Natural Sciences Fellowships and Research Funding for Africans

Natural sciences applicants can choose from fellowships, internships, scholarships and training programmes with study or research options in Africa and abroad. Check eligibility, language rules, funding coverage and the exact deadline before preparing an application.

Key facts

• UNESCO AfriMAB GRÓ-LRT Land Restoration Fellowship (closed) is a six-month, fully funded fellowship in Iceland for professionals from African biosphere reserves, with a maximum age of 40 and at least one year of experience.
• Mitacs Globalink Research Internship Opportunity in Canada (closed) is a three-month research internship in Canada for eligible undergraduate and master’s students from specified countries, including Tunisia.
• Chevening OCIS Fellowship 2027 at Oxford for Professionals (closed) offers five months of research at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies for professionals from countries including Nigeria, Morocco and Senegal.
• Open Doors Russian Scholarship 2027/28 for International Students is open to all nationalities at undergraduate, master’s, PhD and postdoctoral levels, but students must pay several costs beyond tuition and the monthly stipend.
• Kleinhans Fellowship 2027 for Community Forestry Research provides USD 20,000 per year for two years, but does not pay academic tuition or fees.
• Transfyr AI Fellowship for Researchers, Remote Option is a remote, 12-month fellowship for master’s, PhD and postdoctoral applicants in fields including natural sciences, with annual compensation of USD 125,000 plus benefits.
• POGO Shipboard Fellowship in Ocean Observation is an ongoing shipboard training programme for master’s, PhD, postdoctoral and professional applicants, with applications reviewed as received.

Which natural sciences opportunities accept applicants from African countries?

Eligibility differs sharply between the options. UNESCO AfriMAB GRÓ-LRT Land Restoration Fellowship (closed) accepts professionals from all African countries, but the applicant must be connected to an African biosphere reserve and meet the professional, age and experience conditions. This matters if your work concerns land restoration, environment or climate and you can communicate in English.

Mitacs Globalink Research Internship Opportunity in Canada (closed) does not list all African countries as eligible. Its eligible-country list includes Tunisia, as well as Brazil, China, Finland, France, Germany, India, South Korea, United Kingdom and United States. This matters because nationality is a screening condition, not a detail you can fix after submission.

The professional fellowship Chevening OCIS Fellowship 2027 at Oxford for Professionals (closed) is available to applicants from Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Malaysia, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan and Tunisia, alongside Türkiye. It requires at least five years of experience and is relevant to natural sciences among several other fields.

Other options are broader. Kleinhans Fellowship 2027 for Community Forestry Research, Transfyr AI Fellowship for Researchers, Remote Option and POGO Shipboard Fellowship in Ocean Observation accept applicants of all nationalities. Open Doors Russian Scholarship 2027/28 for International Students also accepts all nationalities, but its funding does not cover every cost connected with studying in Russia. These broad eligibility rules matter if your country does not appear in a restricted list.

Which programmes cover tuition, travel and living costs?

Funding labels need careful reading. UNESCO AfriMAB GRÓ-LRT Land Restoration Fellowship (closed) is fully funded, covering tuition and academic expenses, travel, health insurance and a stipend for all living expenses during the six-month stay in Iceland. This matters if you need support for both academic and daily costs rather than a stipend alone.

Mitacs Globalink Research Internship Opportunity in Canada (closed) includes contributions towards round-trip airfare, transport from the Canadian airport to accommodation, housing, student enrolment fees, food and incidentals, plus emergency health insurance. The amounts vary according to the country of origin and host institution. This matters because the award covers several cost categories, but the published wording describes contributions and stipends rather than one fixed payment.

Chevening OCIS Fellowship 2027 at Oxford for Professionals (closed) provides living expenses, return economy airfare and an allowance package for research-related activities during the five-month fellowship. It does not list tuition or insurance in its funding information. This matters if your research budget depends on travel and living support rather than fee payment.

Open Doors Russian Scholarship 2027/28 for International Students pays tuition fees and provides a monthly stipend. Transportation, food, accommodation, communication services and medical insurance remain the student’s responsibility. This matters because a tuition award can still require substantial personal funds.

Kleinhans Fellowship 2027 for Community Forestry Research pays USD 20,000 per year for two years, but does not subsidise academic tuition or fees. It also excludes transport vehicles and equipment that is unnecessary or unreasonable. This matters if you are planning a master’s, PhD or postdoctoral research budget and need to separate living support from university charges.

POGO Shipboard Fellowship in Ocean Observation lists airfare, subsistence, transport to and from a departure port where applicable, accommodation and seafaring medical examination and sea survival training where required. Insurance is not listed as covered. This matters for applicants comparing field-based training with conventional study funding.

Which natural sciences options suit undergraduate, master’s and doctoral applicants?

