GovAI Summer Fellowship Internship 2026: Get Euro 12,000 Stipend, Best Opportunity for Freshers

Apply for GovAI Summer fellowship internship program as GovAI is paying fellows £12,000 to spend summer 2026 in London shaping AI policy, through events, communications strategy, and direct policy work. This guide explains all you need to know and how you can join now!

If you’ve been following the explosive growth of AI and wondering how you could actually influence how governments and organizations navigate this transformation without spending years in a research lab, then pay very close attention to what I’m about to share.

The GovAI Summer Fellowship 2026 (Applied Track) is now accepting applications, but here’s the catch: the deadline is just around the corner, so if this sounds like something you’ve been waiting for, you’ll want to keep reading and move fast.

Unlike typical summer undergraduate research fellowship programs or traditional science academic summer research fellowship opportunities that focus heavily on producing papers and datasets, this summer research fellowship program takes a completely different approach.

GovAI is looking for people who want to do things like organize high-impact events, develop communication strategies, write policy memos that actually inform real-world decisions, or manage projects that shape how we govern AI.

In this summer undergraduate research fellowship, you’ll be spending three months in London working on projects that genuinely influence how the world handles one of the most consequential technologies of our time. And yes, they’re paying you £12,000 to do it, plus covering your travel to get there.

So be it that you’re coming from government, academia, industry, media, or civil society, if you’ve got skills in communications, policy, operations, program management, or advocacy, and you’re wondering how to break into AI governance without a PhD in machine learning, this might be exactly what you need.

In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about the GovAI Summer Fellowship 2026 Applied Track, and more importantly, how to Apply.

What Exactly Is the GovAI Summer Fellowship 2026 Applied Track?

The GovAI Summer Fellowship 2026 Applied Track is a three-month program running from June 8 to August 28, 2026, in London, UK.

GovAI created this track for people who want to shape AI policy through action, not just academic research. Most science academic summer research fellowship programs focus on writing papers and analyzing data, but this one is different because it focuses on getting things done practically.

In this summer undergraduate research fellowship, you won’t be writing academic papers, instead, you’ll be organizing events, developing communication strategies, writing policy memos, or managing programs that directly influence how we govern AI.

Past fellows have organized high-impact events that brought policymakers and AI researchers together. Others managed policy engagement initiatives, built communication strategies for AI safety organizations, or wrote policy memos that informed real regulatory decisions.

This fellowship is more interesting because you’re not assisting someone else’s work. You’ll conceive your own project, plan it, and execute it. You’ll get £12,000 in funding, mentorship from AI governance experts, and you’ll work alongside people actively shaping AI policy.

This program runs full-time and in-person at GovAI’s London office. You’ll get a desk, weekday lunches covered, and direct access to researchers and practitioners working on AI governance worldwide.

This summer research fellowship program is an opportunity that puts you in the room where AI governance work actually happens.

What Should You Expect from the GovAI Summer Fellowship Internship?

Let us explore what your three months in GovAI Summer Fellowship will actually look like, because understanding this will help you decide if it’s the right fit for you.

1. Your Project Is Entirely Yours

You don’t walk in with a pre-assigned task, so the first two weeks are all about figuring out what you want to work on. You’ll spend this time talking with your mentor (someone from the GovAI team or their network), the Fellowship Team, and other people in the GovAI community to help shape a project that makes sense for you.

Now, this doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want. You’ll need to make a solid case for how your project will help launch your career in AI governance. The focus is choosing something that builds real skills, creates genuine impact, and moves you toward the kind of work you want to be doing long term.

After those first two weeks, the next ten weeks are pure execution mode, and the range of projects past fellows have tackled is pretty wild. Some organized major events that brought policymakers and AI researchers into the same room, while others built entire communication strategies for new AI safety organizations.

2. You Get Real Mentorship

Every fellow gets paired with a mentor who genuinely understands the AI governance world. They’ll actively help you navigate your project, and also introduce you to people in their network who can help you through the strategic decision making process.

3. Learning While You Work

While you’re working on your project, there’s a whole parallel track of professional development happening. GovAI brings in experts who are actively working on AI policy and governance for Q&A sessions. These are not just theoretical conversations, because these are people dealing with real challenges and you get to ask them everything.

