ERA Summer Fellowship 2026 in Cambridge: Fully Funded Research Opportunity

The ERA Fellowship offers a fully supported research opportunity in Cambridge for researchers working on frontier AI safety, AI governance and technical AI policy. Applications for the Winter 2027 ERA Fellowship are currently open until 13 September 2026.

The ERA Fellowship offers an intensive research opportunity for talented individuals interested in understanding and reducing risks associated with increasingly capable artificial intelligence systems. Based in Cambridge, United Kingdom, the programme brings together researchers working across technical AI safety, AI governance and technical AI governance.

Although the opportunity is sometimes referred to online as an “ERA Summer Fellowship 2026,” the current official programme information states that the next ERA Fellowship will take place in Winter 2027, running from 18 January to 26 March 2027. Applications are currently open, with a deadline of 13 September 2026.

The fellowship is designed for individuals who want to work full-time on substantive research questions related to frontier AI while receiving mentorship, research support and opportunities to engage with Cambridge’s wider AI safety community.

What Is the ERA Fellowship?

ERA describes its mission as accelerating talent, advancing research and helping build organisations that work to understand and reduce risks from frontier AI.

The ERA Fellowship is a 10-week research programme in Cambridge. Fellows spend the programme leading a substantive research project supported by an experienced mentor in their field.

The programme is interdisciplinary and welcomes research that crosses conventional boundaries between technical AI safety, policy, governance and related areas. Fellows have the opportunity to work closely with researchers and organisations within ERA’s wider institutional network.

According to the programme information, ERA’s network includes researchers and organisations associated with institutions such as the University of Cambridge, UK AI Security Institute, Centre for the Governance of AI, RAND, Google DeepMind, OpenAI and Anthropic.

Fellowship Dates and Location

The upcoming cohort will take place in:

Location: Cambridge, United Kingdom
Duration: 10 weeks
Start date: 18 January 2027
End date: 26 March 2027
Application deadline: 13 September 2026

The programme is residential in Cambridge, allowing fellows to work directly within a concentrated research community and interact with other fellows, researchers and professionals working on AI safety and governance.

What Funding and Support Does ERA Provide?

The ERA Fellowship is presented as a fully supported research opportunity.

Fellows receive a competitive stipend during the programme. ERA also states that it provides:

Accommodation for the duration of the fellowship
Transport support
Visa costs
Meals during working hours
Research and management support
A dedicated research mentor
Access to a generous compute budget
Opportunities to participate in events and the Cambridge AI safety community

These provisions are designed to remove many of the financial and logistical barriers that can prevent researchers from participating in intensive international research programmes.

The source does not provide a specific stipend amount, so applicants should not assume a particular cash figure until ERA publishes or confirms the applicable amount.

Who Can Apply?

ERA states that it welcomes talented individuals from around the world at any career stage who are motivated to contribute to AI safety and governance research.

The programme is therefore broader than a conventional postgraduate or postdoctoral fellowship. The key consideration is the applicant’s ability to undertake meaningful research relevant to ERA’s mission.

Candidates may come from technical, academic, policy or interdisciplinary backgrounds, depending on the research question they propose to investigate.

A strong applicant should be able to demonstrate genuine interest in frontier AI risks and a research direction that can contribute to the field.

Research Areas

ERA supports research across several major areas.

Technical AI Safety

Technical research focuses on understanding how advanced AI systems behave and how their risks can be measured and controlled.

Areas supported by ERA include:

AI evaluations
Interpretability
Robustness
Alignment
Control
Dangerous capability assessment
Model monitoring
Human oversight

Researchers may investigate questions around how increasingly capable systems behave, how their internal processes can be understood and how effective safeguards can be developed.

AI Governance

The governance track addresses the institutional and policy questions surrounding the development and deployment of frontier AI.

Research can cover areas such as:

International AI cooperation
Regulatory design and implementation
Frontier AI safety frameworks
Corporate governance
Accountability
AI policy in key jurisdictions
International coordination

This makes the fellowship relevant not only to computer scientists but also to researchers working in public policy, law, economics, international relations and related disciplines.

