The Cambridge ERA:AI Fellowship 2027 is a fully funded 10-week research programme in Cambridge, UK, starting 18 January 2027. Fellows receive a £10,000 stipend, visa support, meals during working hours and travel expense coverage while working with expert mentors on research in AI safety, AI governance and technical AI governance. Applications close on 13 September 2026.
The Cambridge ERA:AI Fellowship 2027 offers an opportunity for researchers, professionals and people with distinctive technical, policy or domain expertise to work on high-priority questions surrounding the safety and governance of increasingly capable artificial intelligence systems.
The Winter 2027 fellowship begins on 18 January 2027 and runs for 10 weeks in Cambridge, UK. According to the programme information, applications are currently open and close on 13 September 2026 at 11:59pm Anywhere on Earth.
Background & Fellowship Overview
The Cambridge ERA:AI Fellowship is designed as an intensive research programme focused on technical and governance measures for addressing risks associated with frontier AI systems.
Fellows develop a research project during the programme while receiving support from research managers, mentors and ERA’s wider institutional network. The fellowship covers research areas across technical AI safety, AI governance and technical AI governance.
The programme is particularly relevant to people interested in how increasingly capable AI systems can be evaluated, controlled, monitored and governed.
What the Fellowship Provides
The fellowship is presented as a fully funded programme. Selected fellows receive a £10,000 stipend for the 10-week fellowship.
Additional support includes:
- Visa support
- Meals during working hours
- Travel expense coverage
- Dedicated desk space in the Cambridge office
- Expert mentorship
- Research management support
- Networking opportunities
- Community and social activities
- Potential additional financial assistance in special cases
The programme also states that top fellows may have the opportunity to continue their research through 6-month-plus full-time funded positions under the Research Scholars programme.
This makes the fellowship particularly relevant to candidates who want to develop a longer-term research career in AI safety, AI governance or related fields.
Expert Mentorship and Research Support
Fellows work closely with a mentor on their research agenda during the fellowship.
ERA says its fellows receive dedicated research management support designed to help them become stronger researchers or policymakers. The programme also notes that alumni have gone on to publish research in leading journals and conferences, including NeurIPS.
Mentorship can therefore form an important part of the fellowship experience, particularly for candidates seeking to develop a research agenda or transition into AI safety and governance.
Research Areas
The Cambridge ERA:AI Fellowship supports research across three major streams.
1. Technical AI Safety
The technical stream focuses on questions surrounding the behaviour, capabilities and controllability of increasingly capable AI systems.
Research areas identified by the programme include:
- AI evaluations
- Interpretability
- Robustness
- Alignment
- Control
- Monitoring model behaviour
- Understanding model internals
- Measuring potentially dangerous capabilities
- Developing safeguards
- Human oversight
- Controlling increasingly autonomous AI systems
The objective is to contribute to technical research that can help ensure increasingly capable AI systems remain subject to effective safeguards and human oversight.
2. AI Governance
The governance stream examines how advanced AI should be developed, deployed and governed.
Potential research topics include:
- International cooperation
- AI regulation
- Regulatory design and implementation
- Frontier AI safety frameworks
- Corporate governance
- Accountability
- International coordination
- Governance of increasingly autonomous AI agents
The programme emphasizes the need for governance institutions to keep pace with rapidly changing AI capabilities and associated risks.
This area could be particularly relevant to applicants with backgrounds in public policy, law, economics, international relations, security or related disciplines.
3. Technical AI Governance
Technical AI governance sits at the intersection of technology and policy.
The programme identifies areas such as:
- Compute governance
- AI auditing
- Monitoring
- Hardware-enabled verification
- Technical standards
- Measuring AI capabilities
- Verification mechanisms
- AI system monitoring
- Technical approaches to regulatory enforcement
The purpose is to explore how technical infrastructure can make AI governance more measurable, verifiable and enforceable.
This stream may appeal to candidates who want to bridge technical AI expertise with policy and governance questions.
Who Can Apply?
