Visiting Fellowship 2026

C:\>DIR Cambridge Regulator Visiting Fellowship 2026

In September 2026, C:\>DIR welcomed 16 senior policymakers and regulators from 10 countries to Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge for the inaugural Cambridge Regulator Visiting Fellowship.

Held in partnership with the University of Cambridge Centre for Science and Policy (CSaP), the five-day residential programme brought together senior leaders from central banks and authorities working across financial regulation, competition, data and communications.

The Fellowship was designed around a central question: how can public authorities keep pace with rapid technological and market change? Across the week, Fellows explored how digital technologies are reshaping markets and institutions, how regulatory and supervisory approaches need to evolve, the importance of trust and how public authorities can develop the capabilities required to respond.

From understanding change to acting on it

The programme moved from exploring the forces reshaping finance and the digital economy to considering what these changes mean for regulatory institutions in practice.

Sessions examined topics including:

The programme brought Fellows into conversation with leading academics, policymakers, regulators and practitioners, including C:\>DIR Co-Convenors Agustín Carstens and Gillian Tett, alongside experts from the University of Cambridge, the UK Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum, Financial Innovation for Impact and the wider industry.

Turning ideas into action

A central feature of the Fellowship was the opportunity for Fellows to work collectively on practical Innovation Projects. Through project clinics and facilitated sessions during the week, Fellows developed proposals around regulatory and institutional challenges, drawing on the ideas and perspectives explored throughout the programme. The projects were presented at the conclusion of the Fellowship, providing a practical bridge between the Cambridge discussions and the Fellows' work in their home institutions, and Fellows will be supported in further progressing this work over the coming year.

The programme also included the final showcase and judging of the C:\>DIR Global Agentic Regulator Hackathon, giving Fellows an opportunity to engage directly with emerging ideas for applying AI and technology to regulatory challenges.

A new community of regulatory leaders

Beyond the formal programme, the Fellowship created an opportunity for senior public authorities from different jurisdictions and regulatory disciplines to build relationships, exchange experiences and explore common challenges.

“The C:\>DIR Cambridge Regulator Visiting Fellowship challenged me to think beyond how regulators should respond to AI, and instead to ask what public institutions themselves must become as technology grows more autonomous and computational. I particularly valued the practical exploration of agentic AI, machine-readable regulation and cross-regulatory collaboration, while keeping accountability, human oversight and public trust at the centre. I left Cambridge with ideas that I am already translating into practical regulatory work in Uganda.”
— Baker Birikujja
“The C:\>DIR Fellowship offered a good combination of rigorous policy frameworks, practical regulatory insights, and candid peer learning on digital regulation and innovation. Beyond the outstanding content and distinguished speakers, the conversations over dinners and social activities fostered a trusted network of policymakers and regulators that will endure well beyond Cambridge. I would highly recommend this fellowship to senior public policymakers seeking both strategic insight and practical approaches to governing the digital economy”
— Somchai Lertlarpwasin