agreement so that if you are offered funding, they will support the use of their facility on your project.

For each requested facility you will need to provide the: name of facility, copied and pasted from the facility information list (DOCX, 42KB) proposed usage or costs, or costs per unit where indicated on the facility information list confirmation you have their agreement where required Facilities should only be named if they are on the facility information list above.

If you will not need to use a facility, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service. Add details about any project partners’ contributions. If there are no project partners, you can indicate this on the Funding Service.

A project partner is a collaborating organisation who will have an integral role in the proposed research. This may include direct (cash) or indirect (in-kind) contributions such as expertise, staff time or use of facilities. Project partners may be in industry, academia, third sector or government organisations in the UK or overseas, including partners based in the EU.

Add the following project partner details: the organisation name and address (searchable via a drop-down list or enter the organisation’s details manually, as applicable) the project partner contact name and email address the type of contribution (direct or in-direct) and its monetary value If a detail is entered incorrectly and you have saved the entry, remove the specific project partner record and re-add it with the correct information.

For audit purposes,