There are also weekly seminars that help you build knowledge across different parts of AI governance, workshops that teach you practical skills you’ll actually use, and regular work-in-progress meetings where you can get feedback from other fellows on what you’re building.

4. The Network You’ll Build

Beyond all the structured stuff, there are social events designed to help you actually connect with the researchers, practitioners, and other fellows. This offers at GovAI Summer Fellowship genuine opportunities to build relationships with people doing interesting work.

And here’s something quite interesting, GovAI actively encourages you to talk about what comes next. They want you exploring follow-on career opportunities with their team and network. So you’re not just learning skills and completing a project, you’re building relationships with people who can help you figure out your next move in the field.

5. The Day to Day Reality

You’ll be working full time from GovAI’s office in London. They’ll provide you a desk, cover your lunch on weekdays, and if you need a visa, they can sponsor a three-month temporary work visa. The £12,000 stipend is meant to cover your living expenses while you’re there, and they also help with your travel costs to get to London.

One thing you should know is, if you need a visa, you’ll have to stay in your home country while the application is being processed. So plan for that timeline.

This is a full-time, in-person commitment, and you’re expected to be there in London, working alongside the team, for all three months.

Who Should Apply for The GovAI Summer Fellowship Internship 2026

The GovAI Summer Fellowship 2026 Applied Track is designed for people who want to shape AI policy and governance through action, not academic research. If you’ve been looking at AI governance opportunities and feeling like you don’t belong because you lack a machine learning PhD, you’ve been getting it wrong.

GovAI Summer Fellowship welcomes people from diverse professional backgrounds including government, academia, industry, startups, media, and civil society organizations. What matters isn’t where you’ve worked before, but the skills you’ve built and how you plan to use them.

There are no hard requirements, no specific degree, no particular job title, and no minimum years of experience. However, the strongest candidates typically have professional experience in areas like communications, policy work, issue advocacy, event organization and management, research management, program management, operations, fundraising, or applied research.

Think about roles where you make things happen rather than just analyze them. If you’ve organized a major conference, managed a policy campaign, built a communications strategy for a complex initiative, or run operations for a growing organization, you likely have relevant experience for the GovAI Summer Fellowship.

The Question You Should Ask Yourself!

Before you apply, ask yourself this: can you make a clear case for how spending three months working on an applied AI governance project in London will genuinely help you build the career you want in this field?

If you can answer that question convincingly, you’re probably a strong candidate. If you’re struggling to connect the dots between this fellowship and your career goals, you might want to think more carefully about whether this is the right opportunity for you right now.

What GovAI Evaluates in Your Application?

GovAI Summer Fellowship Internship 2026: Get Euro 12,000 Stipend, Best Opportunity for Freshers

When reviewing applications, GovAI Summer Fellowship team looks at four main qualities:

1. Relevant Expertise

Do you have skills or knowledge useful for non-research roles in AI governance? This expertise can come from different places. Maybe you excel at distilling complex technical concepts for non-technical audiences. Maybe you have a track record of organizing events that bring the right people together. Maybe you understand how policy gets made because you’ve worked in government. The form matters less than the substance.

2. Quality of Work

Can you perform at a high level in your area of expertise? GovAI looks for signals that you do excellent work, whatever that work happens to be. This might show up in the results you’ve achieved, the complexity of projects you’ve handled, or the reputation you’ve built in your field.

3. Judgment

This is about your ability to figure out what actually matters. Can you look at multiple potential projects and prioritize which one will have more impact? Do you have good instincts about what’s feasible and what’s not? When given freedom to choose what to work on, do you tend to make smart choices?

4. Team Fit

This includes being open to feedback, honest about what you know and don’t know, comfortable saying “I’m not sure” when that’s true, and genuinely interested in using your career to contribute to AI governance. GovAI wants people who work well with others and care about getting things right more than being right.

What Are the Benefits of the GovAI Summer Fellowship 2026?

The GovAI Summer Fellowship 2026 offers more than just a certificate on your resume. It gives you practical skills, real-world experience, and genuine value that extends well beyond the three months you’ll spend in London.

Let’s break down what you actually get from this summer research fellowship program.

1. A £12,000 Stipend to Cover Your Time

The GovAI Summer Fellowship is a paid fellowship opportunity. You’ll receive £12,000 for the three months, which is designed to cover your living expenses while you’re in London. GovAI also provides support for your travel costs to get to London, so the financial barrier to participation is significantly reduced.

