Turing Artificial Intelligence Fellowships is sponsored by UK Research and Innovation. A £46 million initiative to retain, attract, and develop top AI researchers, supporting world-leading AI research in collaboration with partners from other sectors.

Turing AI Global Fellowships – UKRI Funding opportunity: Turing AI Global Fellowships Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) 18 November 2025 9:00am UK time 12 March 2026 4:00pm UK time Last updated: 6 January 2026 - see all updates This fellowship funding opportunity is for exceptional Artificial Intelligence (AI) researchers currently based outside the UK.

The fellowship offers funding to relocate to the UK, establish a highly skilled team and undertake transformational AI research. You must have been based outside the UK for at least 24 months prior to applying and be hosted by a UK research organisation which meets the eligibility criteria set out in the guidance. The total cost to EPSRC for your project can be up to £4.

5 million. Further information set out in the guidance. Fellowships can last up to five years, starting by 1 February 2027.

UK research organisations intending to support a candidate for this funding opportunity must meet the eligibility requirements detailed in the ‘Who can apply’ section and submit an Expression of Interest (EoI) survey with supporting evidence by 9 January 2026 at 4:00pm UK time. This funding opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility. Check if your organisation is eligible .

In addition, to lead a project, you must be hosted and supported by a UK organisation that meets the additional criteria outlined in the Research Organisation eligibility section.

This prestigious fellowship funding opportunity is looking to support exceptional, world-class AI experts from outside the UK who are either established international leaders in AI or who can demonstrate outstanding potential to shape the future of AI research globally.

This fellowship funding opportunity welcomes applications from researchers who conduct research into AI at a fundamental, foundational, or theoretical level, as well as those working at the interface between AI and other disciplines where the application context drives novel model development or theoretical insight. There are no standardised eligibility criteria for this fellowship due to the diversity of career paths in AI.

We define established researchers for this funding opportunity as those who have experience of: strategical leadership and management of programme(s) leading and managing team(s) and resources having established, or are in the process of establishing, a clear research specialism having a high or rising international standing in AI who can contribute to the growth and development of the UK’s AI community and economy You must have been based outside the UK for at least 24 months prior to submitting an application and have the support of an eligible UK research organisation, that will be your host organisation if successful, for the time committed to the fellowship.

There is no nationality requirement. You may or may not have UK citizenship. If you require a visa, then your host organisation will advise and support you in securing a UKRI-endorsed Global Talent visa once your award is issued.

Host organisations are welcome to contact globaltalentvisa@ukri. org about the documentation required for route 3 (UKRI-endorsed Global Talent visa) applications ahead of submission to the Home Office.

In line with standard grant terms and conditions, before you start your fellowship grant, you must have physically relocated to the UK and be considered a UK resident and an academic employee – lecturer or equivalent – of an eligible organisation for this opportunity. This is in line with standard EPSRC eligibility .

We encourage applications from all career paths and sectors including non-academic sectors such as: The fellowship can be held by applicants with a joint position between an eligible organisation and another sector, such as industry, in line with subsidy control and visa requirements.

However, the eligible organisation must function as host organisation for the duration of the fellowship and the Turing AI Global Fellowship should be the applicant’s main research focus. You must also spend at least 50% full time equivalent (FTE) commitment on the fellowship. You should ensure that you are aware of and comply with any internal institutional deadlines that may be in place.

We recommend you start your application early, liaising with your host organisation who may also be able to provide additional advice and guidance.

Research organisation eligibility Fellowships must be held at a UK-based research organisation that meets all of the following criteria: be a UK-based organisation currently registered as both eligible to apply for funding from UKRI and included on the UKRI list of approved research organisations for the Global Talent visa evidence of a minimum of £25 million of active funding in AI research from either UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding only or a combination of UKRI and non-UKRI funding.

