Fellowship
The Europe Defence and Security Fellowship 2027, hosted by Cranfield University at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom in Shrivenham, offers a specialised opportunity for experienced professionals working in defence, security, government, law enforcement, intelligence, resilience, civil protection, and related international organisations. Funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and delivered by Cranfield University, the six-week fellowship is designed to strengthen the leadership, strategic decision-making, organisational resilience, cyber resilience, and emerging-technology capabilities of mid-career professionals from across Europe.
Eligibility: Who Can Apply for the Europe Defence and Security Fellowship? The fellowship is specifically intended for mid-career professionals from eligible European countries who demonstrate leadership potential in security and defence. Applicants must meet the programme’s additional eligibility requirements as well as the standard Chevening eligibility criteria. Citizenship and Residency Requirement At the point of application, applicants must be citizens of and residents in one of the following countries: 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 Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania San Marino Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Applicants living in a European overseas territory may apply through the relevant Chevening award scheme for the European country of which they are a citizen.
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The Europe Defence and Security Fellowship 2027, hosted by Cranfield University at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom in Shrivenham, offers a specialised opportunity for experienced professionals working in defence, security, government, law enforcement, intelligence, resilience, civil protection, and related international organisations.
Funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and delivered by Cranfield University, the six-week fellowship is designed to strengthen the leadership, strategic decision-making, organisational resilience, cyber resilience, and emerging-technology capabilities of mid-career professionals from across Europe.
The programme brings together professionals who have demonstrated leadership potential and who have the ability to influence policy, strategy, organisational capability, or operational effectiveness within their organisations and countries.
Target applicants: Mid-career European professionals in defence, security, government, law enforcement, intelligence, civil protection, resilience, and international organisations
Programme format: Teaching, discussions, practical exercises, site visits, individual research, simulations, workshops, and collaborative learning
The Chevening Europe Defence and Security Fellowship is designed for professionals who operate in environments where security and defence challenges are becoming increasingly complex and interconnected.
Modern security challenges can involve traditional defence concerns alongside cyber threats, artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, organisational vulnerabilities, governance challenges, and international cooperation.
The fellowship therefore takes an interdisciplinary and applied approach.
Rather than focusing on a single area of defence or security, participants will explore how leadership, organisational culture, governance, technology, resilience, and strategic decision-making interact.
The programme is intended to help fellows become more effective leaders who can operate within rapidly changing security and defence environments.
A major component of the fellowship will be the opportunity to develop a research project addressing a relevant policy, leadership, organisational, or security challenge.
The programme aims to develop professionals who can operate effectively in complex security and defence environments.
Through the fellowship, participants will strengthen their ability to understand and respond to challenges affecting:
The programme places particular emphasis on practical leadership and strategic thinking.
Fellows will be encouraged to examine problems from different perspectives and consider how decisions made under uncertainty can affect organisations, governments, and societies.
The fellowship lasts for six weeks and is offered through two cohorts in 2027.
Applicants should therefore consider which cohort best fits their professional circumstances when applying.
The programme is organised around six integrated themes.
The first theme focuses on leadership within an increasingly complex international environment.
Security and defence professionals frequently need to make decisions while dealing with multiple stakeholders, competing interests, uncertainty, and rapidly changing circumstances.
Through this theme, fellows will examine leadership challenges and consider approaches for operating effectively in complex environments.
Security and defence organisations are influenced not only by policies and structures but also by people, organisational culture, behaviour, and governance.
Understanding organisational culture and human behaviour can help leaders identify both strengths and vulnerabilities within their institutions.
Cybersecurity and information threats are increasingly important components of national and international security.
The fellowship will provide fellows with an opportunity to explore cyber resilience and understand the challenges associated with information threats.
Participants will consider how organisations can better understand and respond to emerging cyber-related risks.
This theme is particularly relevant to professionals whose responsibilities involve security policy, resilience, defence, intelligence, technology, or organisational risk.
Artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies are changing the way organisations operate and make decisions.
At the same time, these technologies create new governance, security, and ethical challenges.
The fellowship will examine both the opportunities and risks associated with artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies.
Participants will be encouraged to consider how governments and organisations can respond to technological change while maintaining effective governance and resilience.