Technical AI Governance

ERA also supports research connecting technical AI capabilities with practical governance mechanisms.

Potential topics include:

Compute governance
AI auditing
System monitoring
Hardware-enabled verification
Technical standards
AI capability thresholds
Verification infrastructure

This area is particularly interdisciplinary because it seeks to connect technical facts about AI systems with the requirements of effective regulation and oversight.

What Will Fellows Do?

The central component of the fellowship is a 10-week substantive research project.

Fellows receive support from an experienced mentor and research-management assistance while developing their work. ERA also provides access to computing resources that can support research activities.

Beyond individual projects, fellows become part of a broader community. The programme typically hosts more than 30 events during the fellowship in Cambridge, providing opportunities to exchange ideas with researchers and practitioners.

The organisation also emphasises community-building and long-term connections among fellows and alumni.

Why Cambridge Matters for the Programme

Cambridge provides a strong research environment for AI safety and governance. ERA states that fellows have opportunities to discuss their work with members of the University of Cambridge community and others working across the wider frontier AI ecosystem.

The programme is structured to encourage intensive collaboration over a relatively short period. This can be particularly valuable for researchers developing a new project, testing a research direction or building connections across technical and policy communities.

How to Apply for the ERA Fellowship

Applicants should begin by reviewing the official ERA Fellowship information and considering whether their research interests align with the programme’s mission.

The application process is conducted online through the ERA application platform.

A competitive application should clearly communicate:

Research interest: Explain the AI safety, AI governance or technical governance problem you want to investigate.

Project contribution: Describe why the question matters and what new insight your research could generate.

Relevant experience: Highlight academic, professional, technical, policy or research experience that demonstrates your ability to undertake the project.

Motivation: Explain why the ERA fellowship environment and Cambridge research community are particularly relevant to your goals.

Applications for the Winter 2027 cohort must be submitted by 13 September 2026.

Career Opportunities and Alumni Network

ERA reports that its 200+ alumni have gone on to work at organisations and institutions involved in AI safety, governance, research and technology.

Its alumni network includes people working with organisations such as the UK AI Security Institute, European AI Office, NIST’s Center for AI Standards and Innovation, RAND, Centre for AI Safety, Future of Life Institute, Machine Intelligence Research Institute, Anthropic, Google DeepMind, Microsoft and universities including Cambridge, Oxford, MIT, Stanford and UC Berkeley.

This alumni network is an important part of the fellowship’s broader value because it can help participants develop connections beyond the 10-week research programme.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the ERA Fellowship fully funded?

ERA states that fellows receive a competitive stipend and that the programme covers transport, visas and lodging for the fellowship. Meals during working hours are also provided. The exact stipend amount is not stated in the supplied programme information.

Is the ERA Fellowship open to international applicants?

Yes. ERA states that it welcomes talented individuals from around the world.

How long does the fellowship last?

The Cambridge ERA Fellowship runs for 10 weeks, from 18 January to 26 March 2027.

Where is the fellowship held?

The fellowship is held in Cambridge, United Kingdom.

What subjects can applicants research?

ERA supports work across technical AI safety, AI governance and technical AI governance, including areas such as interpretability, evaluations, alignment, regulatory design, international cooperation, auditing, monitoring and compute governance.

What is the application deadline?

Applications for the Winter 2027 ERA Fellowship close on 13 September 2026.

Final Thoughts

The ERA Fellowship in Cambridge is a highly specialised research opportunity for people seeking to contribute to the growing fields of frontier AI safety and governance.

Its combination of a competitive stipend, accommodation, transport and visa support, research mentorship, computing resources and access to the Cambridge AI ecosystem makes it an attractive option for researchers interested in the technical and policy challenges created by increasingly capable AI systems.

Prospective applicants should pay particular attention to the 13 September 2026 deadline and ensure that their proposed research clearly connects with ERA’s mission of reducing risks from frontier AI.

For the most accurate and current application instructions, candidates should consult the official ERA Fellowship website and application portal before submitting their materials.

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