UKAEA (FOSTER) Fusion Sector Access Bursaries Cohort 2
The UKAEA (FOSTER) Fusion Sector Access Bursaries (Cohort 2) provides financial support towards living expenses for eligible UK (home) students undertaking Master’s-level training in fusion-specific subjects. The scheme aims to widen participation by supporting students from under-represented groups who may face financial or perceived barriers to accessing fusion-specific Master’s training. Each eligible UK university can apply for funding for four fixed-value bursaries, which will be awarded to students meeting the scheme’s widening participation criteria. The Grant will be managed by successful UK host universities offering eligible Master’s courses with sufficient fusion-specific content *Please note: UKAEA will only be awarding four fixed-value bursaries per university.
- Opening date: (Midday)
- Closing date: (Midday)
Contents
Summary
These bursaries are delivered by the FOSTER programme at UKAEA, which looks to create a pool of fusion-ready individuals able to join the growing fusion sector. The high-level project strategy to “implement a mechanism to provide bursaries to support the studies of students from under-represented backgrounds on courses with relevant taught fusion material” aligns with the wider programme goals of widening the talent pool and encouraging greater diversity into the fusion sector.
The Fusion Sector Access Bursaries project has three objectives:
Sustain the provision of master’s courses providing a minimum of 40-credits of fusion-specific content, to help bridge the gap between undergraduate and PhD level education.
Widen participation in fusion-specific master’s training, by enabling under-represented students to take up the training, who otherwise would not have due to either financial or perceived barriers.
Act as an incentive for more people to enter master’s level fusion training, thus increasing the talent pool available to the UK fusion workforce.
There is currently a limited offering at educational level 7 dedicated to the fusion industry, meaning that the pipeline of talent at this level is insufficient to meet the anticipated growth of the sector. It is therefore vital to grow new provision at this level, and ensure that students are aware and able to take up these opportunities – the bursaries intend to break down barriers which prevent some students from taking up these training provisions.
Underpinning all fusion research and delivery is a need for innovation, which is bolstered by recruiting diverse individuals with a range of perspectives into the fusion sector.
Grant awards will include four bursaries, at £10,000 each, for a total of £40,000 per university. Up to four universities with eligible courses can each administer the four bursaries to eligible home students, with eligibility determined by FOSTER, to support their living costs. A total of £160,000 is available through this grant award, with £40,000 being available for any individual university.
Grant payments will be made in arrears, following submission of the applicable evidence:
Confirmation of student name, enrolment, criteria eligibility , and remittance of payment made(1st Grant claim payment to be paid by end of November 2027)
Confirmation of active student participation (i.e attendance, supervisor letter), remittance of payment made(2nd Grant claim payment to be paid beginning of March 2028)
Confirmation of student course completion (student transcript) and final expenditure statement(close of grant) (3rd grant claim payment by end of July 2028)
**All payments are subject to successful submission and verification of the required evidence. UK host institutions must maintain robust anti-fraud policies and controls to ensure proper use of grant funds.
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Eligibility
The UKAEA (FOSTER) Fusion Sector Access Bursaries are aimed at providing living cost support to home students enrolled in fusion masters courses for Academic Year 2027-2028, helping to tackle financial barriers students may face when enrolling in fusion masters training. A core objective of these bursaries is to widen participation in the fusion sector, and therefore the students who meet the widening participation criteria (see eligibility below) must be prioritised.
The bursaries will be issued to host universities, who will in-turn be responsible for the recruitment and eligibility assessment of students (per UKAEA-stipulated eligibility). Students must be recruited by close of August 2027, and any unutilised bursaries will be withdrawn (UKAEA may chose to re-allocate at their discretion). If the student withdraws, UKAEA reserves the right to reclaim the applicable grant value from the university.
Host organisation eligibility
· UK-based University
· Host a masters (level 7) course which contains a minimum of 40 credits of fusion-specific content.
o Note – the 40 credits must be reached via taught material. Fusion-specific masters projects are complimentary/desirable, but cannot make up part of the 40 credits.
· The university cannot be in receipt of furher student scholarship/bursary support from the FOSTER programme for the eligible course in Academic Year 2027-2028.