Further detail on what is considered AI research is provided below in the ‘AI Research Funding’ section agreement to meet EPSRC’s expectations that the host organisation will work with their candidates during the application stage to agree a tailored and substantial support package Eligible organisations must be able to demonstrate a minimum of £25 million of active funding in AI research from either UKRI funding only or a combination of UKRI and non-UKRI funding.

UKRI funding must have been competitively awarded. Infrastructure funding and algorithmic funding to the organisation, such as UKRI’s Impact Acceleration Accounts and Doctoral Landscape Awards, are not eligible. Non-UKRI funding must be in the form of cash awards.

In-kind support is not eligible. Eligible sources of non-UKRI funding can include, but is not limited to, other government funders, international funding, charities, direct industry investment, or private investment where it can be directly attributed to an AI-specific activity.

You can only include grants which are live at the point of Expression of Interest survey submission, where the research organisation is the lead institution and the funding is for a research or training grant, the majority of which is: developing novel AI methodologies by addressing the fundamental, foundational, theoretical or mathematical challenges in AI or developing novel AI methodologies to address challenges present in, or across, other disciplines or sectors where the work also leads to advances in core AI understanding or capabilities Projects which seek to apply existing AI methodologies to an application area, without contributing new AI techniques or insights, cannot be included.

Funding for innovation or impact activities is only eligible if the activities advance the AI state of the art, such as generating new AI techniques, models or theoretical insights. Where the nature of the funding is not clear from project titles you will be given the opportunity to provide a brief narrative justifying the level of core AI research within the programme.

Examples of eligible UKRI AI research funding include but are not limited to EPSRC AI hubs , RAiUK , UKRI AI CDTs , in scope responsive mode funding, and Turing AI Fellowships . Eligible research organisations are permitted to submit a maximum of two applications to this funding opportunity as lead organisation, that is the organisation submitting the application through the UKRI Funding Service.

This reflects the level of investment available and manages the impact on the community. Expression of Interest survey Research organisations intending to support a candidate for this funding opportunity must submit an Expression of Interest (EoI) survey to provide evidence against the above eligibility criteria.

Research organisations must also submit a statement describing the inclusive process you will use to select your chosen candidates. Information provided will not be used in the assessment or outcome of the funding opportunity. The EoI survey must only be submitted by the research organisation and not the applicants.

Completed EoI surveys must be submitted by 9 January 2026 at 4:00pm UK time. EPSRC will review each EoI survey and confirm eligibility to support candidates before the end of January 2026. Please note: Applicants and host organisations should not wait for eligibility to be confirmed to start developing fellowship applications and should co-create applications in parallel to the eligibility confirmation process.

Full proposals submitted by host organisations that are not deemed eligible to apply will be rejected prior to peer review. Research organisations should have a process in place to ensure that no more than two applications are submitted. However, this funding opportunity is anticipated to be highly competitive and as such research organisations should not feel obliged to fill their quota.

Research organisations are encouraged to ensure the applicant(s) they support can demonstrate their ability to meet the expectations detailed within ‘What we are looking for’. Research organisations are expected to actively use an inclusive approach to selecting and maximising the diversity of the candidates they intend to support.

UKRI expects that host organisations consider diversity broadly to include discipline, backgrounds, career paths, thought and approach as well as protected characteristics. See more information on good selection processes . Research organisations must submit a statement in the EoI survey submission detailing the inclusive selection approach they have taken to select their candidates.

The information submitted will be used to increase understanding of inclusive selection processes used by host organisations, inform future UKRI interventions and feed into thinking on Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) in AI. Information provided will not be used in the assessment or outcome of the funding opportunity.

As guidance, it is suggested that research organisations consider the following points in designing and describing their inclusive selection process: the processes used to identify potential and final candidates how these processes may enable diversity and inclusion in the selection of potential and final candidates the steps taken to mitigate unconscious bias in the selection process the alignment of the approach taken with the research organisation’s equality diversity and inclusion policies support for and consideration of flexible working including part-time working, career breaks and caring responsibilities the inclusion of candidates with different career paths Who is not eligible to apply Those not eligible to apply are: individuals who are currently, or have been, a resident of the UK in the 24 months prior to submitting an application individuals not supported by an eligible research organisation individuals whose proposed work does not aim to advance the AI state of the art and strengthen the UK’s AI community and economy International researchers As EPSRC is the lead funder for this funding opportunity, international researchers can only apply as ‘project co-lead (international)’ as part of an application making use of the UKRI-RCN Money Follows Cooperation agreement or the UKRI-IIASA agreement .

