UKRI Policy Internships 2026: Three-Month Policy Placements for UKRI-Funded Doctoral Students

UKRI Policy Internships 2026: Three-Month Policy Placements for UKRI-Funded Doctoral Students

Historical reference: UKRI closed this competition at 4:00pm UK time on 8 September 2026. Applications can no longer be submitted to this round. UKRI’s scheme page says annual opportunities typically go live in summer, but the Funding Finder currently lists this 2026 round as closed and does not list a 2027 competition. Check UKRI’s Funding Finder and the scheme page for an announced future round; do not treat this archive as an open call.

The UKRI Policy Internships competition offered eligible doctoral researchers a three-month placement with a policy organisation, undertaken as part of their existing doctoral studentship. UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) ran the opportunity with its seven research councils: AHRC, BBSRC, EPSRC, ESRC, MRC, NERC and STFC. The placement was intended to help researchers understand how evidence enters policymaking and communicate research to policy audiences.

This page records the terms of the 2026 competition for reference. The date, host list and funding rules below describe that round. They should not be assumed to carry over to another year, if UKRI announces one.

2026 call at a glance

What the placement involved

The scheme placed doctoral students in a policymaking environment for training and practical experience. UKRI expected interns to work on a policy topic agreed with their host partner and relevant to both the host and the student. The stated outputs included producing a briefing paper, participating in a policy inquiry, organising a policy event, or undertaking an equivalent activity. These were examples of the work expected from a placement, not a promise of a particular job or a separate doctoral award.

The placement was integrated into doctoral study. The applicant, host partner, supervisor and research organisation were expected to agree timing after an outcome. Each internship had to start before the end of the student’s funded period. Applicants could not delay the start until after their studentship funding had ended. Host arrangements could vary: UKRI encouraged remote or hybrid options where possible, while the host information document set out individual location and role details.

The 16 host partners listed for this competition were the Cabinet Office; Department for Education; Department for Energy Security and Net Zero; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Department for Work and Pensions; Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland; Department of Health and Social Care; Government Office for Science; Home Office; Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government; Ministry of Justice; Northern Ireland Assembly; Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology; Scottish Parliament Information Centre; Senedd Cymru/Welsh Parliament; and UK Health Security Agency. Host-specific opportunities and any council restrictions were described in UKRI’s Host Partner Information document.

Applicants applied to one host partner. They could also state a second choice in the Funding Service application and might be contacted by that host if additional opportunities became available. Parliamentary partners used a joint assessment process, with the appropriate partner for an intern potentially settled during interview. A second choice was therefore an option, not a second independent application.

Eligibility recorded for the 2026 round

The competition was for existing doctoral students funded by one of UKRI’s research councils: AHRC, BBSRC, EPSRC, ESRC, MRC, NERC or STFC. UKRI also said students funded through UKRI Centres for Doctoral Training in Artificial Intelligence could apply and should use EPSRC eligibility and funding details. Students were advised to ask their training grant administrator if unsure about their funding status.

The call excluded students who were not funded at least 50% by a UKRI doctoral studentship, people not currently undertaking doctoral-level study in the UK, undergraduates, master’s students, and anyone who had previously undertaken or was currently undertaking a UKRI policy internship. This last restriction applied to previous participation in the same scheme, not simply to having other work experience.

Most hosts accepted candidates funded by any of the listed research councils, but some host opportunities were restricted to particular councils or research interests. STFC-funded students could apply only to the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology or the Government Office for Science. Applicants needed to check the Host Partner Information document against both their council and their research fit instead of assuming all 16 hosts were available to everyone.

Part-time registered students were welcome. Their internship duration and any eligible studentship extension were handled on a pro-rata basis. Students on a visa were responsible for checking the visa conditions with their research organisation, especially where a placement could change study location or require a studentship extension. Hosts could require security, background, nationality or declaration-of-interest checks. UKRI described all hosts as strictly non-partisan and expected interns to uphold public-service principles and abstain from party-political or lobbying activity.

Funding and costs

There was no single cash award amount for each intern. Funding depended on the research council and selected host. Across the scheme, the research organisation had to continue paying the student’s stipend, where they were eligible, and fees during the three-month placement, pro rata for part-time students. The method for meeting those costs differed among councils and could involve an existing training grant, a council payment or reimbursement, and, for some students, an extension to the studentship. Applicants therefore needed the relevant council section of the UKRI call and advice from their doctoral training programme or research organisation before relying on a particular funding route.

