The government is funding a scholarship named after British computer scientist Karen Spark Jones.
Labour said it will fully fund masters' degrees at nine UK universities specializing in artificial intelligence (AI) and science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The government said, backed by the £17.2 million funding, the scholarship will be offered to 100 talented undergraduate-level students in the UK and abroad, as well as access to industry partnerships, labor deployment and mentorship opportunities, including the UK Institute for AI Security.
Universities participating in the SPARCK AI Scholarship Program include Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London, UCL, Southampton, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Manchester and Bristol.
Labour will position scholarships in planning change, providing a direct route for young people to highly skilled jobs in the UK's technical sector.
By covering both tuition and living expenses, scholarships can also reduce the financial burden on students from low-income backgrounds who may not be able to afford a university.
“We offer unique opportunities for talented young people to pursue a master's degree in AI, providing fully funded tuition fees and unparalleled access to industry,” Peter Kyle said.
The application will open in spring 2026, with the first cohort starting the study in October 2026.
In addition to the SPARCK AI Scholarship, Kyle said the government is expanding its fellowship programme to attract talent to the UK AI sector and drive the benefits of change to the public.
The expanded Turing AI Fellowship provides experts established from any part of academia, humanities, research or industry with the resources to develop AI skills and knowledge to tackle specific challenges in the field.
Industrial Strategy
The government said the expansion of the SPARCK AI Scholarship and the Turing Pioneer Fellowship will provide recommendations for the AI Opportunity Action Plan to support the growth of the UK's AI as part of the workers' industrial strategy.
At the start of London Tech Week, Kiel's star Prime Minister announced partnerships with 11 major companies to train 7.5 million workers with AI by 2030.
With a focus on building UK expertise in AI and through an initiative called One Big Thing, Labour also plans to deploy practical AI training for all civil servants in the coming months, pledging to upgrade technology to enhance their status as they are suitable for the future.
The practical training scheduled to be rolled out this fall will give all civil servants practical knowledge of AI and raise awareness about where governments are already using AI to transform public services.
The government also said officials will be tasked with evaluating how technology can be used to streamline their work as much as possible.