You should include all other international collaborators (or UK partners not based at approved organisations) as project partners. We will not accept uninvited resubmissions of projects that have been submitted to UKRI or any other funder. Find out more about EPSRC’s resubmissions policy .

Equality, diversity and inclusion EDI enriches diversity of thought, builds stronger perspectives and performance within organisations and communities, and fosters more innovative and creative approaches. This is particularly pertinent in AI, as AI algorithms impact people’s lives and therefore risk exacerbating existing inequalities in society.

By having a diverse AI community and workforce, the design and development of algorithms will be less likely to reflect the inherent biases of a majority group. Furthermore, investing in a diverse array of fellows of different genders, ethnicities, backgrounds and career paths will enable greater diversity of thought and approach in AI that is key to the development of creative new AI technologies and a sustainable UK AI ecosystem.

The long-term strength of the UK research base depends on harnessing all the available talent. 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: diverse career backgrounds returning to research or innovation following time in other roles wishing to work part-time (minimum 50% FTE on the project) or in job shares in order to combine the fellowship with personal responsibilities For this funding opportunity, joint applications on a job-share basis are permitted, as long as you spend at least 50% FTE on the fellowship.

If your application is a proposed job-share, please state this where relevant in your application and set out your proposed arrangements in the ‘Applicant and team capability to deliver’ and ‘Career development’ sections.

Only one applicant for any joint applications should be listed as ‘fellow’ and the other as project co-lead in the Funding Service, as the Funding Service functionality does not support both applicants to be listed as ‘fellow’. UKRI will recognise both applicants as ‘fellow’.

The team should choose one of the fellows’ organisations to be responsible for submitting the grant application and administering the grant should the application be successful. Find out more about equality, diversity and inclusion at UKRI . UKRI can offer disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process.

Through the Turing AI Global Fellowships, we are looking to attract up to five exceptional researchers who are either established international leaders in AI or who can demonstrate outstanding potential to shape the future of AI research globally. These world-class researchers must relocate to the UK and undertake transformational AI research that strengthens the UK’s position as a global leader in AI.

This funding opportunity forms part of the UK’s commitment to strengthening its position as a global leader in AI and is one of a suite of investments supporting the government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan . Funding for this opportunity is subject to final budget approval. It is a requirement that fellows will spend at least 50% full time equivalent (FTE) commitment on the fellowship.

The fellow must be hosted by an eligible UK organisation for the duration of this award.

Funding opportunity objectives The objectives of this funding opportunity are to: support the movement of global talent to the UK to undertake ground-breaking core AI research that strengthens the UK’s capabilities in AI and position as a global leader enable fellows to use their international leadership in the field of AI to engage with, influence and advocate for the strategic direction of the UK’s AI ecosystem support the career development of leading researchers and their teams, thereby strengthening the UK’s research capacity and culture and ensuring the long-term sustainability of its research ecosystem enable engagement and collaboration within and between academic and non-academic partners in the UK and internationally to maximise the impact on the wider AI research and innovation landscape This funding opportunity is aimed at established AI researchers from outside the UK, with a prominent or rising global standing, who want to move to the UK and build a world leading research group to undertake transformational core AI research and to make a significant impact on the UK’s AI research and innovation landscape.

With these substantial awards, you must seek to build new AI capability and capacity in the UK, while actively engaging with and advocating for the wider AI ecosystem. You will form a highly skilled and potentially multidisciplinary team to undertake innovative and cutting-edge research that will advance the field of AI while also addressing broader scientific and societal challenges.

