Guidance

Directory of exchange schemes from policy to academia

Published 2 May 2025

Directory of academic and policy exchange schemes – policy to academia

This directory lists the current exchange schemes from policy to academia as of 16/04/2025. The information is presented by type of exchange and alphabetically by scheme name.

An asterisk (*) after the scheme name indicates that it offers exchanges for both academics and policy professionals. (Click here for the directory listing exchanges from academia to policy.)

Each scheme has been categorised into the following three groups: 1) secondment/fellowship; 2) capacity building and/or; 3) internship/placement. The definitions that have been used for each of these categories are as follows:

• Secondments/fellowships: refers to a temporary assignment where an individual is placed on new or existing projects within another organisation to gain experience, share expertise, and foster collaboration offering mutual benefit to the secondee/fellow and the host organisation’s aims. This category includes all types of fellowships, secondments, and embedded expert roles.

• Capacity building: encompasses activities aimed at enhancing the abilities, skills, networks and resources of individuals or organisations. This includes training programmes, mentorship pairing, and relationship-building initiatives.

• Internships/placements: refers to structured programmes designed for students or recent graduates to gain practical experience in a professional setting. Internships and placements are typically short-term.

The data has been obtained from respective departments, institutions or organisations and the comments have been obtained through conversations, webpages or other forms of documentations from each source. The schemes listed in this document vary in duration and commitment some are full-time, while others are part-time. Please refer to the specific details of each scheme for more information. If you own or know of an existing scheme that is not mentioned here, would like to provide information for missing data, or provide amendments to the data below, please email academicengagement@go-science.gov.uk and provide the details for the scheme in order for us to update the dataset.

Secondments/fellowships

Name: Expert Exchange Programme (EEP)*  
Scheme Owner: Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT)  
Duration: Up to 9 months  
Career stage: Mid-senior career  
Type of exchange: Secondment/fellowship  
About the scheme: The Expert Exchange Programme supports with bringing in external experts into DSIT and support internal staff spend time outside the department. Their goal is to make it easy, encouraging and effective for DSIT teams to work with academia, industry and other partners to bring in or cultivate expertise or knowledge that is not currently available within the department. Benefits of the programme are: 
1. Capability development – the opportunity to acquire specific technical and specialist skills; 
2. Exposure to new thinking and the scope to experience first-hand innovation in a different sector that could transform future delivery in the Civil Service; 
3. Professional growth through the expansion of networks and communities of practice beyond the Civil Service;
4. Valuable career development via the opportunity to lead and manage in a different operating environment.  
Further information

Name: OPEN Fellowship Scheme*  
Scheme Owner: University of Oxford   
Duration: 8.5 months  
Career stage: Early-mid career   
Type of exchange: Secondment/fellowship and capacity building   
About the scheme: Oxford Policy Engagement Network (OPEN) Fellowships enable academic and research staff from the University of Oxford to work closely with, or in, an organisation in the policymaking community (Outgoing Fellowship), and for policy professionals to work closely with, or embedded in, a University department or faculty (Incoming Fellowship).  
Further information  

Name: Policy Professionals Fellowship  
Scheme owner: University College London (UCL) 
Duration: 9-12 months  
Career stage:Any stage   
Type of exchange: Secondment/fellowship  
About the scheme: UCL Public Policy offers policy professionals an immersive opportunity to embed themselves within a research department, centre or institute. This fellowship entails working on specific projects, contributing to activities such as workshops, seminars, report production, or framework development.  
Further information

Name: SEFARI Gateway*  
Scheme Owner: Scottish Government  
Duration: < 6 months  
Career stage: Any stage  
Type of exchange: Secondment/fellowship  
About the scheme: SEFARI (Scottish Environment, Food and Agriculture Research Institutions) Gateway is Scotland’s Centre for Knowledge Exchange and Innovation and there are bespoke opportunities co-constructed with key partners to deliver solutions to priority needs that also meet Scottish Government National Outcomes and aligned United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. There are a variety of Fellowships where some have worked closely with Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division (RESAS) colleagues (inwards), while others have worked with external stakeholders.  
Further information  