Security and defence professionals may be required to make important decisions in circumstances characterised by:
The fellowship will explore strategic decision-making approaches that can help professionals respond effectively in such environments.
The focus is not simply on making decisions, but on understanding the conditions under which strategic decisions are made and the factors that can influence their effectiveness.
The final theme brings together the fellowship’s emphasis on resilience and leadership.
Participants will explore how organisations can prepare for future challenges while developing leaders who can operate effectively in changing environments.
This theme connects leadership development with organisational resilience and the ability to anticipate and respond to future security challenges.
The Europe Defence and Security Fellowship uses a variety of learning methods rather than relying exclusively on classroom teaching.
Fellows will receive structured academic and professional input covering the programme’s major themes.
Workshops will provide opportunities to explore issues in greater depth and apply concepts to practical situations.
Practical simulations will allow fellows to engage with scenarios that reflect complex decision-making environments.
Fellows will hear from practitioners and professionals with relevant experience in defence, security, leadership, policy, and related areas.
Each fellow will work on an individual research project addressing a relevant challenge.
The programme includes visits to relevant institutions in the United Kingdom, providing participants with additional opportunities to understand institutional practices.
Participants will learn alongside professionals from different European countries and professional backgrounds, creating opportunities for the exchange of ideas and experiences.
A significant component of the programme is the individual research project.
Throughout the fellowship, participants will work on a research project addressing a relevant:
Fellows will receive academic support while developing their research.
At the conclusion of the programme, participants will have the opportunity to present their findings to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in London.
This gives fellows an opportunity to connect their research to real-world policy and institutional challenges.
Another important aspect of the Europe Defence and Security Fellowship is professional networking.
The programme brings together professionals from across Europe and the UK, creating opportunities to establish relationships across:
The fellowship is designed to create enduring professional networks that can continue beyond the six-week programme.
For professionals working in security and defence, these international relationships can be valuable for exchanging knowledge, experiences, and perspectives on shared challenges.
The fellowship is specifically intended for mid-career professionals from eligible European countries who demonstrate leadership potential in security and defence.
Applicants must meet the programme’s additional eligibility requirements as well as the standard Chevening eligibility criteria.
At the point of application, applicants must be citizens of and residents in one of the following countries:
Applicants living in a European overseas territory may apply through the relevant Chevening award scheme for the European country of which they are a citizen.
In addition to meeting the standard Chevening eligibility criteria, applicants must meet several fellowship-specific requirements.
Applicants must hold a postgraduate qualification, or have equivalent professional training or experience in a relevant field.
Applicants must have at least five years of relevant professional experience.
This makes the fellowship particularly suitable for experienced professionals rather than recent graduates or early-career applicants.
Applicants must be able to demonstrate leadership potential.
The fellowship is aimed at professionals who have the potential to contribute to organisational and national security-related priorities through their leadership.
This influence may be within the applicant’s organisation and/or country.
Applicants must demonstrate a commitment to applying the knowledge, experience, and professional networks gained through the fellowship after completing the programme.
This means applicants should be able to explain how the fellowship could contribute to their future professional work and wider organisational or national impact.
The fellowship provides financial support to successful participants.
The fellowship covers the full programme fees.
Fellows receive living expenses for the duration of the fellowship, including pre-arranged accommodation close to Oxford, as stated in the provided programme information.
The fellowship also includes return economy airfare.
These provisions are intended to support fellows throughout their participation in the six-week programme.
Security and defence professionals increasingly need to understand issues beyond traditional security structures.
The fellowship’s interdisciplinary structure reflects this broader environment.
By bringing these subjects together, the programme aims to help professionals develop a more comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by modern governments, organisations, and institutions.
Applicants should ensure that their application is submitted before the stated deadline.
Late applications may not be considered, so prospective applicants should allow sufficient time to review the eligibility criteria and prepare their application.
Eligible applicants can apply through the official Chevening application system.
Before applying, prospective candidates should carefully review both the standard Chevening eligibility requirements and the additional requirements for the Europe Defence and Security Fellowship.
Based on the requirements provided, a strong candidate would be someone who can demonstrate several important characteristics.
The applicant should have substantial experience in a relevant security, defence, government, resilience, law enforcement, intelligence, civil protection, or international organisation environment.
