…scheme will support relocation to the UK and research activities
Nigerian talent with exceptional artificial intelligence (AI) skills can partake in the United Kingdom (UK) government’s £54 million-backed Global Talent Taskforce initiative aimed at drawing world-class AI professionals to the country’s key industrial sectors.
The scheme announced by the UK government website, is open to eligible persons from Nigeria and other parts of the world and will support both relocation and research activities over a five-year period starting this year.
It is designed to encourage leading researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, senior engineers, managers, and high-profile creatives to relocate and collaborate with the UK’s global network, cultivating a strong pipeline of international expertise.
Building on a previous £25 million investment, the taskforce supports the government’s wider Plan for Change by targeting priority industries within the forthcoming modern Industrial Strategy to enhance Britain’s economic competitiveness by bolstering its domestic workforce with top-tier international talent.
Complementing this effort, the Turing AI Global Fellowships, delivered through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)will offer up to £5 million per recipient over five years. The fellowships expands on the prestigious Turing AI Fellowship programme and form a cornerstone of the talent strategy.
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The Global Talent Taskforce initiative builds upon pledges outlined in the recent Immigration White Paper, including the expansion of recognised institutions eligible for the High Potential Individual visa. It is part of a wider effort to accelerate the recruitment of exceptional talent into the UK’s fastest-growing and strategically important sectors, particularly in science and technology.
Crucially, officials emphasised that the initiative will have no impact on net migration figures.
Housed within the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), with cross-departmental backing, the taskforce will promote the UK’s strengths, including its robust research and development (R&D) ecosystem, stable political environment, high quality of life, and cultural diversity, to convince the world’s brightest minds to settle, innovate, and prosper in Britain.
The newly announced Global Talent Fund, also administered by UKRI, will allocate £54 million over five years starting in 2025/26. The fund covers 100 percent of eligible costs, including relocation, research, and visa expenses for researchers and their families, eliminating major financial and bureaucratic hurdles.
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Vivienne Stern, Universities UK chief executive, said, “The government’s Global Talent Taskforce and Fund will play a vital role in supporting the delivery of the industrial strategy. These initiatives will attract the best and brightest from around the world to accelerate growth across the UK’s key sectors, which are underpinned by our great universities”.
“UK universities are already pivotal players in attracting global talent and the creation of the Taskforce and Fund will further leverage their role in building our future technologies and driving long-term growth”
“Attracting global talent is a goal that ultimately benefits communities across the country, making us all better off. We look forward to working closely with government to deliver these important initiatives and to help realise the full ambition of the UK’s industrial strategy”.
In a similar vein, Peter Kyle, science and technology secretary said, “Genius is not bound by geography. But the UK is one of the few places blessed with the infrastructure, skills base, world-class institutions and international ties needed to fertilise brilliant ideas, and turn them into new medicines that save lives, new products that make our lives easier, and even entirely new jobs and industries”
“My message to those who are advancing new ideas, wherever they are, is simple. We want to work with you, to support you, and to give you a home where you can make your ideas a reality we all benefit from”.
