The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is seeking 25 leading technologists and scientists for its latest fellowship programme.
Experts will have the opportunity to come in to government for 12-month, part-time secondments as part of the DSIT Fellowship, which launched today.
DSIT is seeking “Britain’s best and brightest advise on policy and build tech for public services”.
The DSIT Fellows will address pressing policy challenges and ensure innovation delivers tangible benefits for citizens and businesses, driving a more secure, inclusive and digitally empowered society.
The placements will span four core themes:
- AI – from deepfake threats to AI for science, regulation and adoption
- Technology – including semiconductors, digital standards and telecoms resilience
- Futures Thinking – including quantum, climate security and space policy
- Public Sector Innovation – from digital inclusion to commercial innovation and science capability
DSIT said the fellowship “offers a unique bridge between government and the tech ecosystem – bringing expertise into policymaking and giving top talent a front-row seat at the heart of national decision-making”.
It said fellows will gain “rare access to government decision-making, professional development, and powerful cross-sector networks”, and secondees will return “equipped with new insights, connections, and strategic experience”.
Patrick Vallance, the science minister and former government chief scientific adviser, said: "This is how we open up government – by bringing together the UK’s leading scientific and technological talent to directly shape policy and drive the innovation at the heart of our Plan for Change.
“By harnessing expertise across academia and industry, we are embedding expert knowledge to tackle key challenges – from strengthening digital resilience to ensuring the UK leads in AI and quantum technologies.
“This fellowship creates a lasting partnership between government, academia, and business to unlock new solutions, accelerate progress, and drive long-term growth – ensuring science and innovation remain central to shaping our economy and society.”
Successful candidates will be in the third cohort of the fellowship, following the Expert Exchange Programme and Science and Technology Fellowship pilots. DSIT said previous fellows “have gone on to shape major government strategies and returned to their organisations with powerful new insights – showing the lasting impact of this cross-sector exchange”.
Alex Casson, a current DSIT fellow and a professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Manchester, said: ”The DSIT Fellowship has been a great opportunity to be embedded in the civil service. It has let me see how policy and advice teams work, and how science is put at the heart of decision making. This is in a ‘hands on’ manner; I’m not an observer. I’m part of the team and working with others on a wide range of different emerging technology topics. “
The DSIT Fellowship is open to professionals who are currently employed and who are affiliated with partners including the Royal Society, Royal Academy of Engineering, Academy of Medical Sciences, techUK, IET and the British Standards Institute. Applications are open until 3 June.