This can be achieved, for example, by: developing novel AI methodologies by addressing the fundamental, theoretical or mathematical challenges in AI developing novel AI methodologies to address challenges present in, or across, other disciplines or sectors where the work also leads to advances in core AI understanding or capabilities This funding opportunity therefore welcomes applications from individuals who conduct research into AI at a fundamental or theoretical level, or who work at the interface between AI and another discipline.

The proposed work must develop AI beyond the current state of the art. Projects which seek to apply current AI methodologies to an application area without generating new AI techniques, models, or theoretical insights that advance the state of the art, will not be accepted. All proposed work must embed trustworthy, socially responsible and sustainable AI approaches, and must be ambitious yet grounded in strong theoretical foundations.

Alongside undertaking world-leading research, you must develop your position of leadership in the national and international research community, as well as your host organisation. Through your leadership, you are expected to engage with, influence, and advocate for the strategic direction of the UK’s AI ecosystem.

You will initiate, grow, and maintain strong relationships and collaborations with stakeholders in the UK and internationally. Through these, you will look to facilitate a positive impact on the wider research and innovation landscape. Applicants must be exceptional, world-class AI experts who are either established international leaders in AI or who can demonstrate outstanding potential to shape the future of AI research globally.

You must have experience of setting strategic direction and leadership of one or multiple programmes, along with managing teams and resources in or outside of academia. Alternative evidence of research leadership is welcome particularly for those with primarily industry-based experience.

use the significant support package to establish, strategically lead and manage a highly skilled and potentially multidisciplinary team to deliver an ambitious, world-leading research programme which will advance the AI state of the art, and potentially other disciplines develop the skills and careers of their team, growing and fostering the independent researchers and innovators of the future actively engage with researchers, developers and users to enable AI for use in the real world to ensure that AI is designed, developed and deployed robustly and transparently act as a leader in the AI community and an ambassador and advocate for it; driving forward the UK and international AI research agenda.

Applicants who work at the interface between AI and another discipline will be expected to make leadership contributions and be an advocate to all relevant fields build strong relationships and collaborations between academia, business, and broader stakeholders in the UK and internationally strengthen and make a sustained and enduring contribution to the AI research and innovation environment in collaborating groups at your host research organisation and the broader UK AI ecosystem embed the principles of trustworthy, sustainable, and socially responsible AI, including responsible research and innovation (RRI) and trusted research , throughout their activities embed considerations of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) throughout their fellowship activities.

UKRI expects that EDI is embedded at all levels and in all aspects of research practices.

engage with cohort activities, in collaboration with other Turing AI Fellows build a broader portfolio of funding and activities beyond this fellowship, moving towards a position of funding sustainability at the end of the fellowship Applicants should set their research in the context of the UK’s ambitions in AI and support its objectives as laid out in UKRI’s Statement of Opportunities on AI , the AI Opportunities Action Plan and the UK’s Industrial Strategy .

End user partnerships and collaborations Due to the scale and prestige of these awards, fellows must build strong relationships, cross-sector partnerships, and collaborations with potential end users of their research. This is intended to drive your research direction and to maximise the value of your research by ensuring that outcomes are translated into tangible benefits for the UK.

This includes industry, policy makers, public bodies, charities and other groups. It is expected that fellows will continue to engage stakeholders throughout the duration of the fellowship, for example by setting up an external advisory board to provide guidance and support, ensuring that the research is aligned with real-world needs and applications.

Clear plans for engaging with new and existing collaborators over the duration of the fellowship should be detailed in the application on the UKRI Funding Service. No specific leverage (cash or in-kind) expectations from project partners (for example business, public sector, third sector) are being set for eligibility to this programme. The inclusion of leverage from project partners is at the discretion of the applicant.

Fellows should have access to one or more mentors from their host organisation that can support the fellow’s transition to the UK and integration into the UK research and innovation community. Mentorship should also support areas of personal and professional development, such as thought leadership, AI advocacy, and building interdisciplinary or cross-sector partnerships within the UK.

