Turing AI Pioneer Interdisciplinary Fellowships EOI for AI Research Resource

Overview

Fellows are required to complete this Expression of Interest form by 4pm on 24 February 2026. Details provided in this form will not be formally assessed and will only be used for the purposes of allocation planning for the AI Research Resource.

What is the AI Research Resource?

The AI Research Resource (AIRR) is a suite of advanced supercomputers that provides AI-specialised compute capacity to researchers, academia, and industry. It is part of UK Government’s national infrastructure supporting cutting-edge AI research. It includes supercomputing facilities located in Cambridge and Bristol, with further expansion planned. AIRR is part of the UK’s strategic investment in AI capability and is governed jointly by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and UK Research & Innovation (UKRI).

AIRR Compute Opportunity for Fellows

Access to compute is a key enabling factor for the fellowships and is an allowable expenditure under the grant. Fellows are expected to build plans for access into their programme and allocate funding as appropriate.

DSIT and UKRI will make up to 6,000,000 Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) hours available specifically to the Pioneer fellows’ cohort over the duration of the 3-year scholarship programme. This is equivalent to 500,000 GPU hours per fellow.

Not all projects carried out by fellows will require the same quantity of compute. The starting point will be equal access for all fellows, but awards of compute resource via the AIRR will be managed across the cohort, with unmet demand from one fellow made available to others as appropriate within the total 6,000,000 GPU hours allocation budget.

Successful fellows who wish to request access to compute resource via the AIRR, will be required to complete compliance forms and a formal AIRR compute request for the full 3-year period before the start of programme on the 1 October 2026. Please see further timelines and Terms and Conditions below.

Terms and Conditions

Fellows will also have an annual opportunity to review research delivery plans and amend their requested compute requirements for the remainder of their programme.

Throughout the fellowship, the AIRR Programme team (DSIT and UKRI) will regularly monitor fellows’ utilisation of their compute award. Where AIRR compute is left unused for extended periods, fellows’ compute awards may be reprioritised to ensure national resources are used for research with the greatest impact.

All utilisation of the AIRR is subject to scheduling prioritisation to ensure system use aligns with UK Government objectives. Where this prioritisation disrupts fellows’ workloads, advance notice will be given and support provided to reschedule usage promptly.

Before the start of their fellowship, successful fellows will be required to request access to the AIRR via the Gateway route. This enables fellows to access 10,000 GPU hours with which to familiarise themselves with the AIRR systems, schedule test runs and troubleshoot any technical issues before formally commencing research.

Further to this dedicated access to AIRR compute, fellows will also be able to apply for additional resource through other access tracks. Fellows are encouraged to check the UKRI Funding Finder for new opportunities for access, noting the ongoing opportunity for short-term, small-scale compute awards below:

• Isambard-AI and Dawn AIRR supercomputers: Gateway route

Next steps