Student eligibility
Students will be eligible for a bursary if they are a UK (home) student, and they meet at least one of the following widening participation criteria:
Home postcode before undertaking a first (undergraduate) degree scores between 1-3 on the Indices of Multiple Deprivation (Index for Multiple Deprivation)
Have refugee status issued by the UK Home Office
Have been previously eligible for free school meals
Have once been a care leaver, spending three months or more in local authority care
Have a disability
Be from an ethnic minority background
Be a military veteran or child of a military family
Bereaved of or estranged from both parents and under the age of 25
Have caring responsibilities
Have dependent children
Are the first in the family to go to Higher Education
Identify as a woman or non-binary
The university is responsible for verifying the eligibility of the student. The university will be required to confirm this to UKAEA but will not need to confirm which of the eligibility categories are applicable to the student or pass on any evidence of eligibility related to the student.
Additional Information
For a course to be eligible under the Fusion Bursaries Scheme, it must deliver a minimum of 40 CATS of fusion-specific learning. One CAT is equivalent to 10 hours of notional learning time (i.e. a combination of taught lectures, problem sheets, self-directed revision etc). Fusion-specific learning is defined as learning (either taught or self-directed) which directly addresses fusion science and technology, using examples specific to a fusion device (or any fusion approach) and explicitly referencing the relevance and application of the learning to fusion industry. Examples include:
Material properties in a fusion environment
Hydrogen-specific chemistry
Isotope separation technology
Plasma physics
Modelling of fusion-specific applications
Fusion power-plant systems integration
Fusion technology approaches (MCF, ICF, etc.)
Superconducting magnets for plasma confinement
AI applications for fusion-model and power-plant control
Radiological waste-management for fusion-relevant materials
Risk management for integrated systems/fusion power plants
Magnetohydrodynamics
Thermodynamics of a fusion power plant
Sanctions
UK Atomic Energy Authority will not fund you, provide any financial benefit to any individual or entities directly or indirectly involved with yourselves, which could expose UK Atomic Energy Authority or any direct or indirect beneficiary of funding from UK Atomic Energy Authority to UK Sanctions. This includes, any procurement, commercial, business development or supply chain activity with any entity as lead, partner, associated person or sub-contractor related to these countries, administrations and terrorist groups.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all grant applicants.
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Objectives
Scope
The Fusion Sector Access Bursaries project has three objectives:
Sustain the provision of master’s courses providing a minimum of 40-credits of fusion-specific content, to help bridge the gap between undergraduate and PhD level education.
. Widen participation in fusion-specific master’s training, by enabling under-represented students to take up the training, who otherwise would not have due to either financial or perceived barriers.
Act as an incentive for more people to enter master’s level fusion training, thus increasing the talent pool available to the UK fusion workforce.
Duration
The bursaries will be for Academic Year 2027-2028.
Funding available
There are four grants worth £40,000 available (which are comprised of four bursaries of £10,000).
Dates
Assessment process
Your application will be assessed using the following process, noting that all elements of your application form will be shared with the assessors.
Expert Panel
A panel of independent UK Atomic Energy Authority experts will assess the application against the assessment criteria and discuss in a panel meeting. The panel will agree scores and rank your applications, against the assessment criteria, alongside other eligible applications, after which the panel will make a funding recommendation.
The UK Atomic Energy Authority FOSTER (skills) program will approve the final funding decision. This decision is final and not subject to appeal.
Due Diligence
Successful applications are subject to further due diligence. The purpose of this due diligence exercise includes, but is not limited to, confirmation of the satisfactory financial standing of the host organisation. You will be asked to confirm whether the university is under special monitoring measures by the Office for Students.
Timescale
We aim to complete the assessment process and communicate grant outcomes by 18th December 2026.
Feedback
Written feedback will be provided where possible for unsuccessful applications upon request.
Using generative artificial intelligence (AI) in peer review
Assessors are not permitted to use generative AI tools to develop their assessment. Using these tools can potentially compromise the confidentiality of the ideas that applicants have entrusted to UK Authority Energy Authority.
Assessment areasThe application will be assessed against:
Course Eligibility (as defined)
Provision of requested information within the application (i.e. Key contacts)
Scored elements:
Course Eligibility – Fusion Content
Marketing Approach
Industry Links
Access and Inclusion
Find details of assessment questions and criteria under the ‘Application questions’ heading in the ‘How to apply’ section.
How to apply
How to apply
Applications must be submitted via the Find a Grant application form and include a name and contact details for a supervisor, escalation contact, and commercial contact. Submission confirms that the host organisation has formally agreed to support the application.