Undergraduate applicants have fewer choices in this group. Mitacs Globalink Research Internship Opportunity in Canada (closed) accepts undergraduate and master’s applicants for a three-month research internship in Canada. Open Doors Russian Scholarship 2027/28 for International Students covers undergraduate, master’s, PhD and postdoctoral levels, making it the broadest level-based option in the list.

Master’s applicants can consider Mitacs Globalink Research Internship Opportunity in Canada (closed), Kleinhans Fellowship 2027 for Community Forestry Research, Transfyr AI Fellowship for Researchers, Remote Option, POGO Shipboard Fellowship in Ocean Observation and Open Doors Russian Scholarship 2027/28 for International Students. Each serves a different purpose. The Canadian option is a research internship, the community forestry award supports research for two years, the AI fellowship is remote, the ocean programme involves shipboard training, and the Russian scholarship supports formal study.

PhD and postdoctoral applicants can consider Kleinhans Fellowship 2027 for Community Forestry Research, Transfyr AI Fellowship for Researchers, Remote Option, POGO Shipboard Fellowship in Ocean Observation and Open Doors Russian Scholarship 2027/28 for International Students. Kleinhans Fellowship 2027 for Community Forestry Research is specifically tied to community forestry research, while Transfyr AI Fellowship for Researchers, Remote Option includes computer science, engineering, mathematics and natural sciences and can be completed remotely. POGO Shipboard Fellowship in Ocean Observation is focused on ocean-related training and accepts professionals as well as advanced students.

Professionals should check UNESCO AfriMAB GRÓ-LRT Land Restoration Fellowship (closed), Chevening OCIS Fellowship 2027 at Oxford for Professionals (closed) and POGO Shipboard Fellowship in Ocean Observation. UNESCO AfriMAB GRÓ-LRT Land Restoration Fellowship (closed) requires at least one year of experience and has a maximum age of 40. Chevening OCIS Fellowship 2027 at Oxford for Professionals (closed) requires at least five years of experience, while POGO Shipboard Fellowship in Ocean Observation does not state an experience minimum in the supplied information.

What English or other language rules apply?

Do not assume that natural sciences funding means an IELTS exemption. None of the listed options is identified as requiring no IELTS, so you must check the official page for any English-test rule, accepted evidence or exemption.

UNESCO AfriMAB GRÓ-LRT Land Restoration Fellowship (closed) requires applicants to speak, read and write English because English is the working language of GRÓ LRT. This matters because the requirement covers communication in several forms, not only reading research material.

For Mitacs Globalink Research Internship Opportunity in Canada (closed), you must be fluent in the oral and written language of the project, which may be English and/or French. The stated standard is sufficient proficiency to understand, communicate and carry out research activities in spoken and written forms.

Open Doors Russian Scholarship 2027/28 for International Students offers programmes in Russian or English, depending on the institution. You must check the language of the specific programme before relying on your existing academic language ability.

Kleinhans Fellowship 2027 for Community Forestry Research accepts applications in English, Spanish or Portuguese. POGO Shipboard Fellowship in Ocean Observation requires all documents and the application form to be completed in English. This is a precise document requirement, so do not submit supporting material in another language without checking whether translation rules apply.

What deadlines should natural sciences applicants track?

The fixed deadlines begin with UNESCO AfriMAB GRÓ-LRT Land Restoration Fellowship (closed) on 10 September 2026. Mitacs Globalink Research Internship Opportunity in Canada (closed) follows on 16 September 2026 at 1:00 p.m. Pacific time. The Canadian deadline is tied to a time zone, so convert it to your local time before the final day and submit early enough to account for internet or payment problems.

Chevening OCIS Fellowship 2027 at Oxford for Professionals (closed) closes on 6 October 2026. Open Doors Russian Scholarship 2027/28 for International Students has a 1 November 2026 registration deadline, after which participants can no longer add to or edit account information or portfolios. This matters because waiting until the final day may leave no opportunity to correct a portfolio entry.

Kleinhans Fellowship 2027 for Community Forestry Research opens for applications on 31 August 2026 and closes on 28 February 2027. A rolling process applies to Transfyr AI Fellowship for Researchers, Remote Option and POGO Shipboard Fellowship in Ocean Observation, but rolling review is not the same as an unlimited guarantee of consideration. Transfyr AI Fellowship for Researchers, Remote Option reviews applications as they arrive, and POGO Shipboard Fellowship in Ocean Observation also reviews applications as received, so early submission is the safer approach.