Beyond the stipend, they cover your lunch on weekdays and provide you with a workspace in their London office. This means you can focus on your work and learning without worrying about the daily logistics.

2. Hands-On Experience That Actually Matters

Unlike many summer undergraduate research fellowship programs where you might assist on someone else’s project, you’ll be leading your own work here. You’re not observing from the sidelines or doing background research, you’re conceiving, planning, and executing projects that have real potential to influence AI governance.

This kind of ownership over meaningful work is rare in early-career opportunities, and it’s exactly what builds the confidence and skills you need to advance in this field.

3. Direct Access to AI Governance Experts

Throughout the fellowship, you’ll have regular access to people who are actively shaping AI policy and governance around the world. They’re mentors, speakers, and collaborators you’ll interact with regularly.

The Q&A sessions, seminars, and informal conversations give you insights you simply can’t get from reading articles or taking courses. That means you’re learning from people who are in the room where decisions get made.

4. A Professional Network in AI Governance

The connections you build during this fellowship often become some of the most valuable relationships in your career. This is because you’ll be working alongside other fellows who share your interests, meeting researchers and practitioners in the GovAI network, and getting introduced to people across the AI governance ecosystem.

These relationships don’t end when the fellowship does. Many past fellows have found their next opportunities, collaborators, and career guidance through the network they built during their time at GovAI.

5. Structured Learning That Complements Your Project

While you’re executing your project, you’re also participating in workshops, seminars, and skill-building sessions designed to deepen your understanding of AI governance. This parallel track of learning means you’re not just doing work, you’re also building the foundational knowledge that will serve you throughout your career.

The combination of doing and learning is what makes this science academic summer research fellowship different from programs that focus on one or the other.

6. A Clear Path to Future Opportunities

GovAI actively encourages fellows to explore what comes next. Be it a full-time role in AI governance, another fellowship, or a position at an organization in their network, the program is designed to help you identify and pursue the right next step for your career.

Many fellows have gone on to roles in policy, research organizations, think tanks, government, and AI companies. The fellowship serves as both a credential and a launching pad for these opportunities.

7. Visa Sponsorship for International Candidates

If you’re coming from outside the UK, GovAI can sponsor a three-month temporary work visa. This removes one of the biggest barriers for international candidates who want to participate but worry about the legal and logistical challenges of working in the UK.

8. Real Impact on AI Governance

Perhaps the most meaningful benefit is knowing that your work could genuinely influence how we govern AI. The projects fellows work on are not practice exercises. They’re real initiatives that contribute to how policymakers, researchers, and organizations think about and respond to AI challenges.

For people who care about making a difference, this sense of purpose and impact makes the fellowship valuable in ways that go beyond any specific skill or connection you’ll gain.

In short, the GovAI Summer Fellowship 2026 gives you money, mentorship, meaningful work, and a professional network, all while helping you build a career in one of the most important fields of our time.

How to Apply for the GovAI Summer Fellowship Internship 2026?

The application process for the GovAI Summer Fellowship 2026 is structured and straightforward. It’s designed to assess your skills, thinking, and fit for the program through multiple stages. Here’s exactly how it works.

Step 1: Submit Your Written Application

The first step is completing the online application form. This is where GovAI gets to know you, your background, and why you’re interested in the Applied Track.

You’ll need to provide information about your education, work experience, and relevant skills. Most importantly, you’ll need to explain your interest in AI governance and how this fellowship fits into your career goals. This is your chance to make the case for why you’re a strong candidate, so take your time with this section.

The written application also asks you to describe any relevant projects or work you’ve done that demonstrates your ability to execute on applied work. If you’ve organized events, managed programs, developed communications strategies, or done other hands-on work, this is where you highlight it.

Step 2: Complete the Automated Assessment

If your written application is strong, you’ll be invited to complete an automated assessment. This is a roughly 20-minute evaluation that helps GovAI Summer Fellowship understand how you think and approach problems.

The assessment typically includes questions or exercises related to judgment, problem-solving, and decision-making. It’s not a test you can study for in the traditional sense. Instead, it’s designed to see how you naturally think through challenges and make choices.

Passing this assessment moves you to the next round of the selection process.

