The Fellowship

The No10 Innovation Fellowship Programme is 10 Downing Streets flagship initiative for bringing world class technical talent into government for high impact tours of duty.

Our Fellows are deployed on challenging issues that are a priority to the Prime Minister. Issues that we believe can be best tackled through the technical brilliance, fresh thinking and innate leadership our Fellows possess.

The No.10 Innovation Fellowship is now entering its second year. Our first cohort delivered fresh insights and products that improved how government operates and will help protect and improve the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in society. You can read about their work in our Cohort One section.

This programme takes inspiration from the US Presidential Innovation Fellowship, which has also attracted high calibre and diverse talent from tech giants, start-ups, and academia, leading to new products and services.

Who are we looking for?

Advancements in AI provide a generational opportunity to reimagine how government works, driving efficiency, service improvements and improving equality of access. If done well, it will enable us to generate a huge leap forward in the way we deliver services to the public.

For that reason, this year we are predominantly seeking applicants with:

  • Direct experience in applying AI
  • Strong digital skills which you have used to solve public problems

We want AI and Automation specialists that can help us drive this revolution, harnessing the power of AI to transform government and improve the lives of the people we serve.

As well as being technical experts our Fellows are entrepreneurs in residence, natural leaders and free thinkers who proactively seek out flaws in the status quo and fix them.

There is no such thing as a typical Fellow, the strength of this programme lies in the diversity of skills, experience and background of the people we attract.

We want a richly diverse group that is united by a passion for using cutting-edge technology to improve society.

You might be the founder of a social purpose technology company, a data-scientist with a special interest in privacy preserving machine learning, an employee of a large tech company who has delivered new product and services. The list is endless.

What can we offer?

If successful, you’ll enjoy unparalleled opportunities to deliver the type of high impact technology and data projects that are only possible in government. You’ll be put to work on a PM and Government priority where we require your unique skill set; you will have access to senior decision makers; receive mentorship and guidance from the No10 Data Science team and help tackle challenges of national importance.

You’ll have the opportunity to build a peer group of exceptionally talented Fellows and build strong links with the No.10 Data Science Team and the Incubator for Artificial Intelligence.

We’re offering each Fellow a 6-12 month posting with the possibility of extending it; a dedicated recruitment and onboarding process; and bespoke in-programme support.

We will recruit on a rolling basis as new priority challenges emerge and we will work directly with your employer to arrange the terms of your secondment.

Fellows will work in small teams on projects that are technologically challenging, highly impactful and deliverable within a year.

Perspectives on the Fellowship

Tom Read, CEO of the Government Digital Service, explains what he hopes the No.10 Innovation Fellows will bring to government and what opportunity they have to deliver career-defining impact. Former US Presidential Innovation Fellow, Clara Tsao, shares her experiences of the US programme and what she believes the No.10 Innovation Fellowship will offer.