The Cambridge ERA:AI Fellowship Winter 2027 has opened applications for its upcoming 10-week research programme in Cambridge, United Kingdom, offering aspiring researchers and professionals an opportunity to work on technical AI safety, AI governance and technical AI governance.
The fellowship will begin on January 18, 2027, and applications are open to applicants from a wide range of academic and professional backgrounds. The application deadline is September 13, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Anywhere on Earth.
The programme provides a £10,000 stipend, visa support, meals during working hours and coverage of travel expenses, making it a fully funded opportunity for individuals interested in developing research careers focused on advanced artificial intelligence.
Cambridge ERA:AI Fellowship 2027
The Cambridge ERA:AI Fellowship is a 10-week research programme designed to support people working on important questions surrounding the safety and governance of increasingly capable AI systems.
Rather than restricting applications to a particular academic discipline, ERA describes itself as a talent-first programme. Applicants can come from technical, policy, security, legal, economic, research or other relevant backgrounds.
There are no formal eligibility restrictions beyond being at least 18 years old.
The fellowship may be particularly valuable for researchers seeking to apply their existing expertise to AI safety or governance, professionals looking to redirect their careers toward frontier AI issues, and individuals with distinctive expertise that could contribute to understanding and managing risks associated with advanced AI.
What Funding Does the Fellowship Provide?
Successful fellows will receive significant financial and practical support throughout the programme.
The fellowship package includes:
- £10,000 stipend
- Visa support
- Travel expense coverage
- Meals during working hours
- Dedicated desk space in Cambridge
- Expert mentorship
- Research management support
- Professional development opportunities
- Networking opportunities
- Access to a community of researchers and professionals
The programme also states that, in special cases, additional financial assistance may be available to support impactful career transitions.
Fellows will work closely with mentors on their research agendas while receiving support from research managers and ERA’s wider institutional network.
Research Areas at ERA:AI
During the fellowship, participants will develop and complete a research project focused on technical and/or governance measures for addressing risks associated with frontier AI systems.
The programme’s research is organized around three major streams: Technical AI Safety, Governance and Technical AI Governance.
Technical AI Safety
The technical stream focuses on understanding increasingly capable AI systems and developing methods to make them safer and more controllable.
Research areas include AI evaluations, interpretability, robustness, alignment and control.
Fellows may investigate questions surrounding dangerous capabilities, model behaviour, safeguards, human oversight and methods for controlling advanced AI systems.
The programme is also interested in emerging challenges such as deceptive or strategically evasive behaviour, AI systems capable of automating aspects of AI research and development, and alignment techniques that remain effective as AI capabilities increase.
AI Governance
The governance stream examines how governments, institutions and companies can develop effective systems for governing increasingly powerful AI technologies.
Research may address regulatory design, international cooperation, corporate governance, accountability and frontier AI safety frameworks.
Fellows will explore questions around how institutions can keep pace with rapidly evolving AI capabilities and risks.
The programme also highlights emerging governance issues involving increasingly autonomous AI agents and policies designed to strengthen security and verification infrastructure for frontier AI.
Technical AI Governance
The third stream focuses on the intersection between technical infrastructure and AI governance.
The programme notes that effective AI regulation depends partly on the ability of governments and other actors to measure AI capabilities, monitor deployed systems and verify whether organizations are complying with relevant requirements.
Research areas include compute governance, AI auditing, monitoring, hardware-enabled verification and technical standards.
Participants may investigate how governments can identify systems crossing risk-relevant thresholds, how compute and hardware infrastructure can support verification, and how advanced AI systems can be monitored and audited.
Mentorship and Research Support
Mentorship is a central component of the Cambridge ERA:AI Fellowship.
Fellows will be matched with mentors after acceptance, with mentors varying between cohorts according to participants’ research interests.
The programme’s wider research network includes researchers and experts connected to academia, government and industry.
ERA states that its mentors and collaborators have included people from organizations and institutions such as the University of Cambridge, the UK AI Security Institute, the Centre for the Governance of AI, RAND Corporation and leading AI companies.
The programme also provides dedicated research management support intended to help fellows develop strong research skills and produce work capable of contributing to the wider field.
Who Can Apply?
The fellowship is open to anyone aged 18 or older, with no formal academic eligibility restrictions.
ERA particularly encourages applications from:
- Researchers at any career stage
- Technical professionals
- AI researchers
- Policy professionals
- Security specialists
- Legal professionals
- Economists
- Researchers from other relevant disciplines
- Professionals seeking to transition into AI safety or governance
- Individuals with distinctive domain expertise
Applicants do not need to follow a traditional AI research career path. The programme emphasizes potential, relevant expertise and the ability to contribute to high-priority questions in AI safety and governance.
Application Process
The Winter 2027 application process consists of several stages.
The first stage is a written application featuring short essay questions. ERA estimates that the written application should take approximately two hours to complete.
Candidates who progress through the initial stage will proceed to Round 1 interviews, followed by Round 2 interviews before final offers are made.
Applications for the Winter 2027 cohort must be submitted by September 13, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Anywhere on Earth.
Fellowship Details at a Glance
- Fellowship: Cambridge ERA:AI Winter 2027 Fellowship
- Location: Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Duration: 10 weeks
- Start Date: January 18, 2027
- Funding: £10,000 stipend
- Additional Support: Visa support, meals and travel expenses
- Eligibility: Applicants aged 18 and above
- Research Areas: Technical AI Safety, AI Governance and Technical AI Governance
- Application Deadline: September 13, 2026
- Application Process: Written application, two interview rounds and offers
Why This Fellowship Is Significant
The rapid development of advanced AI systems is creating demand for researchers and professionals capable of addressing both their technical risks and governance challenges.
The Cambridge ERA:AI Fellowship provides an opportunity for participants from different backgrounds to develop specialized expertise while working on research questions relevant to the future development and governance of advanced AI.
For researchers considering careers in AI safety, AI policy, AI governance, technical governance or frontier AI research, the programme offers a combination of financial support, mentorship, research resources and professional networking.
Those interested in the Winter 2027 cohort should prepare their written application early and review the fellowship’s research areas to determine how their background and proposed interests align with the programme.
How to Apply
Applications for the Cambridge ERA:AI Winter 2027 Fellowship are currently open.
Deadline: September 13, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Anywhere on Earth.
