FCDO opens applications for 11 senior research fellowships across AI, health, conflict, and emerging technologies

UK academics can apply for two-year placements supporting FCDO research and policy work, with applications due by 30 August 2026.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has opened applications for 11 Senior Research Fellowships across areas including AI for Development, Global Health, Emerging Technologies, Conflict, Critical Minerals, and Technology, Geopolitics and Information Manipulation.

The fellowships are being offered through the Global Research and Technology Development Research Commissioning Centre, which is co-led by 3ie and the University of Birmingham on behalf of FCDO.

Applications opened on 20 May 2026 and close on 30 August 2026 at 5pm GMT. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with interviews expected in early October 2026 and fellowship placements due to begin on 1 April 2027.

The placements will last two years at 0.4 FTE and will be hosted by FCDO at either its head office in London or in East Kilbride. Fellows will need to obtain the required security clearance before taking up a placement.

Applicants must be at least Associate Professor level and employed by a UK academic institution. They will remain employees of their sending institution during the fellowship.

FCDO seeks senior research expertise across 11 themes

The 11 fellowships cover Gender and Equity; Conflict; AI for Development; Food and Agriculture; Economic Development; Systemic Resilience of Combined Human, Social, Economic, Political and Ecological Systems; Hybrid and Transnational Threats; Polar Regions; Critical Minerals; Technology, Geopolitics and Information Manipulation; and Global Health.

The AI for Development and Emerging Technologies themes place the call directly within the growing policy and research agenda around artificial intelligence, digital access, responsible innovation, online harms, disinformation, and technology-enabled risks.

For universities and research institutions, the fellowships offer a route for senior academics to work inside FCDO policy and research teams while remaining employed by their home institution.

The Global Research and Technology Development portfolio is FCDO’s flagship research and innovation program for international development. It is managed by FCDO’s Research and Analysis Directorate under the Chief Scientific Adviser.

GRTD focuses on research and innovation that can support international development and diplomacy objectives, including evidence, technologies, and innovations that can inform policy, strengthen systems, support uptake, and contribute to long-term impact across countries and contexts.

Eligibility includes UK academic employment and security clearance

The fellowships are open to applicants employed by UK academic institutions who meet the required seniority threshold.

Security clearance is also required. Applicants needing Developed Vetting must have lived in the UK for at least five of the last ten years. Applicants needing Security Clearance must have lived in the UK for at least two of the last five years.

The call makes clear that residency refers to physical presence in the UK. Holding a UK bank account or postal address alone does not meet the requirement.

Applicants are expected to review the job description for the relevant thematic area and complete the application form through the RCC Grant Management System.

Shortlisted funding recipients will also need to follow FCDO and 3ie policies, including the FCDO Programme Operating Framework, conflict of interest and publication guidance, safeguarding, fraud and anti-corruption, and transparent, reproducible, and ethical evidence policies.

Research portfolio covers development, diplomacy, and technology risks

GRTD’s wider portfolio is organized around five thematic areas: Climate, Food and Nature; Geopolitics and Humanitarian Response; Growth, Energy and Infrastructure; Human Development; and Technology, Gender and Inclusion.

The Technology, Gender and Inclusion portfolio includes work on inclusive AI, digital access, responsible innovation, women’s economic empowerment, online harms, disinformation, and technology-enabled gender-based violence.

The Human Development portfolio includes research on education systems, foundational learning, health security, women’s and children’s health, and systems that can adapt to conflict, climate change, and crisis.

GRTD says its Research Commissioning Centre is intended to improve how research is commissioned and managed, including reducing bureaucracy, supporting equitable funding, and strengthening collaboration with researchers.

The 11 Senior Research Fellowship applications are open now through the RCC Grant Management System. The deadline is 30 August 2026 at 5pm GMT, with successful placements scheduled to start on 1 April 2027.