UNESCO Fellowships 2026: Fully Explore Research, Early-Career and Project Opportunities

Overview

UNESCO Fellowships are not a single programme but a collection of more than 450 opportunities for students, PhD candidates, early-career researchers, postdoctoral researchers and project initiators. They are supported by donors and extra-budgetary funding and offered with governments, academic institutions, international organizations and other partners, to promote education, research, innovation and international cooperation. Programmes differ in eligibility, field, duration, location, funding and deadlines, and being listed does not mean applications are open all year.

What you get

For students and PhD candidates, the portfolio includes the UNESCO/People's Republic of China Great Wall programme with 75 opportunities, TWAS PhD Fellowships with 160, opportunities linked to the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World, and the UNESCO/ISEDC co-sponsored programme with 20. Early-career options include the UNESCO/Keizo Obuchi - Japan Young Researchers Fellowships, 28 Poland co-sponsored fellowships in engineering, seven in archaeology and conservation, 25 UNESCO/Republic of Korea co-sponsored fellowships and 10 under the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - AlUla Fellowships Programme. Postdoctoral researchers can look to 100 TWAS Postdoctoral Fellowships.

Project-focused fellowships include Green Chemistry for Life, supported by PhosAgro, UNESCO and IUPAC, and UNESCO/Nestle - Because Youth Matter, which has 20 opportunities. Exact benefits depend on the individual fellowship.

Who can apply

There is no single set of requirements. Eligibility depends on factors such as academic qualifications, level of study, research or professional experience, nationality, proposed research area or project objectives, language, age where applicable, institutional affiliation and the conditions set by the partner. Meeting the requirements of one programme does not make an applicant eligible for another, so candidates should pick a fellowship matching their profile and then check its own conditions.

How to apply

Application procedures and deadlines vary by programme, and applicants should review the specific fellowship's requirements before preparing an application.