Engagement with the Turing Fellows Cohort Successful applicants must be an active part of the AI Turing fellows’ cohort, including those funded through this opportunity as well as previous and any future Turing AI fellowship opportunities .

The cohort will maximise networks between different disciplines and institutions, enhance individual growth, create an environment for sharing research and learning, foster idea generation and most importantly influence and drive AI adoption across disciplines. Subject to renewal The Alan Turing Institute, the national institute for data science and AI, will continue to support all appointed Fellows via bespoke cohort activities.

Fellows will receive access to the Turing offices and be informed of engagement opportunities at the Institute, but are not required to work at the Institute beyond engaging proactively with cohort activities stipulated by EPSRC at the time of the award.

Funding will be awarded on the condition that fellows actively engage with the cohort and in particular any activities or events like coffee mornings, annual events, showcase events and so on organised by the cohort management team. Further details will be provided to successful applicants. Monitoring and evaluation Fellows will be required to provide key monitoring information as part of the award.

The mandatory monitoring will be confirmed at the start of the award but will include: six monthly updates focused on key outputs and outcomes annual reports focused on progress against fellowship aims, key outputs, outcomes, impacts, future plans and financial reporting final report detailing key outputs, outcomes, and impacts contributing to and participating in a mid-term review and final evaluation of the overall programme standard Researchfish reporting Compliance with reporting will be part of the grant terms and conditions.

UKRI reserves the right to request additional information as deemed necessary for monitoring evaluation purposes. If you work part time, you can hold your Turing AI Global Fellowship part time as well, at a minimal level of 50% full time equivalent (FTE) on the project. This is to align with UKRI-endorsed Global Talent visa requirements and expectations of this fellowship.

In these circumstances, the duration of your fellowship can be extended proportionally to a maximum duration of ten years. If you do not work part time, you may hold this fellowship for between 50% and 100% of your working time. However, the total fellowship duration will be fixed at five years.

This must be clearly justified in your application as the fellowship should be the fellow’s main research focus. By the final year of the award, it is expected that you will have developed your portfolio beyond the fellowship and may therefore reduce your FTE on the project to enable broader portfolio development, however you must remain at or above 50% FTE on the fellowship for the duration of the grant.

If you have a joint academic appointment between academia and other sector(s), the minimum time commitment is 50% FTE to the fellowship throughout the duration of the award. This is to enable you to establish leadership within the host organisation outside of the time committed to the fellowship and to fulfil visa requirements. The time commitment should be suitably justified against the assessment criteria and aims of the programme.

Fellows should design an appropriate time commitment over the duration of the award to deliver their research vision. Additionally, fellows should plan their work packages to accommodate for any potential delays in recruiting postdoctoral researchers where necessary. The Turing AI Global Fellowships funding opportunity may exceptionally provide funding for up to a maximum of three doctoral students.

This exception recognises that studentships supported through UKRI’s main routes may have been committed before the fellowships are awarded, and that these fellowships represent an exciting opportunity for students to train and acquire skills through working with eminent researchers they would not have otherwise had access to.

The students will also benefit from the drawing together of vibrant, balanced teams which combine doctoral and post-doctoral research and build leadership for the future in key areas of AI in the UK. The inclusion of doctoral studentships must add value to the proposed research, and to the student compared to UKRI’s existing training grant routes.

Students must be provided with a clear opportunity for a distinct and independent course of enquiry from the fellowship objectives and receive any additional training that would be useful for their research but is not available through existing programmes. The fellowship must be viable without the studentship, with distinctive objectives that are not reliant upon the studentships.

In your application, you should clearly explain how the students will benefit from being part of the research team. The host organisation should have a track record of training doctoral students, and it is expected that there are UKRI-funded doctoral students training concurrently with students supported by the fellowship.

You must complete any supervisor training required to be familiar with supervising within a UK higher education institution, before students start their studies. The students should also be assigned a co-supervisor with experience of training UK-based UKRI doctoral students.