The event or placement timing also differs. UNESCO AfriMAB GRÓ-LRT Land Restoration Fellowship (closed) begins on 26 February 2027 and lasts six months. Mitacs Globalink Research Internship Opportunity in Canada (closed) lasts three months, Chevening OCIS Fellowship 2027 at Oxford for Professionals (closed) lasts five months, Kleinhans Fellowship 2027 for Community Forestry Research lasts 24 months and Transfyr AI Fellowship for Researchers, Remote Option lasts 12 months. The supplied information does not give a start date for every programme, so check the official page before arranging study leave, travel or accommodation.

What should you check before submitting a natural sciences application?

Start with the eligibility line, not the funding headline. Confirm your level, nationality, professional status, field and experience against the specific option. For UNESCO AfriMAB GRÓ-LRT Land Restoration Fellowship (closed), the African biosphere reserve connection, English ability, age limit and one-year experience minimum all matter. For Chevening OCIS Fellowship 2027 at Oxford for Professionals (closed), the five-year experience minimum matters more than the fact that the field list includes natural sciences.

Then separate covered costs from excluded costs. A stipend does not automatically pay tuition, insurance, accommodation or transport. Open Doors Russian Scholarship 2027/28 for International Students states that the student pays accommodation, food, transportation, communication services and medical insurance. Kleinhans Fellowship 2027 for Community Forestry Research states that tuition and fees are excluded. These are common budget gaps.

Check the application language and every document instruction. For POGO Shipboard Fellowship in Ocean Observation, all documents and the form must be in English. For Mitacs Globalink Research Internship Opportunity in Canada (closed), your language ability must match the project language in both speaking and writing. For Open Doors Russian Scholarship 2027/28 for International Students, the language depends on the institution and programme, so a general statement about Russian or English is not enough.

Finally, verify the deadline on the official page before sending. This is especially important for Mitacs Globalink Research Internship Opportunity in Canada (closed), where the deadline is stated in Pacific time, and for Open Doors Russian Scholarship 2027/28 for International Students, where account and portfolio edits stop after the registration deadline. Keep a personal record of the deadline, time zone, funding exclusions and any missing requirement.

Frequently asked questions about natural sciences fellowships

Which natural sciences fellowship is fully funded?

UNESCO AfriMAB GRÓ-LRT Land Restoration Fellowship (closed) is described as fully funded and covers tuition, academic expenses, travel, health insurance and living costs through a stipend during the six-month stay in Iceland. The list records three fully funded opportunities overall, but coverage differs between programmes, so check each funding description rather than relying on the label alone.

Can I apply for a natural sciences fellowship without IELTS?

None of the listed opportunities is identified as requiring no IELTS. The language rules that are provided include English communication for UNESCO AfriMAB GRÓ-LRT Land Restoration Fellowship (closed), project-language fluency in English and/or French for Mitacs Globalink Research Internship Opportunity in Canada (closed), and English documents for POGO Shipboard Fellowship in Ocean Observation. Check the official page for the exact test requirement.

Which natural sciences funding accepts all nationalities?

Kleinhans Fellowship 2027 for Community Forestry Research, Transfyr AI Fellowship for Researchers, Remote Option, POGO Shipboard Fellowship in Ocean Observation and Open Doors Russian Scholarship 2027/28 for International Students list all nationalities as eligible. Their levels, funding and formats differ, so confirm whether the programme fits your academic stage and whether you can cover costs that are not funded.

Which natural sciences option is available to professionals?

UNESCO AfriMAB GRÓ-LRT Land Restoration Fellowship (closed), Chevening OCIS Fellowship 2027 at Oxford for Professionals (closed) and POGO Shipboard Fellowship in Ocean Observation accept professionals. UNESCO AfriMAB GRÓ-LRT Land Restoration Fellowship (closed) requires at least one year of experience and has a maximum age of 40, while Chevening OCIS Fellowship 2027 at Oxford for Professionals (closed) requires at least five years of experience. No experience minimum is stated for POGO Shipboard Fellowship in Ocean Observation in the available information.

Which natural sciences fellowship can be completed remotely?

Transfyr AI Fellowship for Researchers, Remote Option is the only option listed as remote. It lasts 12 months, accepts master’s, PhD and postdoctoral applicants, and lists natural sciences among its fields. Its stated compensation is USD 125,000 per year plus benefits.

What should you do next when applying for natural sciences funding?

Choose options by eligibility first, then compare funding. Mark your academic level, nationality, experience, language ability and field against each programme. Remove any option that fails a fixed condition before spending time on the application.

Prepare the requirements that are explicitly stated. For an English-language programme, make sure your documents meet the language rule. For a research-based application, check whether the official page specifies a proposal, portfolio or other material. Do not guess when the supplied information is silent.

Create a deadline sheet with the date, time zone, opening date where given, funding exclusions and official provider page. Submit rolling applications early, and do not leave a portfolio or account edit until the final hours. Before sending, reread the official page for changed instructions, document formats and any language-test rule.