UNESCO Japan Young Researchers Fellowships Programme 2026/2027

The UNESCO/Japan Young Researchers' Fellowships Programme funds early-career researchers to spend a research period in Japan. It is a mobility fellowship rather than a degree scholarship: the point is a defined research stay at a Japanese institution, not enrolment in a programme.

Who can apply

Eligibility covers a wide list of African countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Ethiopia, South Africa, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Mozambique, Angola and most others across the continent. Applications are accepted at Masters and PhD level. The thematic scope follows UNESCO's own mandate and spans arts and design, computer science and IT, education, environment and climate, entrepreneurship, public policy and governance, and the social sciences.

What the fellowship provides

Selected fellows may receive a fellowship grant of up to US$10,000. The grant is a lump-sum contribution intended to cover costs directly related to the approved research stay in Japan, and it may go towards international and domestic travel for the approved itinerary, accommodation, and related expenses. Because it is a lump sum rather than a reimbursed budget, the realism of your own cost estimate matters: a plan that underestimates Japanese accommodation will run short mid-stay.

Deadline

The application deadline is 30 September 2026, midnight Paris time. Note the time zone, and note that midnight closes the day rather than opening it, so treat the twenty-ninth as your real working deadline.

Before you apply

The research stay has to be approved, which means the host institution and the itinerary are part of the proposal rather than details to settle later. Identify a Japanese host whose work genuinely connects with yours and secure their agreement first. A fellowship of this size rewards a tightly scoped project that can be completed within the stay, not the opening phase of a longer programme of work.