“Expertise exchange is the point,” says Industry Engagement Taskforce lead as the UK Young Academy opens for applications
“I have sat on our Membership Selection Committee reviewing applications from economists, engineers, clinicians, artists, and entrepreneurs. What strikes me every time is not how different they are, but how urgently they need each other.”
Peter Kwok, Vice-chair of the UK Young Academy Membership Selection Committee and Industry Engagement Taskforce lead
The UK Young Academy unites exceptional early-career professionals across all disciplines and sectors to contribute bold, cross-sector perspectives to national and global challenges.
If you have demonstrated excellence in your sector and want to drive meaningful real-world impact through innovative collaborations with other emerging leaders, applications are now open.
In 2025/2026, our fourth year of operation, the UK Young Academy’s profile has grown significantly, both within the UK and globally. In the last year alone, we have become part of several prestigious bodies, including the International Science Council, the UK and Ireland Human Rights Committee, the InterAcademy Partnership, and, most recently, ALLEA (the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities).
As our networks and influence grow, we are prioritising engagement with emerging leaders across industry, the public sector, and beyond.
Reflecting on this, Peter also said:
“Practitioners bring something to the Young Academy that cannot always be taught in a lecture hall. It is the hard-won wisdom of doing. The instinct for what works in the real world, the scars of implementation, the creativity born from constraint.
When that lived expertise of one member meets the academic rigour and research skills of another, something remarkable happens. Ideas that were previously stuck become unstuck. Solutions that were previously incomplete become whole.
At the UK Young Academy, this expertise exchange is the point. Being a member means sitting alongside colleagues who are exceptional in their fields, but never precious about learning from you. It means contributing to Working Groups, shaping initiatives, and realising ideas that address global challenges which genuinely matter.
Indeed, the problems keeping leaders awake at night – from supply chain fragility and the ethics of AI to the just transition to net zero – are not problems any single sector can solve alone. I have sat on our Membership Selection Committee reviewing applications from economists, engineers, clinicians, artists, and entrepreneurs. What strikes me every time is not how different they are, but how urgently they need each other.
In a professional landscape that can feel increasingly fragmented, the UK Young Academy offers something quietly radical: a community built on curiosity, trust, and a shared conviction that working across boundaries is not just possible, but essential. These are not transactional connections. They are collaborators, thought partners, and often, lasting friends.”
If you are interested in making an application to join the next UK Young Academy cohort, please do so before Wednesday 15 July 2026 at 3pm (BST).
You can also register to join one of our upcoming ‘how to apply’ webinars to learn more about the Young Academy, meet some of our members, and get some top tips for how to submit a standout application.
Successful applicants will take up their post in Spring 2027, with membership running for five years.
Information on eligibility, selection timelines, and application guidance is available on our website. If you have any questions, please contact us at enquiries@ukyoungacademy.org.
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UK Young Academy
UK Young Academy
