UKRI policy internships are three-month placements for UKRI-funded doctoral students to gain policy experience inside an influential policy organisation, while UKRI policy fellowships are 18-month, separately funded engagements for early- to mid-career, post-PhD researchers who embed their expertise directly inside a government department or arm’s-length body. The two schemes sit at different career stages, run on different funding structures, and carry different levels of policy responsibility — conflating them leads applicants to the wrong scheme at the wrong time.
A UKRI policy internship is a fixed three-month placement, funded as an extension of an existing UKRI doctoral studentship, in which a PhD researcher works inside a policy organisation such as a government department, parliamentary committee, or devolved administration body.
- What are UKRI policy internships?
- What are UKRI policy fellowships?
- Policy internships vs fellowships: key differences
- Which route suits which researcher?
- How to apply for each scheme
- Frequently asked questions
- What this means for research careers
What are UKRI policy internships?
The UKRI Policy Internships scheme lets a doctoral student pause their thesis for three months to work inside a policy-relevant organisation. UKRI’s own scheme page describes it as an opportunity for UKRI-funded doctoral students “to gain training and experience for three months in one of a selected group of highly impactful organisations relevant to UK policy.”
UKRI states the scheme supports an average of 125 internships per year across all host partners (UKRI, UKRI Policy Internships scheme page, last updated 23 April 2026). By the end of the placement, a student is typically expected to have produced a briefing paper, participated in a policy inquiry, and/or organised a policy event.
- Duration: three months, taken as an extension of the student’s existing doctoral studentship
- Eligibility: doctoral students funded by AHRC, BBSRC, ESRC, EPSRC, MRC, NERC or STFC — the seven UKRI research councils
- Hosts: government departments, parliamentary bodies (including the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology), and other influential policy organisations
- Application window: opportunities typically go live in summer via the UKRI Funding Service
What are UKRI policy fellowships?
A UKRI policy fellowship is a longer, dedicated funding award for a researcher who already holds a doctorate (or equivalent research standing) and is based at an organisation eligible for UKRI funding. Rather than gaining first exposure to policy work, a fellow applies established research expertise directly to a live policy problem.
UKRI’s 2025 opportunity notice confirms fellows “spend 18 months as a UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) core policy fellow, a Natural Hazards and Resilience policy fellow, or a What Works Innovation fellow” (UKRI, “UKRI policy fellowships 2025”). The 2026 round added a further strand — the Sector Transition fellowship — for researchers moving knowledge and skills between academic and policy sectors.
- Duration: 18 months, embedded within a host government department, arm’s-length body, or What Works Centre
- Eligibility: early- to mid-career researchers based at a UKRI-eligible organisation — not a current doctoral studentship
- Funding value: the ESRC’s 2025 fellowship round was funded at between £180,000 and £280,000 per award, covering salary costs and research activity over the full term
- Purpose: strengthening knowledge exchange between academia and government on major national and global policy challenges
Policy internships vs fellowships: key differences
The clearest way to separate the two schemes is side by side. Duration, funding structure, and career stage are the three factors that determine which route an applicant is even eligible for.
| Feature | UKRI Policy Internships | UKRI Policy Fellowships |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | 3 months | 18 months |
| Eligibility | Current UKRI-funded doctoral students | Early- to mid-career, post-PhD researchers at a UKRI-eligible organisation |
| Funding basis | Extension of existing studentship stipend | Dedicated award (2025 ESRC round: £180,000–£280,000) |
| Typical output | Briefing paper, policy inquiry input, or policy event | Embedded research programme informing live policy decisions |
| Host settings | Government departments, parliamentary bodies, influential policy organisations | Government departments, arm’s-length bodies, What Works Centres |
| Application route | UKRI Funding Service, via the student’s training grant | UKRI Funding Service, applied for directly by the researcher |
Which route suits which researcher?
Eligibility, not preference, decides the starting point. A researcher who is still mid-PhD cannot apply for a policy fellowship, and a postdoctoral researcher cannot apply for a policy internship — the schemes are structurally separated by career stage.
- Choose a policy internship if you are a current UKRI-funded doctoral student who wants a short, structured introduction to how research is converted into policy advice, without significantly disrupting your thesis timeline.
- Choose a policy fellowship if you already hold a doctorate, are early- to mid-career, and want to commit 18 months to applying your specific research expertise to a live government or What Works Centre priority.
- Neither route fits a researcher who is not UKRI-funded (internship) or not based at a UKRI-eligible organisation (fellowship) — check eligibility on the relevant UKRI Funding Service listing before drafting an application.
How to apply for each scheme
Both schemes are applied for through the UKRI Funding Service, accessed via UKRI’s Funding Finder, but the application route differs by who initiates it.
- Policy internship applicants should first contact their doctoral training partnership or training grant administrator, since eligibility is confirmed against the student’s existing UKRI studentship.
- Policy fellowship applicants apply directly as the named researcher, since the award is a standalone funding grant rather than an extension of an existing studentship.
- Internship queries go to UKRI Talent and Skills at [email protected]; fellowship queries are handled per-strand by the relevant research council listed on each Funding Service opportunity page.
- Both schemes publish annual opportunities — internships typically in summer, fellowships across the year as strand-specific rounds open (2025 and 2026 rounds have both run).
Frequently asked questions
What is the UKRI policy internship?
The UKRI Policy Internships scheme is a three-month placement for UKRI-funded doctoral students at a selected policy organisation. Students gain training and experience converting research into policy advice, typically producing a briefing paper or supporting a policy inquiry before returning to their doctorate.
What is a policy internship?
A policy internship is a fixed-term placement in which an intern supports the analysis, drafting, or evaluation of public policy inside a government body, think tank, or advocacy organisation. UKRI’s version is restricted to doctoral researchers and structured as a short extension of an existing studentship.
Who is eligible for UKRI policy internships and fellowships?
Policy internships require current funding from one of UKRI’s seven research councils — AHRC, BBSRC, ESRC, EPSRC, MRC, NERC, or STFC. Policy fellowships require the applicant to be an early- to mid-career, post-doctoral researcher based at an organisation eligible for UKRI funding, rather than a current studentship.
Are UKRI policy internships and fellowships paid?
Yes. Policy internships continue the intern’s existing UKRI doctoral stipend for the three-month placement, and policy fellowships are funded as standalone awards — the ESRC’s 2025 round, for example, funded fellowships at £180,000 to £280,000 per award to cover salary and research costs.
What this means for research careers
For doctoral researchers, the internship route is a low-risk way to test whether policy work — rather than academia or industry — is the right long-term direction, without giving up studentship funding. For postdoctoral and faculty researchers, the fellowship route offers a rare, funded 18-month window to shape government decision-making directly, at a funding level (£180,000–£280,000 per the 2025 ESRC round) that reflects a serious secondment rather than a short placement.
Institutions and research administration teams supporting applicants should track both schemes separately: internship eligibility sits with the doctoral training partnership, while fellowship eligibility sits with the individual researcher’s host organisation status. Treating the two as a single “UKRI policy scheme” risks steering applicants toward the wrong route — and, given the narrow eligibility windows on both sides, a missed cycle typically means a 12-month wait for the next round.