Step 3: Remote Work Test

Selected candidates from the assessment stage are invited to complete a paid remote work test. Yes, you read that correctly. This is paid work, not free labor.

The work test is designed to simulate the kind of tasks you might work on during the fellowship. It gives GovAI a chance to see how you approach real work, how you communicate your thinking, and what the quality of your output looks like. For you, it’s an opportunity to demonstrate your skills in a practical setting rather than just talking about them.

This stage helps both you and GovAI determine if there’s a good fit. You get to experience what the work might feel like, and they get to see you in action.

Step 4: Final Remote Interview

The last stage is a remote interview with members of the GovAI team. This conversation goes deeper into your background, your interest in AI governance, and your goals for the fellowship.

They’ll want to understand your motivation, how you think about your career, and how you approach collaboration and feedback. This is also your chance to ask questions about the fellowship, the projects past fellows have worked on, and what support you’ll receive during the program.

The interview is conversational, not interrogational. GovAI wants to get to know you as a person, not just evaluate you as a candidate.

Step 5: Receiving Your Offer

If you’re selected, you’ll receive an offer to join the GovAI Summer Fellowship 2026 Applied Track. The offer will include all the details about your start date, the £12,000 stipend, visa support if needed, and what to expect during your three months in London.

Once you accept, you’ll work with the GovAI team to finalize logistics like travel arrangements, accommodation, and any visa requirements.

Tips To Remember:

The application deadline is just around the corner, so if you’re interested, you need to act quickly. The fellowship itself runs from June 8 to August 28, 2026.

Given the tight deadline, don’t wait until the last minute to start your application. Give yourself time to thoughtfully answer the questions and present your strongest case for why you should be selected.

Check The Link To Apply: https://airtable.com/appGDXpQ7LiC3Qhdh/pag7E1Rea0n0xsixr/form

How to Prepare a Strong Application for the GovAI Summer Fellowship?

Getting selected for the GovAI Summer Fellowship 2026 is not just about meeting the basic requirements. It’s about presenting yourself as someone who can make the most of this opportunity and contribute meaningfully to AI governance. Let us learn how to build an application that stands out.

1. Understand What GovAI Is Really Looking For

Before you start writing anything, take time to understand what makes a strong candidate in GovAI’s eyes. They’re not looking for people with the most impressive titles or the longest list of achievements. They’re looking for people who show relevant expertise, quality of work, good judgment, and team fit.

This means your application should demonstrate these qualities through concrete examples, not just claim you have them. Show, don’t tell.

2. Be Clear About Your “Why”

One of the most important parts of your application is explaining why you want to join this fellowship and how it fits into your career goals. GovAI wants to understand your genuine motivation, not a generic statement about being passionate about AI.

Ask yourself these questions: What specific problems in AI governance are you interested in? Why do those problems matter to you? How will this fellowship help you develop the skills or experience you need to work on them? What do you hope to accomplish in your career beyond this fellowship?

Your answers to these questions should be specific and personal. If you’re interested in AI governance because you’ve seen how policy decisions affect technology implementation in your current role, say that. If you want to transition from communications work in another field into AI policy, explain why.

The more specific and honest you are about your motivations, the stronger your application will be.

3. Highlight Relevant Experience with Concrete Examples

When describing your experience, focus on what you’ve actually done and the results you achieved. Instead of writing “I have strong project management skills,” describe a specific project you managed from start to finish.

For example: “I organized a three-day conference for 200 attendees, managing everything from speaker recruitment to logistics. The event resulted in three new policy partnerships and was cited in two government reports.” This shows your capabilities much more effectively than generic claims.

Think about projects where you’ve organized events, developed communication strategies, managed programs, advocated for policy changes, or executed other applied work. These are the experiences GovAI wants to hear about.

If you don’t have traditional work experience, that’s okay. Academic projects, volunteer work, student organization leadership, or personal initiatives can also demonstrate relevant skills. What matters is showing that you can execute on ideas and deliver results.

4. Demonstrate Your Judgment and Thinking

GovAI values people who can make smart decisions about what to work on and how to approach problems. Your application should give them insight into how you think. When describing past projects, explain why you chose to approach them the way you did. What alternatives did you consider? How did you prioritize different goals? What would you do differently if you could do it again?

