Fully Funded Chevening Defence and Secur…

About this opportunity

Chevening, the UK government's international awards programme funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, runs this six week fellowship with Cranfield University at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom in Shrivenham. It is built for mid-career professionals from 36 European countries who already work on national or international security, and it covers leadership, cyber resilience, artificial intelligence and strategic decision-making. Fellows finish by presenting a research project to the FCDO in London.

What you get:

Full programme fees
Living expenses for the six weeks, including pre-arranged accommodation close to Oxford
A return economy airfare
UK institutional visits, practitioner speakers and a professional network across Europe and the UK

What you'll do:

Six weeks of lectures, workshops, simulations and site visits at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, Shrivenham
Work through six themes: global leadership, people and organisations, cyber resilience and information threats, AI governance and emerging technology, strategic decision-making under pressure, and future leadership
Complete an individual research project on a policy, leadership, organisational or security challenge, with academic support
Present your findings to the FCDO in London at the end of the fellowship

Key dates:

Applications close 12 October 2026 at 11:00 UTC
Cohort 1 runs 25 January to 5 March 2027
Cohort 2 runs 15 March to 23 April 2027

More information:

Programme page: https://www.chevening.org/fellowship/chevening-europe-defence-and-security-fellowship/
Standard Chevening Fellowship eligibility: https://www.chevening.org/fellowships/who-can-apply/fellowships-eligibility/
How work experience is counted: https://chevening.org/fellowships/who-can-apply/work-experience/

Who can apply

Be a citizen of and resident in one of these countries at the point of application: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Holy See, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland. Citizens living in a European overseas territory apply through the scheme for their country of citizenship.
Hold a postgraduate qualification, or equivalent professional training or experience in a relevant field
Have at least five years' relevant professional experience (7,200 hours under Chevening's calculation). You cannot submit the application without it.
Be a mid-career professional with responsibilities for national or international security, employed in government, the public or private sector, academia, defence, security, law enforcement, intelligence, civil protection, resilience or an international organisation
Be in a role with the potential to influence organisational capability, policy, strategy or operational effectiveness
Show leadership potential and a commitment to applying what you learn in your organisation or country afterwards
Return to your country of citizenship for at least one year after the fellowship ends
Not hold British or dual British citizenship, not have received UK Government scholarship funding in the last five years, and not be (or have been in the last two years) an employee or relative of an employee of HM Government, the British Council or a sponsoring UK university

About this opportunity

What you get:

Full programme fees
Living expenses for the six weeks, including pre-arranged accommodation close to Oxford
A return economy airfare
UK institutional visits, practitioner speakers and a professional network across Europe and the UK

What you'll do:

Six weeks of lectures, workshops, simulations and site visits at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, Shrivenham
Work through six themes: global leadership, people and organisations, cyber resilience and information threats, AI governance and emerging technology, strategic decision-making under pressure, and future leadership
Complete an individual research project on a policy, leadership, organisational or security challenge, with academic support
Present your findings to the FCDO in London at the end of the fellowship

Key dates:

Applications close 12 October 2026 at 11:00 UTC
Cohort 1 runs 25 January to 5 March 2027
Cohort 2 runs 15 March to 23 April 2027

More information:

Programme page: https://www.chevening.org/fellowship/chevening-europe-defence-and-security-fellowship/
Standard Chevening Fellowship eligibility: https://www.chevening.org/fellowships/who-can-apply/fellowships-eligibility/
How work experience is counted: https://chevening.org/fellowships/who-can-apply/work-experience/

Who can apply

Be a citizen of and resident in one of these countries at the point of application: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Holy See, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland. Citizens living in a European overseas territory apply through the scheme for their country of citizenship.
Hold a postgraduate qualification, or equivalent professional training or experience in a relevant field
Have at least five years' relevant professional experience (7,200 hours under Chevening's calculation). You cannot submit the application without it.
Be a mid-career professional with responsibilities for national or international security, employed in government, the public or private sector, academia, defence, security, law enforcement, intelligence, civil protection, resilience or an international organisation
Be in a role with the potential to influence organisational capability, policy, strategy or operational effectiveness
Show leadership potential and a commitment to applying what you learn in your organisation or country afterwards
Return to your country of citizenship for at least one year after the fellowship ends
Not hold British or dual British citizenship, not have received UK Government scholarship funding in the last five years, and not be (or have been in the last two years) an employee or relative of an employee of HM Government, the British Council or a sponsoring UK university

Fully Funded Chevening Defence and Security Fellowship

About this opportunity

Who can apply

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Fully Funded Chevening Defence and Security Fellowship

About this opportunity

Who can apply

AI Verification

Good to know

Worth checking yourself

Sources checked