The Turing AI Pioneer Interdisciplinary Fellowships are a new cross-council call launched by UKRI, and lead by EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council). Projects can be ?500k-?2.18m over three years. The outline stage deadline is 14 October and there is a cap of 4 applications per institution.
This opportunity is for established researchers from across UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) remit, without a background in core artificial intelligence (AI) research, who want to build domain relevant AI capability and develop advanced AI approaches to tackle a specific research challenge in their chosen field.
Applicants must:
- Be an established researcher without a background in core AI research
- Benefit from the time and flexibility the fellowship will afford you to build domain relevant AI skills and capability
- Have a vision for how the development of advanced AI systems and approaches could enable potentially transformative new avenues in your research and that of your broader community.
‘Established researchers’ would be demonstrated by ‘receipt of significant funding or leading significant research programmes or workstreams or managing your own independent group in or outside academia.’
UKRI particularly welcome proposals which support government missions, such as the?Industrial Strategy, or are addressing domain specific research challenges in the following areas, where significant opportunities to accelerate progress through embedding AI exist:
- Engineering biology
- Frontier physics
- Materials science
- Medical research
- Quantum technology
This is not an exclusionary list and proposals from other areas across UKRI remit including non-STEM disciplines are also welcome.
Given the above, the Research Funding Development (RFD) team will organise and support a cross-faculty Expression of Interest (EoI) and selection process, which has a tight turnaround, as suggested below:
| Date | Action |
| 29 July | EoI Process Launched |
| 5 September | Worktribe created with indicative costings |
| 8 September (Midday) | Expression of Interest |
| 11 September | UKRI Webinar |
| 16 September | University Panel Meeting |
| 17 September | Shortlisting Outcomes Sent |
| 7 October | Worktribe Submission for Approval |
| 14-Oct-25 (4pm) | Funder Deadline |
Full details of the selection process can be found on the SharePoint page. For any queries please contact Jamie in the RFD team on funding@soton.ac.uk