Guidance

DSIT Fellowship Cohort 4: guidance for applicants

Updated 14 April 2026

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dsit-fellowship-open-for-applications/dsit-fellowship-cohort-3-guidance-for-applicants

The DSIT Fellowship 2026/2027 is an opportunity for experts in science, innovation and technology to join DSIT. It is a 12-month part-time secondment beginning in Autumn 2026.

Who can apply

DSIT is seeking mid-to late-career professionals who are experts in their field and interested in contributing to:

  • policy and public sector work
  • contribute to the development and delivery of DSIT’s work in key areas

Fellows will be part of policy teams across DSIT, working alongside civil servants to provide expertise to support delivery of department priorities.

Eligibility criteria

This opportunity is offered as a secondment. You must be employed with an employment contract and on PAYE with your employer.

You must also be directly affiliated (e.g. an awardee or fellow) of one of the following partners:

  • Royal Society
  • Royal Academy of Engineering
  • techUK
  • Institution of Engineering and Technology
  • Academy of Medical Sciences
  • British Academy
  • Royal Economic Society
  • British Computer Society
  • Royal Society of Edinburgh

Benefits for the participant (you)

  • Develop a practical, in-depth understanding of how government and the Civil Service works, and how policy is developed and implemented.
  • Build skills to engage effectively with government and explore opportunities for further involvement in policy-related work.
  • Use your specialist knowledge and skills to inform and impact policy and wider work in DSIT. 
  • Access to curated Civil Service training and departmental opportunities, including the opportunity to engage with senior civil servants and civil servants beyond the team you are placed in. 
  • Develop your networks in DSIT, the wider Civil Service and beyond.

Benefits for a organisation (your employers)

  • New networks developed by your employee within DSIT, the wider Civil Service and beyond, including with other Fellows.
  • Your employee will acquire new skills and insights that can be transferred back into your organisation including policy analysis, strategic thinking, regulatory understanding, and more.
  • An employee better able to engage with the Civil Service and understand how policy is developed, what its impacts are, and how to feed into policy work effectively.
  • Opportunity for zero-cost professional development opportunity with variety and challenge that boost employee morale.
  • Reimbursement of your costs for the employee time for the time they are with DSIT up to the level of Civil Service equivalent pay bands.

How to apply

Find the current list of DSIT Fellowship Cohort 4 placements here.

How will Fellows be selected

Fellows will be selected based on:

  • how their experience is suitable for the placement opportunity
  • the potential impact of the work on the DSIT host team.

The final cohort will be selected based on the outcome of matching conversations for each opportunity and with consideration of the balance and diversity of the cohort.

When will the Fellows be confirmed?

  • You will be invited for an interview (called a matching conversation) from mid-May to mid-June
  • A final decision will be taken in the late summer to allow onboarding and background checks to be completed
  • The cohort placements will begin in Autumn 2026 following the successful completion of relevant security and onboarding checks.

Current placements

Find the full list of DSIT Fellowship Cohort 4 placements here.

Background

DSIT Fellowship follows on from the success of the first three cohorts including the Expert Exchange Programme Pilot Cohort and DSIT Science and Technology Fellowship

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