Research fellowships for African early-career researchers
Every postdoctoral, early-career and senior research fellowship currently open to African researchers — MSCA, Humboldt, Newton International, Wellcome, FLAIR, Volkswagen and more. Stipend, mobility budget and research costs covered.
A good postdoc or research fellowship is the launchpad for the rest of your research career. The flagship schemes — MSCA in the EU, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany, the Royal Society's Newton International in the UK, the Wellcome Early Career Award — all explicitly fund African researchers, but most require 9–12 months of host-PI outreach before the deadline.
Start with the live postdoc fellowships shortlist, then plan your move home with the return-home grants guide. If you're still finishing a PhD, the fully funded PhD list is the right starting point.
60 matching opportunities
PhD scholarship (Marie Skłodowska-Curie) in Molecular Biology and Bioreceptor Engineering for Biosensors - BRIGHT
Funded PhD employment with salary/pension under the published appointment terms; usually three years.. International candidates considered; relevant two-year master’s/120 ECTS or equivalent, English and project-specific skills. Experimental molecular-biology background; see MSCA mobility limit.
Wellcome Sanger Institute Four-Year PhD Programme
Full tuition · phd · study in United Kingdom · offered by Wellcome Sanger Institute. Four-year full tuition, stipend (October 2026 scale starts GBP 25,649), visa/IHS reimbursement; conference support up to GBP 1,500/year in years 2–4. Funding exclusions and conditions: 2027 stipend rate not guarant
Nova SBE PhD Research Fellowships
Nova SBE PhD Research Fellowships: Four years of EUR 1,400 monthly tax-free stipend and 90% annual tuition waiver; research allowance from year two. Renewed annually subject to satisfactory progress. Deadline: 31 January 2027 (time and time zone not stated).
EMBO Scientific Exchange Grants
EMBO Scientific Exchange Grants: Travel contribution and destination-specific subsistence allowance for a research exchange of 7–90 days. Exact rates vary by destination; not a salary or guaranteed full-cost award. Any other award supporting the same visit must be disclosed and is deducted from the EMBO grant. Eligibility: Any nationality; active researcher with at least one year of graduate-level research experience. Home institution must be in an EMBC Member State or EMBO global partner, or ap
Mitacs Globalink Research Award
Mitacs Globalink Research Award: CAD6,000 per 12–24-week internship unit; maximum two units (CAD12,000). Supports approved travel, accommodation, research and stipend budget. Eligibility: Full-time senior undergraduates (second year completed), graduate students or postdocs within five years of PhD, at eligible institutions; home and host academic supervisors required. Inbound Canada open to all countries except Russia/North Korea. Age at least 18. Cannot research in citizenship country or insti
M. H. Wiener Annual Fellowship 2027–28
M. H. Wiener Annual Fellowship 2027–28: Up to US$7,000 and School/Laboratory-fee waiver for up to nine months from September 2027. Eligibility: Worldwide graduate students, relevant master/PhD holders and independent scholars using Wiener Laboratory resources for interdisciplinary archaeological science.
Jansky Fellowship Program, 2027
Jansky Fellowship Program, 2027: Typical starting annual salary USD 75,000, plus USD 17,000 yearly research/travel allowance and employee benefits; two-to-three-year appointment. Eligibility: Any nationality; PhD in astronomy, astrophysics, physics, computer science or related field; normally no more than five years of postdoctoral experience at start, with justified career-break exceptions.
American Antiquarian Society Short-Term Research Fellowships, 2027–28
American Antiquarian Society Short-Term Research Fellowships, 2027–28: USD 2,400 per month for one or two months. Eligibility: International scholars welcome. Doctoral candidates, postdoctoral and appropriately qualified independent researchers using AAS collections; named-fund subject and degree requirements vary.
Simons Postdoctoral Fellowships in Plant Biology 2027
Simons Postdoctoral Fellowships in Plant Biology 2027: Up to USD360,000 over three years: USD85,000 annual stipend plus up to USD35,000 annual allowance for insurance/benefits and research. Up to USD2,000 of allowance can cover relocation, paid through host. Starts between July1 and October1,2027. Eligibility: U.S. citizens and foreign applicants expressly welcome. PhD/equivalent within three years before deadline, or completed by award start. Interdisciplinary basic plant research: move experti
Kathryn and Peter Yatrakis Fellowship 2027–28
Kathryn and Peter Yatrakis Fellowship 2027–28: US$11,500, Loring Hall room and weekday board, School-fee waiver; September 2027–May 2028. Eligibility: All nationalities; doctoral students or PhD earned within five years. Project must require Gennadius Library collections; full-year Athens residence.
Managing the Atom Fellowship, 2027–28
Managing the Atom Fellowship, 2027–28: Ten-month stipend of USD 50,000 predoctoral or USD 60,000 postdoctoral, with health insurance, discounted transit passes and shared office support. Eligibility: Worldwide applicants: dissertation-stage PhD candidates who have passed general examinations, recent PhDs, faculty and relevant professionals researching nuclear policy.