One of the notable aspects of the Cambridge ERA:AI Fellowship is its broad approach to eligibility.
The programme states that anyone can apply, with the key formal restriction being that applicants must be 18 or older.
ERA describes itself as a talent-first programme and says it considers more than traditional credentials when assessing applicants.
The fellowship is especially relevant to:
- Researchers at different career stages
- Technical professionals
- AI researchers
- Policy professionals
- Security specialists
- Legal professionals
- Economists
- People developing new research agendas
- Professionals transitioning into AI safety or governance
- Individuals with distinctive domain expertise
Applicants do not need to fit into a single academic discipline. The programme specifically welcomes people from a wide range of subject areas who are committed to its mission.
Application Process
The application process consists of several stages.
Written Application
The first stage primarily consists of short essay questions. The programme estimates that applicants should spend approximately two hours completing this stage.
Interview – Round 1
Candidates who progress beyond the written application enter the first interview stage.
Interview – Round 2
Successful candidates then proceed to a second interview.
Offers
Candidates who successfully complete the selection process may receive an offer to join the Winter 2027 Fellowship.
Applicants should prepare carefully for the written questions and interviews, particularly by being able to clearly explain their interests, research ideas and motivation for working on AI safety or governance.
Fellowship Dates and Deadline
Programme: Cambridge ERA:AI Fellowship
Cohort: Winter 2027
Start date: 18 January 2027
Duration: 10 weeks
Location: Cambridge, United Kingdom
Funding: £10,000 stipend plus additional support
Minimum age: 18
Application deadline: 13 September 2026, 11:59pm Anywhere on Earth
Applicants should confirm the latest information directly with ERA before submitting their application, particularly because programme details and application requirements can change.
Apply for the Cambridge ERA:AI Fellowship
Why This Fellowship Could Be Valuable
The Cambridge ERA:AI Fellowship combines funding, research experience, mentorship and professional networking in one programme.
For someone already working in research, it could provide an opportunity to redirect an existing research agenda toward AI safety or governance. For professionals from fields such as law, economics, security or public policy, it could provide a pathway into emerging AI governance work.
The programme also offers a Cambridge-based research environment and opportunities to connect with researchers and organizations working across frontier AI safety and governance.
Final Thoughts
The Cambridge ERA:AI Fellowship 2027 is a significant opportunity for people interested in the technical, policy and governance challenges associated with advanced AI.
With a £10,000 stipend, visa and travel support, expert mentorship and dedicated research support, the programme provides substantial assistance for selected fellows during the 10-week research period.
The broad eligibility approach also means that applicants should not assume they need a specific degree or professional title to be considered. The programme emphasizes talent, distinctive perspectives and commitment to its mission alongside conventional credentials.
With applications closing on 13 September 2026, eligible candidates interested in AI safety, governance, policy or related research should review the official application information and prepare their submissions before the deadline.
Keywords: Cambridge ERA AI Fellowship 2027, ERA AI Fellowship 2027, Cambridge AI Fellowship, fully funded AI fellowship 2027, AI safety fellowship, AI governance fellowship, AI research fellowship, AI safety research programme, AI governance research programme, technical AI governance, frontier AI safety, frontier AI governance, AI policy fellowship, AI research opportunities 2027, fully funded research fellowship UK, Cambridge research fellowship, AI safety opportunities, AI governance opportunities, AI policy opportunities, artificial intelligence fellowship, AI safety research jobs, AI governance research opportunities, £10,000 fellowship, UK AI fellowship 2027, Cambridge fellowship 2027, research opportunities in Cambridge, AI safety careers, AI governance careers
For more opportunities like these, be sure to follow us on Facebook, join our WhatsApp Group and Channel
Also Check
United Nations University (UNU) Career Opportunities 2026: Global Jobs and Internship Openings
Shell Graduate Programme 2027 in the UK Applications Open September 2026
Bank of America Neighborhood Builders Program 2027 for Nonprofits Opens Spring 2027
Human Rights Watch Africa Division Intern 2026: Great Lakes Region Internship
