University of Surrey (Surrey Institute for People-Centred AI) with StoryFutures at Royal Holloway, University of London, funded by UKRI

UKRI CDT in AI for Digital Media Inclusion

The UKRI Centre for Doctoral Training in AI for Digital Media Inclusion is a four-year, fully funded PhD programme at the University of Surrey, run with StoryFutures at Royal Holloway, University of London. Every year it recruits a cohort from computing, the social sciences, the arts, law and the creative industries to build AI that lets media adapt to the people using it, whatever their age, neurodivergence, language, sensory or physical needs. Inclusion is its subject as well as its practice, and recruitment for 2027 entry opens in December 2026.

Official site

Level: PhD
Study or work in: United Kingdom (University of Surrey, Guildford, or Royal Holloway, Egham)
Who can apply: Any discipline and nationality, with a first or 2:1, or a 2:2 with a good master's (usually a distinction); IELTS 6.5 with 6.0 in each part
What it covers: Home or international fees, a tax-free stipend of 31,000 pounds for home students in 2026-27 (the UKRI minimum plus 4,000 pounds for international students) and funds for research training
Length: Four years
Application window: Recruitment opens in December (2027 entry: December 2026); deadline, workshop and interview dates to be announced

Open now

No call is open right now. Recruitment opens in December (2027 entry: December 2026); deadline, workshop and interview dates to be announced

How to apply

Complete the CDT's online application and additional information forms, and email a two-page CV and a research proposal of up to 800 words to the CDT. Shortlisted candidates attend a recruitment workshop at Surrey (online if needed) with a group task and a panel interview; those selected receive a provisional offer and then apply formally to Surrey or Royal Holloway.

What the centre studies

The centre's starting point is that AI can make media that adapts to each person: to their preferences, and to barriers of neurodivergence, age, language, sensory or physical ability. Its research is challenge-led, so PhD projects are built in project areas the centre sets in response to industry challenges, and each researcher refines their topic with a potential supervisory team after starting.

The themes for the third cohort are AI for inclusive personalised media; inclusive generative AI; inclusive AI for media production and creative interfaces; responsible AI, ethics, fairness and trust in media; AI-enabled media for health, wellbeing and cognitive inclusion; and AI to support education, literacy, communication and cultural inclusion. Projects in the founding cohort have included AI insights to counter news avoidance by people under 25, controllable representation in generative images, a cognitive AI approach to inclusion, explainable systems co-designed with patients and radiologists, and responsible AI for the digitisation of heritage archives.

Two universities, one programme

The Surrey Institute for People-Centred AI brings expertise in vision, audio, language and machine learning for the creative industries; StoryFutures at Royal Holloway brings creative production, psychology, user research and immersive storytelling. Researchers train together as one cohort, and after selection each successful candidate discusses whether to register for the PhD at Surrey, in Guildford, or at Royal Holloway, in Egham, before the formal offer is made.

The centre works with more than 100 organisations, among them big technology companies, creative small businesses and user organisations. A pilot group of partners, including IBM, Channel 4, Nexus Studios, Anagram, Synamedia, Final Pixel and English Heritage, helped design the approach, and the wider list runs from the BBC, Sony Europe, NVIDIA and Samsung to Ofcom, Surrey County Council and disability and access organisations.

Funding and who can apply

Studentships last four years. For students with home fee status they cover UK tuition fees and a tax-free stipend of 31,000 pounds in 2026-27, the rate under the TechExpert pilot, paid in regular instalments and pro rata for part-time study. Applicants with international fee status are encouraged to apply: the centre covers their fees and pays the standard UKRI minimum stipend plus an enhancement of 4,000 pounds a year. Stipends normally rise each year with inflation, and further funding may be available for research training and development.

The centre welcomes applicants from all academic backgrounds. It expects a first or upper second-class UK degree in a relevant discipline, or a lower second with a good master's (normally a distinction), or the overseas equivalent, and an IELTS Academic score of 6.5 with at least 6.0 in each part. Selection looks for academic excellence, a passion for research on AI for digital media inclusion, and evidence of working well in a team.

The research proposal

The proposal for the 2027 round is capped at 800 words and follows a fixed structure: a title; background (200 words); research questions (100); methodology (150); significance and impact (200); challenges (50); and personal motivation (100), with references outside the count. The centre asks for a clear, well-motivated direction while accepting that projects change as supervisory teams form, and it wants proposals to engage with the ethical and social side of inclusion.

The proposal replaces the 600-word case study used in earlier rounds, which asked for a single idea for improving media inclusion with AI, its impact and its challenges. Both reflect the same aim: the centre wants to see how you think about inclusion, not a finished project plan.

How selection works

Online forms. Complete the CDT application form and the additional information form, which are available once recruitment opens in December. The second form holds optional equality monitoring questions, kept apart from your application and not used in assessment.
CV and proposal. Email a CV of up to two pages and a research proposal of up to 800 words to CDT_AI@surrey.ac.uk, each file labelled with your surname and name.
Shortlisting. At least two members of staff score each application: academic achievement and relevant experience 50 percent, motivation and the research proposal 30 percent, fit to a multidisciplinary cohort and teamwork 20 percent.
Recruitment workshop. Shortlisted candidates come to Surrey (or join online) for an introduction to the centre, a group task in which small mixed teams propose how AI could make a media experience inclusive, and a panel interview that includes discussion of the proposal.
Provisional offer. Successful candidates receive a provisional offer from the CDT by email, with a deadline to accept, and discuss whether to study at Surrey or Royal Holloway.
University offer. The chosen university makes the formal academic and funding offer, conditional or unconditional depending on qualifications and English language evidence.

Questions

Do I need a computing degree?

No. The centre welcomes applicants from all academic backgrounds, including the social sciences, arts, law and the creative industries, and builds mixed cohorts.

How much is the stipend?

31,000 pounds in 2026-27 for students with home fee status, tax-free. International students receive the UKRI minimum stipend plus 4,000 pounds a year, and their fees are covered.

Can international students apply?

Yes. They are encouraged to apply; places are limited, so apply early in the round.

Where will I study?

At the University of Surrey in Guildford or at Royal Holloway, University of London, in Egham. You discuss your preference after selection and before the formal offer.

Do I choose my own project?

You propose a direction, but PhDs sit within project areas the centre sets with industry, and you shape the topic with a supervisory team after you start.

Is the interview online?

The recruitment workshop is held at Surrey, with an online option for those who need to attend remotely.

Related programmes

Sources

Official pages last checked 27 September 2026.