Applicants should demonstrate that they have the potential to become or continue developing as influential leaders within their professional environment.
The applicant’s current position should provide opportunities to influence policy, strategy, organisational capability, or operational effectiveness.
Applicants should be able to demonstrate an understanding of contemporary security and defence challenges relevant to their work.
Candidates should clearly demonstrate how they intend to apply the knowledge and networks gained during the fellowship after returning to their organisation or country.
The Europe Defence and Security Fellowship is a specialised programme with specific professional requirements.
It is therefore important for applicants to distinguish between simply having an interest in defence or security and actually meeting the programme’s professional eligibility requirements.
The fellowship specifically targets mid-career professionals whose current employment and responsibilities are connected to security, defence, resilience, government, law enforcement, intelligence, civil protection, or relevant international organisations.
Applicants should also pay attention to the requirement concerning the ability to influence organisational capability, policy, strategy, or operational effectiveness.
The Europe Defence and Security Fellowship is a six-week Chevening fellowship funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and delivered by Cranfield University at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom in Shrivenham.
The fellowship lasts for six weeks.
It is designed for mid-career professionals from eligible European countries who have demonstrated leadership potential in defence and security.
Yes. Applicants must hold a postgraduate qualification or have equivalent professional training or experience in a relevant field.
Applicants must have at least five years of relevant professional experience.
Yes. Law enforcement is among the professional sectors specifically identified in the eligibility requirements.
Yes. Intelligence professionals are included among the eligible professional profiles.
Yes. Government professionals working in relevant security and defence contexts can apply, subject to meeting all other eligibility requirements.
Yes. The provided information states that the fellowship includes full programme fees, living expenses including pre-arranged accommodation close to Oxford, and return economy airfare.
The application deadline is 27 September 2026 at 11:00 UTC.
No. The provided eligibility requirements specify citizenship and residency in particular European countries. Applicants must also meet the programme’s professional and academic requirements.
Visit HERE for more information about the Europe Defence and Security Fellowship.
The Europe Defence and Security Fellowship 2027 offers a specialised six-week professional development experience for mid-career European professionals working in defence, security, government, law enforcement, intelligence, civil protection, resilience, and relevant international organisations.
Delivered by Cranfield University at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom and funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the programme combines academic learning with practical exercises, simulations, workshops, institutional visits, research, practitioner engagement, and international networking.
Its six core themes cover global leadership, organisational culture, cyber resilience, artificial intelligence and emerging technology, strategic decision-making, and future leadership and resilience. Fellows will also undertake an individual research project and present their findings to the FCDO in London at the end of the fellowship.
The opportunity is particularly suited to professionals who already have substantial experience and responsibilities within the defence and security environment and who can demonstrate the potential to influence policy, strategy, organisational capability, or operational effectiveness.
Eligible professionals should take note of the 27 September 2026 at 11:00 UTC application deadline and carefully assess the programme’s citizenship, residency, academic, professional, and leadership requirements before submitting an application.
Who Can Apply for the Europe Defence and Security Fellowship? The fellowship is specifically intended for mid-career professionals from eligible European countries who demonstrate leadership potential in security and defence. Applicants must meet the programme’s additional eligibility requirements as well as the standard Chevening eligibility criteria. Citizenship and Residency Requirement At the point of application, applicants must be citizens of and residents in one of the following countries: 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 Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania San Marino Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Applicants living in a European overseas territory may apply through the relevant Chevening award scheme for the European country of which they are a citizen. Academic and Professional Requirements In addition to meeting the standard Chevening eligibility criteria, applicants must meet several fellowship-specific requirements. Postgraduate Qualification Applicants must hold a postgraduate qualification, or have equivalent professional training or experience in a relevant field. Professional Experience Applicants must have at least five years of relevant professional experience. This makes the fellowship particularly suitable for experienced professionals rather than recent graduates or early-career applicants. Relevant Professional Sector Applicants must be mid-career professionals employed within areas such as: Government Defence Security Law enforcement Intelligence Civil protection Resilience International organisations with responsibilities for national or international security Leadership Potential Applicants must be able to demonstrate leadership potential. The fellowship is aimed at professionals who have the potential to contribute to organisational and national security-related priorities through their leadership.
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