of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office We have started recruiting 11 senior research positions. fellowship Covering areas such as AI for development, global health, emerging technologies, conflict, critical minerals and technologies, geopolitics, and information operations.
The fellowship is being delivered through the Global Research and Technology Development Commissioning Center, co-led by 3ie and the University of Birmingham on behalf of the FCDO.
Applications will open on May 20, 2026 and close at 5pm GMT on August 30, 2026. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, interviews will occur in early October 2026, and fellowship placements are expected to begin on April 1, 2027.
The placement will be 0.4 FTE and will last for two years and will be hosted by the FCDO at its headquarters in London or East Kilbride. Fellows must obtain the necessary security clearances prior to employment.
Applicants must be at least Associate Professor level and employed by a UK academic institution. They remain employees of the sending institution for the duration of their fellowship.
FCDO seeks senior research expertise across 11 themes
Eleven fellowships cover gender and equity. Conflict; AI for development. food and agriculture. Economic development; resilience of systems that combine human, social, economic, political and ecological systems. Hybrid and transnational threats. Polar regions; critical minerals; technology, geopolitics, and information operations. 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 harm, disinformation, and technology risks.
For universities and research institutions, this fellowship provides a route for senior researchers to work within the FCDO’s policy and research teams while remaining employed by their institution.
The Global Research and Technology Development Portfolio is the FCDO’s flagship research and innovation program for international development. This is managed by the FCDO’s Research and Analysis Division under the Chief Scientific Adviser.
GRTD focuses on research and innovation that can support international development and diplomacy goals, including evidence, technology, and innovation that can inform policy, strengthen systems, support dissemination, and contribute to long-term impact across countries and contexts.
Qualifications include employment at a UK academic institution and security clearance
This fellowship is open to applicants employed by a UK academic institution who meet the required seniority criteria.
Security clearance is also required. Applicants who require a high level of examination must have lived in the UK for at least five of the past ten years. Applicants who require a security clearance must have lived in the UK for at least two of the last five years.
The call makes clear that residence refers to a physical presence in the UK. Merely having a UK bank account or address does not meet the requirements.
Applicants are asked to review the job description for the relevant subject area and complete the application form through the RCC Grants Management System.
Shortlisted funding recipients will also be required to comply with FCDO and 3ie policies, including the FCDO Program Operating Framework, conflict of interest and publication guidance, safeguarding, anti-fraud and corruption, transparency, reproducibility and ethical evidence policies.
Research portfolio covers development, diplomatic and technology risks
GRTD’s broad 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 harm, disinformation and technology-enabled gender-based violence.
The human development portfolio includes research on education systems, basic learning, health security, women’s and children’s health, conflict, climate change, and crisis-adaptive systems.
GRTD says the Research Commissioning Center aims to improve the way research is commissioned and managed, including by reducing bureaucracy, supporting fair funding and strengthening collaboration with researchers.
Applications for 11 Senior Research Fellowships are currently being accepted through the RCC Grants Management System. The deadline is 5pm GMT on 30 August 2026, with successful placements expected to start on 1 April 2027.
