Uk Open Innovation Team

Open Innovation Team PhD Placement Scheme 2026

The Open Innovation Team (OIT) announces applications for its 2026 PhD placement scheme, offering around 30 three-month placements annually in policy and evaluation work across government. Applications close at 12pm on 1 July 2025. The scheme has hosted over 150 PhD students since 2016, with placements spanning health, justice, education, sustainability, energy, international development, and artificial intelligence policy areas.

AI Adoption Accelerator Launches for Civil Servants

The Open Innovation Team (OIT) has launched the AI Adoption Accelerator, a programme offering planning workshops, coaching, resources, and bootcamps to help UK civil servants adopt generative AI responsibly. Services include senior workshops on strategy and guard-rails, hands-on prompting sessions, practical guides, and two-day AI Pioneers bootcamps. Early pilots with the Department for Education have shown improved confidence and identified use cases for policy and operations.

Evaluation Services Unit Launched for Affordable Government Evaluation Support

The Open Innovation Team has launched the Evaluation Services Unit (ESU) to provide affordable, high-quality evaluation services to civil servants across UK government departments and arms-length bodies. Operating as an in-house consultancy, the ESU offers end-to-end support from scoping and design through to full delivery of process and impact evaluations. Work can be scoped and agreed within approximately one week, without a lengthy procurement process.

PhD Placement Scheme 2026-27 Applications Now Open

The Open Innovation Team has announced applications are now open for its 2026-27 PhD placement scheme. The program offers three-month policy and evaluation placements across four cohorts running July 2026 through June 2027. Approximately 30 placement opportunities are available annually for PhD students to work alongside civil servants on real policy challenges including health, justice, education, sustainability, energy, and artificial intelligence.

PhD Alumni Share Placement Scheme Impact Since 2016

The UK Open Innovation Team published testimonials from PhD alumni sharing their experiences with the placement scheme, which has facilitated over 200 placements since 2016. Participants describe working on live policy projects including algorithmic transparency and tackling online child sexual exploitation content. The document highlights skills developed in communicating evidence beyond academia.