Name: STEM Futures*  
Scheme owner: Government Science & Engineering Profession  
Duration: Varies (weeks to years)  
Career stage: Any stage  
Type of exchange: Secondment/fellowship; capacity building; Internships/Placements  
About the scheme: STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Futures is a partnership of organisations across industry, academia, and the public sector which provides opportunities to exchange and promote STEM knowledge. These opportunities include shadowing, mentoring, placements and secondments. By providing opportunities inside and outside of government, STEM Futures will ensure STEM expertise is applied in policymaking and services while also providing valuable development opportunities.  
Further information

Capacity building

Name: ACCESS Leadership College Fellows*  
Scheme Owner: Advancing Capacity for Climate and Environment Social Science (ACCESS)  
Duration: 4-5 years  
Career stage: Early-mid career  
Type of exchange: Capacity building  
About the scheme: The ACCESS (Advancing Capacity for Climate and Environment Social Science) Leadership College is a diverse group of people from academia, business, charities and the public sector all coming together for 4 annual residential retreats. The College provides opportunities for the group to network and learn from each other and from experts across ACCESS and beyond.  
Further information

Name: ACCESS Summer School*  
Scheme Owner: Advancing Capacity for Climate and Environment Social Science (ACCESS)  
Duration: 1 day  
Career stage: Early-mid career   
Type of exchange: Capacity building  
About the scheme: The ACCESS summer schools provide relaxed and friendly environments for PhD students and early career researchers to;
1) meet and discuss their research with experts in the field and their peers, working together on issues of environment and climate change,
2) receive interactive training in communicating climate and environmental social science for impact beyond academia (e.g. with policymakers, media, and public),
3) gain insights into career paths for environmental social scientists post-PhD.  
Further information

Name: Centre for Science and Policy Fellowships (CSaP)   
Scheme owner: University of Cambridge  
Duration: 2 years  
Career stage: Senior  
Type of exchange: Capacity building  
About the scheme: The CSaP Policy Fellowship is a flexible professional development programme. In the first year, Policy Fellows spend up to 5 days across 2 visits to Cambridge undertaking a tailored programme of 1:1 meetings with academic experts across a range of disciplines relevant to the Fellow’s responsibilities and identified interests. Over 2 years, CSaP Policy Fellows continue to benefit from support and involvement with the network’s activities.  
Further information

Name: Foundation Future Leaders Programme*  
Scheme owner: Foundation for Science & Technology   
Duration: 1 year   
Career stage: Mid-career  
Type of exchange: Capacity building  
About the scheme: The Foundation Future Leaders Programme seeks to support the leaders of tomorrow in building the links and knowledge that they will need. The programme brings together a cohort of around 30 mid-career professionals over the course of a year, with approximately 10 representatives each from the research community, industry, and the Civil Service and wider public sector. Over a 12-month period, the group meet and discuss with senior figures from government, parliament, universities, large industry, SMEs, research charities and others. Just as importantly, Future Leaders present their own expertise, develop skills and make future contacts. The programme includes external visits and the development of an annual conference for a wider group of mid-career future leaders in science, technology, research and innovation.  
Further information

Name: Greater Manchester Policy Fellowship Scheme  
Scheme owner: The University of Manchester   
Duration: 12 months   
Career stage: Mid-career   
Type of exchange: Capacity building   
About the scheme: The Greater Manchester Policy Fellowship Scheme creates new networks and strengthens existing relationships between researchers and policymakers. The programme is also designed to augment the personal and career development of all participants.  
Further information

