Southampton University to provide Sparck AI scholarships

This comes as part of a new government initiative to support "young people with exceptional talent in AI."

The Sparck AI scholarships will be available at nine universities, including Southampton, as part of a fellowship programme to make Britain a "global AI leader."

The programme will be fully funded, covering both tuition and living expenses.

Students will also have "unparalleled access" to industry partnerships, work placements, and mentorship opportunities, including in the UK’s AI Security Institute and with firms like Darktrace, Faculty, and Quantexa.

University of Southampton campus (Image: University of Southampton) It is hoped that this will "drive forward AI innovation" and give students a "direct route into highly skilled jobs in the UK's tech sector."

The scholarships are named after pioneering British computer scientist Karen Sparck Jones.

Southampton University vice-president for research and enterprise, Mark Spearing, said: "The University of Southampton is excited to be a founding partner in the Sparck AI Scholarship programme.

"We view this as a nationally significant opportunity to attract talented students to the UK to take advantage of our world-leading expertise and education in artificial intelligence."

The Sparck AI scholarships and expanded Turing Pioneer Fellowships follow recommendations from the AI Opportunities Action Plan and are part of a broader strategy to develop the UK's AI sector.

The government's drive to boost AI skills forms a central pillar of the Plan for Change, aimed at kickstarting economic growth through innovation and delivering highly skilled jobs across the country.

These initiatives are part of a national skills drive announced at London Tech Week by the Prime Minister.

Technology secretary Peter Kyle said: "We are providing unique opportunities for talented young people to take up master’s degrees in AI, with fully funded tuition and unparalleled access to industry.

"Students will be able to go on to highly skilled jobs, building a workforce fit for the future and boosting economic growth as part of our Plan for Change."

"We are also expanding our fellowship programme to bring top talent into our leading AI sector and drive forward transformational benefits to the public like new drug discoveries."