Applications to close on 9th November 2026, 12pm. Universities must submit one application per course, however they are able to submit multiple applications if they have more than one eligible course.
Deadline
Applications for this opportunity will close at 12:00pm on 9th November 2026. Applications received after this time will not be considered.
Processing personal data
UK Atomic Energy Authority will need to collect some personal information to process your application, which will be collected via Find a Grant platform.
We will handle the personal data in line with UK Data Protection Legislation and manage it securely. For more information please read the UKAEA privacy notice.
Publication of outcomes
If your application is successful, a summary of your project may be published on the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) website, social media channels, and the Government Grants Information System (GGIS).
Application questions:
Non assessed: Due diligence information
· Criminal Convictions Disclosure
Indicate if, within the past five years you, your organisation or any other person who has powers of representation, decision or control in the organisation has been convicted anywhere in the world of any of the offences below:
o Participation in criminal organisation
o Corruption
o Fraud
o Terrorist offences or offences linked to terrorist activities
o Money laundering or terrorist financing
o Child labour or other forms of trafficking in human beings
· Tax and Social Security Compliance
Has it been established, for your organisation by a judicial or administrative decision having final and binding effect in accordance with the legal provisions of any part of the United Kingdom or the legal provisions of the country in which the organisation is established (if outside the UK), that the organisation is in breach of obligations related to the payment of tax or social security contributions
· Regulatory Breaches and Insolvency Status
Indicate if, within the past three years, anywhere in the world any of the following situations have applied to you, your organisation or any other person who has powers of representation, decision, or control in the organisation:
o Breach of environmental regulations
o Breach of social obligations
o Breach of labour laws
o Bankrupt or is the subject of insolvency or winding-up proceedings, where the organisation's assets are being administered by a liquidator or by the court, where it is in an arrangement with creditors, where its business activities are suspended or it is in any analogous situation arising from a similar procedure under the laws and regulations of any State.
o Entered into agreements with other organisations aimed at distorting competition.
· University Monitoring Status
Please indicate whether the university is subject to any special monitoring measures imposed by the Office for Students.
Non assessed: Contact information
· Supervisor
Provide the supervisor name, department and email address. This will be used for correspondence regarding the application.
· Escalation Point
Provide the name, department and email address of the escalation contact. This will be used for correspondence regarding the application.
· Organisation contact
Provide name, department and email address of the person accountable for the grant if successful within your organisation.
For universities this could be a contact from your research office or equivalent. This will be used for correspondence about your grant.
Assessed Application Questions
Responses to the application questions will be scored 1 – 5 in each area.
Course Eligibility – Fusion Content (Word Limit: 500)
Please submit a full breakdown of the applicable course, clearly detailing the modules (and topics covered) and delivery method.
1. Please outline how/which sections of this course are fusion-specific
This section will be assessed against the quantity of fusion content, the uniqueness and viability of the course (on a national level).
Marketing Approach(Word Limit: 500)
2. Please outline how the bursaries would be marketed by the university to attract a diverse pool of students and encourage more people to consider postgraduate study.
This section will be assessed against the level of marketing plan, for example if it is reliant just on individual academics sharing or if there is a comprehensive university-led plan for the bursaries marketing.
Industry Links (Word Limit: 500)
3. Please outline any existing industry-links with the masters course, how these links inform the course design/delivery, and how they are utilised to ensure the course remains industry relevant.
This section will be assessed against the type of industry link, their relevance to fusion, level of involvement, and how the course utilises this to remain industry relevant and if any additional opportunities are created for students.
Access and Inclusion(Word Limit: 700)
4. Please outline the University’s access and inclusion provisions, and how these will support bursary recipients.
5. Please outline how the University will conduct the assessment process for students applying for these bursaries.
Please provide any applicable access and inclusion policies mentioned in the above.
This section will be assessed against how well the response imbeds access and inclusion policies, how they provide a clear approach to supporting bursary students, and how comprehensive the assessment process is. If the university is supplementing or providing additional bursaries to match UKAEA funding, this will be considered favourably.
Supporting information
A webinar has been scheduled for 19 October 2026 at 13:00.Please join using the following link:Join the webinar via Microsoft Teams
Contact details
For questions related to this specific funding opportunity please contact grants@ukaea.uk .