Name: Imperial AI Fundamentals Programme  
Scheme owner: Imperial College London  
Duration: 8 weeks  
Career stage: Early-mid career  
Type of exchange: Capacity building  
About the scheme: The AI Fundamentals programme is designed for civil servants of any grade involved in AI regulation, strategy, or systems. With the rapid proliferation of AI tools and systems, governments face significant public policy challenges and opportunities. Civil servants must navigate uncertainties around regulating AI’s societal use while harnessing its transformative potential to improve the design and delivery of public services. Central government departments occupy a pivotal role, both as regulators of AI adoption and as major users and developers of AI technologies across their operations and public services. There is one half-day class per week for the duration of the 8 weeks.  
Further information

Name: Imperial AI Policy Fellowship Programme  
Scheme owner: Imperial College London  
Duration: 9 months  
Career stage: Senior   
Type of exchange: Capacity building   
About the scheme: The Imperial AI (artificial intelligence) Policy Fellowship is a unique development programme designed to support senior civil servants in understanding the role and impact of AI in the public sector. Hosted by the Imperial Policy Forum, the programme combines theoretical learning with practical application, allowing Fellows to refine problem statements related to significant policy challenges and explore how academic research can be leveraged to support policy development, delivery, or evaluation.  
Further information

Name: Institute for Policy Research (IPR) Policy Fellowship Programme  
Scheme owner: University of Bath  
Duration: 1-2 days (relationship lasts for 2 years)  
Career stage: Senior   
Type of exchange: Capacity building   
About the scheme: Designed for senior policymakers and decision-makers from government and the third sector, the IPR Policy Fellowship Programme offers the opportunity to explore policy questions or challenges through a bespoke programme of tailored meetings with leading academics based at the University of Bath. This is classed as a 2-way knowledge exchange and although the duration is 1-2 days, the relationship lasts for 2 years.   
Further information

Name: OPEN Fellowship Scheme*   
Scheme owner: University of Oxford  
Duration: 8.5 months  
Career stage: Early-mid career   
Type of exchange: Secondment/fellowship and capacity building  
About the scheme: Oxford Policy Engagement Network (OPEN) Fellowships enable academic and research staff from the University of Oxford to work closely with, or in, an organisation in the policymaking community (Outgoing Fellowship), and for policy professionals to work closely with, or embedded in, a University department or faculty (Incoming Fellowship).   
Further information

Name: OPEN Peer Mentoring Scheme*  
Scheme owner: University of Oxford  
Duration: 6 months  
Career stage: Early-mid career  
Type of exchange: Capacity building  
About the scheme: The Oxford Policy Engagement Network (OPEN) Peer Mentoring Scheme invites applications from OPEN members with academic or research contracts with the University of Oxford. In each cohort, the scheme matches 15 researchers at Oxford and 15 policy professionals at a similar career stage for 6 months, enabling them: 
1) to deepen their understanding of how research can inform policymaking and develop the relevant skills to catalyse that process, 
2) to broaden and deepen their academic and policy networks; 3) to strengthen leadership for academic-policy engagement.  
Further information

Name: OPEN Seed Fund*    
Scheme owner: University of Oxford   
Duration: 3-7 months   
Career stage: Early-mid career   
Type of exchange: Capacity building   
About the scheme: The OPEN Seed Fund offers awards of up to £5,000 to enable researchers at the University of Oxford and public policy professionals anywhere in the world to kick-start or deepen collaboration, working together to design, deliver and evaluate projects that: enable them to share evidence and support its use in policymaking; improve their understanding of how research can inform policymaking, and develop the skills to catalyse that process; and broaden and deepen their networks.   
Further information  

Name: Policy Fellowship  
Scheme owner: Open Innovation Team (OIT)  
Duration: 6 months  
Career stage: Early-mid career   
Type of exchange: Capacity building  
About the scheme: The Policy Fellowship programme is a part-time academic mentoring scheme for civil servants at grades SEO-G6. Policy Fellowships support officials by providing help and expert insight to answer a specific policy question. Over the course of 6 months, civil servants work under the supervision of an academic mentor in a relevant field to research and produce an output based on their policy area.  
Further information

