Pre-announcement of Further Turing AI World-Leading Researcher Fellowships
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has announced that it will soon open a second and third round of the Turing AI World-Leading Researcher Fellowships to support the retention and international recruitment of a small number of world-leading AI researchers to the UK.
Successful applicants will help to build new capability and capacity in the UK, contributing to the development of a diverse and sustainable UK AI research ecosystem. The fellowships will facilitate enhanced engagement between academia, business and other sectors through flexible career paths that encourage inter-sector mobility.
The call will support world-leading researchers who will undertake ambitious and novel research with a primary focus on tackling the methodological and theoretical challenges in AI, which may be driven by real world applications. This research should show significant novelty in the development of AI technologies and should go beyond applying established AI approaches within applications.
Specifically, it is expected that fellows will:
- Establish a world leading centre of excellence, building new capability and capacity in a strategically important area of AI research.
- Lead a major programme of AI research, translation and innovation.
- Build strong relationships and collaborations with academia, business and broader stakeholders in the UK and internationally, including cross-disciplinary collaborations where appropriate.
- Act as a leader in the community and as an ambassador and advocate for it, driving forward the UK and international AI research agenda.
- Develop the skills and careers of their teams, developing the independent researchers and innovators of the future.
- Actively engage with researchers, developers and users to enable AI for use in the real world, ensuring that AI is designed, developed and deployed robustly and transparently.
- Embed the principles of responsible innovation and trusted research throughout their activities.
- Deliver research with a high likelihood of impact on UK society and the economy.
- Build a broader portfolio of funding and activities beyond the fellowship, moving towards a position of sustainability at the end of the fellowship.
Diverse career paths in AI mean that no standardised eligibility criteria will be set, and applications from those who have taken a non-standard career path after their primary degree are encouraged. It is however expected that fellows will have demonstrable international standing in their area, with the potential to add value to the UK AI leadership landscape.
Applications will be encouraged from people currently employed in all sectors (eg academia, business, government and the third sector) and welcomed from both UK-based and international researchers. However, the time dedicated to the fellowship should be hosted by an eligible organisation within the UK. For UK-based applicants, the case should be made for how the fellowship will help to retain them in the UK, and how it will be used to build new capability and capacity.
Applications for round 2 are expected to open in spring 2022 with a deadline in summer 2022.
Applications for round 3 are expected to open in early 2023 with a deadline in summer 2023.