TDL Academy Masters Scholarship Programme - Funding Call Academic Year 2026/27
Ends on
The Data Lab Academy (TDLA) Masters Scholarship Programme - Funding Call for Academic Year (AY) 2026/27
Scottish Universities are invited to apply to join our Masters Scholarship Programme. The scholarships are for students studying masters courses in data, AI and related subjects across Scotland. We cover fees and students join our highly regarded programme of events which complements their academic studies with real-world employability training, industry engagement, and access to a vibrant community of peers and professionals. The funding is provided by The Scottish Funding Council and so eligibility restrictions apply.
We currently support students studying at 13 Universities on 35 different masters courses. You can find the list of approved courses for AY 25/26 here.
The masters programme consists of around 50 hours of training spread across the academic year and is a combination of online and in-person activities including:
- employability training and optional paid industrial placement in Scotland;
- an industry-led residential Innovation Challenge;
- an interactive master class on Bias in AI and other themed activities;
- access to a network of expertise through TDLA Masters Alumni, The Data Lab Community and The Data Lab partners including Scottish Government, IBM and Wheatley Group; and
- a Masters Programme Certificate of Completion.
Context
In 2025 The Data Lab published its Data & AI Skills Framework. This Framework explains the skills and competencies needed to thrive in a data-driven world and is informed by our research on the data and AI skills gap in Scotland. Its findings underpin activities across the masters programme. The Framework is defined across four Data and AI personas, which align with levels of data literacy in key competency areas: Data & AI Citizen; Data & AI Worker; Data & AI Professional and Data & AI Leader.
The Masters programme operates at the Data & AI Professional persona level where an advanced level of data literacy and expertise in advanced analytics, machine learning, and data governance is expected. We will be using the defined competencies for this persona to assess the suitability for masters courses to join our programme.
Apply to Join/Continue
We invite existing and new academic partners to apply to join the programme. Applications should demonstrate how their masters courses will deliver the defined competencies for a Data & AI Professional across the following areas: Data Literacy, Programming, Machine learning, Data & AI ethics, Data management, Cybersecurity and Meta-skills. We will ask you to indicate the competency levels that students on your course will achieve at the end of the course using the Framework. We also ask about the roles your course is preparing students for post graduation. This is to ensure that the courses we fund are meeting the demands of industry and support a confident, inclusive, and future-ready workforce.
We will prioritise applications for courses with a strong focus on data management and engineering, AI, software engineering and computer science. We also welcome related courses, e.g. data analytics, business analytics, and STEM data orientated courses, or specialist courses, which are driving innovation in their field. All applications should demonstrate innovation and creativity in course delivery; high standards and the teaching of data ethics; a commitment to maximising diversity in applicants; strong industry engagement; and support of the Scholarship placement opportunity.
We will consider in-person, online, or hybrid courses. Irrespective of mode of study, all students are required to attend our programme of events and meet SFC eligibility criteria.
Course Review Process: The course review and allocation process will remain the same as in previous years, with successful universities awarded scholarship numbers to select the best candidates for their course.
Student Application Process: We ask that potential scholarship candidates are identified by universities. The candidates should complete a short application form for review and approval by TDL prior to scholarships being confirmed with students.
Eligibility: Students must meet the SFC eligibility criteria. Refer to this SAAS advice for guidance on who can be considered for funded scholarships.
Scholarships available: Around 100 scholarships will support £6800 per student to cover MSc course tuition fees on approved courses for the AY 26-27. Any shortfall between the University’s tuition fee and the £6800 scholarship must be met by the University, and not by the student or any other third party. All students join the Masters programme.
Next steps
- Apply using this form. The closing date for applications is Friday 16th January 2026 at 18:00.
- Universities will be notified of the success or otherwise of their application by Friday 30th January 2026.
- Please contact The Data Lab at TDL-Academy@thedatalab.com if you would like an informal discussion about our programme or our eligibility requirements prior to applying.