The Royal Academy of Engineering has been awarded £6.5 million by the government to launch a new programme of Fire Engineering Scholarships, supporting the development of the next generation of fire engineering practitioners, researchers and innovators.
Over 200 full- and part-time MSc scholarships are available over two academic years from 2027 to 2029. These will be funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) from the government’s £70 million Building Workforce Programme, which was set up to increase the capacity and capability of safety-critical professions as part of the actions government has committed to in response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. Of the £70 million, £13 million has been dedicated to fire engineering education.
Following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the fire engineering profession has been undergoing reform to improve accountability and strengthen competence. The government has accepted all fire engineering profession recommendations from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry in full, including the need to regulate the title of 'fire engineer' and to take urgent steps to increase the number of places on high-quality master's level courses for fire engineering.
MHCLG has chosen the Academy and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) as delivery partners for a £13 million programme to support quality education and research provision to prepare the next generation of fire engineers and upskill existing practitioners. This will increase the number of professionals in this safety-critical area of the built environment and boost economic growth in the UK through their contribution to building construction and remediation
Dame Judith Hackitt DBE FREng, Royal Academy of Engineering Trustee, who led the government’s Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, comments:
“The Grenfell Inquiry made clear that changes are needed to ensure that fire engineering is a rigorously regulated profession employing individuals with the skills, knowledge, behaviours and ethical commitments needed to keep people and buildings safe. It is good to see government taking action to regulate and increase capacity in this profession, and the Academy welcomes this opportunity to play a key part in building a growing community of skilled fire engineers that the public can trust. This is a critical part of the wider work that MHCLG is doing to strengthen the built environment professions, and the Academy is well placed to support this work given its independent leadership role and its commitment to fostering an engineering community fit for the future.”
Dame Judith Hackitt DBE FREng
The scholarships will be awarded by UK Higher Education Institutions who are invited to submit applications for the Academy’s scholarship fund by 4pm on 3 November 2026. They are also able to bid for funds for marketing and promotion of the scholarships and the fire engineering profession more broadly to potential applicants.
The EPSRC is coordinating the allocation of funding for doctoral training to support the next generation of researchers in fire engineering, and the development of taught postgraduate (Level 7) programmes in fire engineering, including Level 7 continuing professional development.
Notes for editors
- The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is one of nine councils brought together under UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). UKRI is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade responsible for investing in R&I to deliver outcomes for the UK public. EPSRC is the main funding body for engineering and physical sciences research in the UK. Our diverse portfolio ranges from digital technologies to clean energy, manufacturing to mathematics, advanced materials to chemistry.
EPSRC invests in world-leading research and skills to advance knowledge and deliver a sustainable, resilient and prosperous UK. We support new ideas and transformative technologies which are the foundations of innovations that improve our economy, environment and society. In partnership and co-investing with industry, we work to deliver both national and global priorities. - The Royal Academy of Engineering creates and leads a community of outstanding experts and innovators to engineer better lives. As a charity and a Fellowship, we deliver public benefit from excellence in engineering and technology and convene leading businesspeople, entrepreneurs, innovators and academics across engineering and technology. As a National Academy, we provide leadership for engineering and technology, and independent, expert advice to policymakers in the UK and beyond. Our work is enabled by funding from the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, corporate and university partners, charitable trusts and foundations, and individual donors.