This kind of reflection shows maturity and the ability to learn from experience, which are exactly the qualities GovAI looks for in fellows.

5. Show You Understand AI Governance

You don’t need to be an expert in AI governance to apply, but you should demonstrate genuine interest and basic understanding of the field. This means doing some homework before you apply.

Read recent articles about AI policy and regulation. Familiarize yourself with major debates in the field. Understand what organizations like GovAI actually do. Follow developments in AI governance from different countries and organizations.

Your application should reflect this understanding. You don’t need to pretend to know everything, but showing that you’ve thought seriously about the field and understand its importance will strengthen your case.

6. Be Honest About Your Limitations

One of the qualities GovAI looks for is being comfortable with uncertainty and honest about what you don’t know. Your application should reflect this.

If there are areas where you lack experience or knowledge, it’s better to acknowledge them honestly and explain how you plan to develop those skills than to pretend you’re already an expert. This kind of honesty actually makes you a stronger candidate because it shows self-awareness and willingness to learn.

7. Explain What You Want to Work On?

While you won’t finalize your project until the first two weeks of the fellowship, your application should give GovAI a sense of the kind of work that interests you. Do you want to organize events? Develop communication strategies? Write policy memos? Manage programs?

Be specific about what appeals to you and why. If you’re interested in communications because you’ve seen how poorly technical AI concepts are explained to the public, say that. If you want to organize convenings because you’ve seen how valuable it is when the right people can discuss issues face-to-face, explain that.

Having a clear sense of direction shows you’ve thought seriously about how you’d use the fellowship, even if your specific project evolves once you’re there.

7. Proofread and Polish Your Application

This might seem obvious, but it’s worth saying: take the time to proofread your application carefully. Typos, grammatical errors, and unclear writing create a poor impression and suggest you’re not taking the opportunity seriously.

Read your application out loud to catch awkward phrasing. Ask someone you trust to review it and give honest feedback. Make sure every sentence adds value and clearly communicates what you want to say.

Remember, the quality of your application is the first signal GovAI has about the quality of work you’ll produce as a fellow.

8. Prepare for the Assessment and Work Test

While you can’t study for the automated assessment in a traditional sense, you can prepare by thinking about how you approach problems and make decisions. Practice explaining your reasoning process clearly and concisely.

For the work test, if you advance to that stage, treat it like real professional work. Meet deadlines, communicate clearly about your approach, and produce your best work. This is your chance to show what you can actually do, not just what you say you can do.

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Pregrad is India’s first career accelerator platform, backed by industry giants like IBM, Microsoft, Meta, and Cisco. You’ll work on real projects, earn globally recognized certifications, and build a portfolio that proves your capabilities.

What You’ll Get From Pregrad?:

• Hands-on learning through industry-relevant projects, not just theory

• Expert mentorship from professionals at leading companies

• Global certifications from IBM, Microsoft, Meta, and other industry leaders

• Real portfolio projects you can showcase in your GovAI application

• Career support including placement assistance and networking with 300+ hiring companies

If you want to build skills in AI/ML, data science, business analytics, digital marketing, or product management, Pregrad offers practical courses that demonstrate real competence to competitive programs like GovAI.

Start building the skills that make your application stand out now. Explore Pregrad’s programs at pregrad.in.

GovAI Summer Fellowship Internship FAQS

Q: Do I need a background in AI or machine learning to apply for GovAI Summer Fellowship 2026?

Ans: No. The Applied Track of GovAI Summer Fellowship is for people who want to work on AI governance through communications, policy, events, and program management, not technical research. GovAI welcomes candidates from government, media, business, and civil society. What matters is your ability to execute projects and your genuine interest in AI governance.

Q: Is this fellowship only for students?

Ans: No. It’s open to students, recent graduates, and professionals transitioning into AI governance.

Q: Can international candidates apply?

Ans: Yes. GovAI Summer Fellowship sponsors three-month work visas for international fellows. You’ll need to stay in your home country while the visa processes. The fellowship covers your travel to London and provides a £12,000 stipend for living expenses.

Q: Does the fellowship lead to full-time opportunities?

Ans: GovAI encourages fellows to explore career opportunities with their team and network. Many past fellows have moved into roles at policy organizations, think tanks, government, and AI companies. While there’s no guaranteed job, the experience and connections significantly strengthen your position in the field.

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