UKRI –5498 TechFirst undergraduate and Spärck AI scholarships: Cohort Management Function (Lot 1), Recruitment Function (Lot 2)

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is procuring a managed service to support the delivery of its specialist scholarship programmes at scale. The procurement is structured into two Lots, covering recruitment and cohort management services.

Lot 1 – Cohort Management Services:

The appointed supplier will be responsible for the ongoing administration and management of scholarship cohorts. This includes hosting a student engagement platform, coordinating work placements, developing and delivering skills and knowledge-building activities, organising events, and managing relationships with multiple stakeholders.

The cohort management service will support TechGrad Scholars (undergraduate) and Spärck AI Scholars (master’s level).

Lot 2 – Recruitment Management Services:

The appointed supplier will be responsible for designing and delivering end-to-end recruitment campaigns across multiple scholarship programmes. This includes hosting and managing a recruitment platform, administering and assessing applications against criteria defined by UKRI (Innovate UK), identifying candidates best suited to the programmes, and collaborating with other managed service providers delivering elements of the wider programme. The supplier will also be required to report against agreed key performance indicators (KPIs).

The recruitment service will support TechGrad Scholarships (undergraduate), Semiconductors Scholarships (undergraduate), and Spärck AI Scholarships (master’s level).

Across both Lots, suppliers will be expected to deliver high-quality, scalable services that enhance participant experience and contribute to the successful delivery of UKRI’s strategic objectives.