Most host partners provided a contribution for eligible travel and accommodation costs up to a maximum of £3,594. The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, the Northern Ireland Assembly Research and Information Service, Senedd Research and the Scottish Parliament Information Centre did not have the same co-funding arrangement; their eligible costs up to that limit had to be claimed from another source, such as a training grant. Accommodation was claimable only when relocating was necessary to undertake the placement. Costs also had to follow UKRI’s travel and subsistence policy and the host and institution’s claim procedure.

The cap was not a flat payment, salary supplement or guaranteed amount to every applicant. It was a maximum for eligible expenses, and the source and timing of reimbursement varied. Host-specific details mattered. UKRI also stated that a student already receiving a London allowance would continue to receive it during the placement, while a student who did not already receive one would not become eligible simply because their host was in London.

How applications to this closed round worked

The 2026 competition used the UKRI Funding Service, reached from the Funding Finder opportunity page. It did not use Je-S. The student undertaking the placement had to be named as the sole project lead. UKRI’s process asked applicants to prepare the application in the Funding Service, submit it to their research office for checking, and have that office submit the checked application to UKRI. Internal research-office deadlines could precede the published UKRI deadline.

The application required administrative information and several substantive responses. Applicants supplied their UKRI Studentship Reference Number, research council acronym and mode of study; identified first and second host preferences and specific host opportunities where relevant; summarised their doctoral project for a non-specialist audience; and described their capability and career-development reasons. The application also included a supporting statement written by the training grant holder. It had to confirm the lead supervisor’s permission and the training grant holder’s permission, and explain how the placement would be supported and funded. The statement was pasted into the application’s host-organisation-support section rather than uploaded as a separate file.

Applicants also wrote a summary policy briefing of up to 1,000 words. UKRI specified that it should not be directly about the applicant’s doctoral research, but should address a current issue, legislation or government policy relevant to the chosen host. Assessors looked for a timely, balanced, evidence-based briefing written accessibly and without partisan advocacy. The application included questions about trusted research and innovation, including relevant National Security and Investment Act areas, collaborators and export-control licensing. References counted within the relevant response word limits. UKRI said applications should stand alone and hyperlinks should be used for references, not to add material that the application omitted.

For anyone reconstructing the process, the central preparation tasks were to verify studentship eligibility, confirm the host and council match, discuss timing and finances with the supervisor and training grant holder, and allow the research office enough time to check the application. The official call warned that a submitted application could not be amended and that an application that failed to follow the guidance could be rejected. Those instructions explain the closed round; they are not a route to submit now.

Assessment and timing in the 2026 call

UKRI first checked eligibility. Eligible applications were then assessed by representatives of the selected host partner. Host partners, rather than UKRI, handled communication with candidates about written-stage results, and not every host could provide feedback. Shortlisted candidates might be interviewed, although an interview was not required by every host. Host partners controlled interview arrangements and made the final internship decisions. Parliamentary partners shared assessment across the relevant organisations.

The call page forecast host shortlisting in October 2026, interviews in October to November 2026, and outcome communications in November to December 2026. Placements were expected to begin from January 2027. These were the published timetable estimates for the 2026 competition; individual host processes could differ. They are not dates for an open application window.

Checking for a future round

UKRI’s scheme page describes policy internships as a recurring part of its postgraduate training portfolio and says annual opportunities typically go live in summer. That general statement does not establish that a particular future competition is open or provide a deadline. At the time this page was checked, UKRI’s Funding Finder showed the 2026 opportunity as closed, and no 2027 Policy Internships call was listed. This page therefore remains a historical reference with the real deadline of the 2026 round retained in its metadata. Prospective applicants should use UKRI’s scheme page and Funding Finder for any new announcement and follow the new round’s own eligibility, host, funding and application guidance.

For questions about the scheme, UKRI lists [email protected] as the opportunity contact. Its Funding Service helpdesk is for technical or submission-system questions; costing and application-preparation questions should first go to the applicant’s research office and doctoral training programme. Contact details and requirements may change, so consult the live UKRI pages before relying on them.

Official references

• UKRI Policy Internships 2026 opportunity and application guidance
• UKRI Policy Internships scheme overview