Announcing the Frontier Biodefense Fellowship (deadline 2 June)

August 3 to October 2, 2026 in London | Applications close June 2 (Ao E)TL;DR: We're running our first Frontier Biodefense Fellowship at pivotal. Nine weeks, fully funded, 1:1 mentorship from Blueprint, Secure Bio, Syn X, Coefficient Giving, CLTR and more. Open to applicants from a wide range of backgrounds, including those without prior bio experience. Apply at fellowship.bio.This post is the short version. For the longer argument about why we are running the fellowship, we will be posting our companion post soon.Key infoDates: 3 August to 2 October 2026 (9 weeks)Location: In-person at LISA (London Initiative for Safe AI).Extensions: Up to 2 months of continued funding, mentorship, and workspace for strong projects.Funding: £6,000-£8,000 stipend, plus travel and accommodation supportMentorship: 1:1 with mentors from Blueprint, SecureBio, SynX, Coefficient Giving, CLTR, and more.Project areas: AIxBio, Biohardening, Detection, Governance/Policy, MCMs, Mirror Life, PPE, and Strategic Response Planning.Eligibility: Anyone 18+ serious about contributing to biodefenses.Apply: fellowship.bio by 2 June (AoE)The fellowshipPivotal is best known for our AI safety fellowships, which cover technical safety, technical governance, governance & policy, AIxBio, and more. This year, we're branching into the defense-in-depth agenda in biosecurity with the launch of our first Frontier Biodefense Fellowship.For 9 weeks, fellows work in person at LISA on a research project with an external mentor. Each fellow gets weekly 1:1s with their mentor, weekly support from a Pivotal Research Manager who helps with scoping, blockers, and career planning, and a cohort of at least 20 peers working on biodefense problems. Group projects are possible and often encouraged.The goal is to produce a research or practical output, typically a paper or policy brief, with blog posts and other formats also common. Fellows retain ownership of their research.For strong projects, we offer up to 2 months of extensio