Guidance

Open Innovation Team PhD Placement Scheme

Updated 29 July 2024

0.1 Apply here

Apply here for our 2025 placement scheme. All applications should be submitted by 11:59pm on 14 June 2024. Entries to the scheme received after this date may not be considered.

0.2 More information

The Open Innovation Team (OIT) is a cross-government unit that works on a wide range of policies, including health, justice, education, housing, foreign policy, digital transformation and many others.

For years now, PhD students have played an important role in helping us deliver policy projects, working alongside experienced officials, academics and other experts to deliver the highest quality analysis and advice to colleagues across government.

We usually have 6-8 PhD students working alongside our permanent staff at any one time. Placements normally last three months, with around 30 placement opportunities each year.

Successful applicants can expect to work on a diverse range of policy projects and are not expected to have prior experience of policy or knowledge of the policy area they are asked to work on.

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds - diversity of thought and experience is one of the many strengths of our team.

Find out what our previous PhD placement students thought of their time with the Open Innovation Team here.

Successful applicants should expect to:

• make significant contributions to the policy work the team carries out
• help plan and deliver our events, bringing together academic experts and policymakers to work through policy problems
• assess and synthesise expert evidence and research, and learn how to present this for policymaking audiences

Students will also get the chance to help the team raise its profile, create new products and services for policy colleagues and deliver training and advice to academics.

All PhD placement work aims to build skills and provide students with an insight to what it’s like to work on policy and in government. More than 20 former placement students have since gone on to jobs in policy.

Essential conditions for applicants

To be considered, you must ordinarily be studying on a PhD programme at a UK university, and be in a position to take up any placement prior to any expected viva date. The placements are full time for the 3 month period.

Successful applicants, on receipt of a placement offer, will be expected to be able to pass BPSS security clearance and secure funding to cover the cost of the placement from their university, PhD funding body or other suitable organisation.

Additional information

For more information, visit our additional information page. For anything not covered, please contact danny.shipsides@openinnovation.gov.uk. Please note that we are unable to accept applications via email, all applications must be via the application form.