Doctoral students supported through the fellowship must be provided with the opportunity to develop their substantive research skills as well as with broader professional development opportunities. Evidence of an appropriate training environment that meets UKRI’s expectations for doctoral training should be provided in your application.

UKRI also expects that other doctoral students aligned with the fellowship research programme, but funded from other sources, would have the same training environment and opportunities as those students funded by the fellowship. Studentships should be four years in duration (full time equivalent) but part-time studentships are allowed. Studentships must start in the 2026/27 or 2027/28 academic year.

Careful consideration should be given to the overall staff resource on the fellowship and the balance between the different types of staff resource available. To ensure that postdoctoral researchers have sufficient time to support and train students alongside their research, funding should be requested for a minimum of the full time equivalent of two research and innovation associates to support the doctoral student(s).

You should ensure that you have sufficient time to supervise students, but this time cannot be charged to the grant. UKRI’s EU and international eligibility for UKRI studentships from 2021 will apply. For more information see the guidance on flexibility to support the very best students .

Fellowships are a personal award; however, you can name project co-leads on your application if they bring complementary and different skills to the fellowship project for a time-limited period while you develop your skills in the areas covered. You must lead the research programme, and therefore the co-leads must not lead any of the work packages, rather their role should be in enabling the delivery of your vision.

The inclusion of any project co-leads should be clearly justified. The duration of this award is five years. Projects must start by 1 February 2027.

Each fellowship will include up to three different awards: This includes all eligible costs at 80% FEC, except for doctoral studentships, visa fees and relocation costs. Further information is provided below in the ‘Fellowship award costings’ section. This includes 100% of eligible costs related to doctoral studentships.

All funding for doctoral studentships should be included within your fellowship application under ‘Exceptions’ fund heading. This funding will ultimately be issued as a separate training grant at the award stage. Further information is provided below in the ‘Training grant costings’ section.

Separate relocation award This includes a separate award at 100% FEC funding awarded directly to the host organisation to support visa fees and relocation costs for the fellow and any family members classed as dependents, using the Home Office definition . You should not include these costs within your main fellowship application. This is additional funding provided from EPSRC.

Further information is provided below in the ‘Separate relocation award’ section. The total cost to EPSRC for your fellowship award and training grant must not exceed £4. 5 million.

The maximum FEC of your project will depend on whether you have requested funding to support doctoral studentships. The cost of the separate relocation award is not included in the £4. 5 million limit.

Fellowship award costings EPSRC will support eligible costs at 80% of the FEC. We expect you to request a significant package of resource, designed in partnership with your host organisation and any collaborative partners, to enable you to achieve the objectives of your research plans.

This might include: attractive packages for staff access to data and infrastructure other standard research grant costs Resources may be used for research expenses including: research technical support including research and innovation associates, specialists, technicians, professional enabling staff and fellow salaries Resources may be used for activities that initiate, grow and maintain collaborations with stakeholders (for example academia, business, government, third sector) such as: See further information on allowable costs .

UKRI will fund 100% of eligible costs related to doctoral students. You may request funding for up to a maximum of three doctoral students. Eligible costs vary between UKRI training grants, so please check the lists below for full details.

All doctoral student costs requested in applications should be calculated at your chosen October 2025 rates with no addition made to consider inflation over the length of the funding period. This includes the appropriate fee rate for your institution, stipend rates at or above the UKRI minimum and research training support grant (RTSG) costs. UKRI will include an allowance for fee and stipend indexation at the final funding stage.

Please note: all funding for doctoral studentships should be included under ‘Exceptions’ fund heading. This funding will ultimately be issued as a separate training grant at the award stage. All applicants are required to complete the following template for doctoral studentship costings (XLSX, 23KB) and submit with their application.

The template covers financial information and the geographic balance of students. Support for doctoral students is exceptionally permitted through this investment, where this is clearly justified. Where your application includes costs associated with doctoral students, extensions to the separate training grant will only be considered under exceptional circumstances, in line with the UKRI training grant terms and