Name: Policy Fellowships  
Scheme owner: The Royal Academy of Engineering   
Duration: 4-6 months   
Career stage: Senior   
Type of exchange: Capacity building   
About the scheme: The Policy Fellowships programme inspires policymakers to think differently and to use engineering and systems thinking to frame complex and wicked problems, and design resilient solutions. The programme has grown a unique network of policymakers, engineers and other experts who are working together to develop fresh insights and approaches to economic, social and technical problems. Twice a year, the Academy selects exceptional UK-based policymakers to become Policy Fellows and embark on an intensive programme.  
Further information

Name: STEM Futures*  
Scheme owner: Government Science & Engineering Profession   
Duration: Varies (weeks to years)   
Career stage: Any stage  
Type of exchange: Secondment/fellowship; capacity building; Internships/Placements  
About the scheme: STEM Futures is a partnership of organisations across industry, academia, and the public sector which provides opportunities to exchange and promote STEM knowledge. These opportunities include shadowing, mentoring, placements and secondments. By providing opportunities inside and outside of government, STEM Futures will ensure STEM expertise is applied in policymaking and services while also providing valuable development opportunities.   
Further information

Name: The Brokerage  
Scheme owner: Scottish Policy & Research Exchange  
Duration: Varies  
Career stage: Any stage  
Type of exchange: Capacity building  
About the scheme: The Brokerage is a network of researchers, knowledge mobilisers, and policy professionals who have an interest in improving how evidence and expertise shapes policy. They share formal and informal opportunities for research-policy engagement, and create spaces for relationship-building and shared learning. It is open to anyone working in higher education and research in Scotland.  
Further information

Name: Visiting Fellowship  
Scheme owner: University College London  
Duration: 6 months  
Career stage: Any stage  
Type of exchange: Capacity building  
About the scheme: UCL Public Policy provides coordination and support for policy professionals to spend time at UCL, participating in a range of activities from individual and group meetings with researchers, to joining in course modules and seminars or visiting labs and watching experiments in action. Discussions are driven by policy questions, defined in advance, matched to key research themes, expertise, and ongoing projects across the breadth of UCL.  
Further information

Internships/placements

Name: ACCESS Placement Schemes   
Scheme owner: Advancing Capacity for Climate and Environment Social Science (ACCESS)  
Duration: 3 months   
Career stage: Any stage   
Type of exchange: Internship/placement   
About the scheme: ACCESS offers placement schemes hosted by credible organisations which provide an opportunity for academic social scientists to improve their interdisciplinary research skills and gain experience of applying social science insights in practice. Placement schemes can offer important development and networking experiences, especially in helping researchers understand more about policy development and delivery.  
Further information

Name: Medical Research Council (MRC) – Academy of Medical Sciences Policy Internship  
Scheme owner: UKRI  
Duration: 3 months  
Career stage: Pre-career  
Type of exchange: Internship/placement  
About the scheme: MRC has partnered with the Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS) for more than a decade to offer this policy internship scheme to MRC students. The scheme is designed to give students first-hand experience of the medical science policy environment, enable them to gain insights into how research can impact policy and provide an opportunity to help build valuable networks with the UK’s most eminent medical scientists and key science and health stakeholders.  
Further information

Name: STEM Futures*   
Scheme owner: Government Science & Engineering Profession  
Duration: Varies (weeks to years)  
Career stage: Any stage  
Type of exchange: Secondment/fellowship; capacity building; internships/placements  
About the scheme: STEM Futures is a partnership of organisations across industry, academia, and the public sector which provides opportunities to exchange and promote STEM knowledge. These opportunities include shadowing, mentoring, placements and secondments. By providing opportunities inside and outside of government, STEM Futures will ensure STEM expertise is applied in policymaking and services while also providing valuable development opportunities.  
Further information