Mahindra Humanities Center Postdoctoral Fellowships, 2027–28
Mahindra Humanities Center Postdoctoral Fellowships, 2027–28: USD 70,000 stipend, medical insurance, USD 2,500 research support and USD 1,500 moving expenses for fellows relocating from outside Greater Boston. Eligibility: Humanistic research engaging environmental humanities; doctorate awarded on or after May 2024, or all degree requirements including defense completed by August 1, 2027. International scholars expressly eligible.
Weizmann Outstanding Postdoctoral Program 2027
Weizmann Outstanding Postdoctoral Program 2027: Annual tax-free USD 55,000-equivalent for three years, paid in NIS; selected pre-application visit economy airfare and accommodation. Eligibility: International applicants not currently doctoral/postdoctoral at Weizmann; programme within four years of PhD/MD; thesis submission required; host support and funded visit before committee selection.
Joan and Eugene Vanderpool Fellowship 2027–28
Joan and Eugene Vanderpool Fellowship 2027–28: US$5,000 plus up to two months School-fee waiver; project between July 2027 and June 2028. Eligibility: All nationalities; graduate students or PhD holders researching Athenian Agora, antiquity to present. Prior consultation with Agora Director required.
Azrieli International Postdoctoral Fellowship 2027–28
Azrieli International Postdoctoral Fellowship 2027–28: ILS 14,000 monthly plus ILS 20,000 annually for research/travel; two-year programme. Eligibility: International applicants with PhD outside Israel dated no earlier than 1 November 2023; defence by 1 June 2027; eligible Israeli sponsor; exceptions for career interruptions.
Academy Research Fellowships 2027
Academy Research Fellowships 2027: Four years, maximum €700,000; applicant/team salaries and research costs; 1 September 2027–31 August 2031. Eligibility: First doctorate dated 1 January 2020–31 December 2024 subject to permitted extensions; Finnish research-site commitment; equal treatment regardless of nationality.
UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, 2027–28
UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, 2027–28: Paid postdoctoral appointment; 2026 salary reference approximately $71,491; health benefits. Eligibility: Terminal degree before appointment; tenured UC mentor; campus residence. Non-US citizens and non-permanent residents may apply.
ECTRIMS Postdoctoral Research Fellowship 2027
ECTRIMS Postdoctoral Research Fellowship 2027: €55,000 annually for one or two years, paid to host for salary/stipend and applicable benefits. Fellow economy return travel and ECTRIMS congress participation travel/accommodation also supported. Eligibility: MD, PhD, ScD or equivalent by application; all nationalities. Research training in multiple sclerosis at a European institution with an agreed mentor. Normally under 40 and recommended no more than five postdoctoral years.
ESC Basic Research Fellowship 2027
ESC Basic Research Fellowship 2027: One funded one-year research fellowship; current official call does not state an amount or itemised cost coverage. Do not label fully funded. Eligibility: All nationalities; no older than 40 at deadline, active in cardiovascular science and a Council on Basic Cardiovascular Science member. One year in a different European host laboratory.
IBSA Foundation Fellowships 2026–2027
IBSA Foundation Fellowships 2026–2027: €32,000 gross for 12 months of personal salary, living and mobility costs, paid in two instalments. May supplement another award. Additional €5,000 Research Equity Prize within same family targets a developing-country host. Eligibility: Any nationality; under 40 at deadline; degree in medicine, biology, pharmacy, biotechnology or bioengineering. PhD students, PhD holders, postdocs and medical residents; active throughout award at a non-economic biomedical r
APS Short-Term Resident Research Fellowships, 2027–28
APS Short-Term Resident Research Fellowships, 2027–28: USD 3,000/month for one to three months. Eligibility: U.S. citizens and foreign nationals eligible; PhD holders/equivalent, doctoral candidates past preliminary examinations, or degreed independent scholars requiring APS collections.
CDDRL Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowships, 2027–28
Nine months. Predoctoral stipend comparable to Stanford Graduate Fellowships, required tuition and student medical cover; postdoctoral salary based on experience/minimums, with health benefits. Worldwide non-U.S. applicants explicitly accepted. Predoctoral applicants must remain enrolled at disserta
Yale Center for British Art Research Fellowships, 2027–28
USD 5,000 for four weeks, prorated for two or three full weeks; intended to meet travel, accommodation and daily costs. Any nationality; academics, curators, independent researchers and doctoral candidates whose projects use British visual/material-culture collections. North American predoctoral app
Luise and Gerhard Herzberg Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2027
Two-year employment; annual salary CAD 83,985–116,641 based on experience, with health/dental/pension benefits and relocation under applicable rules. Women in STEM of any nationality; preference to Canadian citizens/permanent residents. PhD on/after July 1, 2024, or completion within six months of a
IFRA-Nigeria Research Grants 2027
Up to EUR1,000 for fieldwork or archival research January–October 2027; half initially, half after final report. Master’s second-year, doctoral/postdoctoral students or researchers in humanities/social sciences; project in one of IFRA’s nine mandate countries and thematic axes. No nationality condit
STIAS General Residential Fellowship, First Semester 2028
Economy return airfare and airport transfers, accommodation, prorated monthly living stipend, office/library facilities and weekday lunches. Established scholars from any country, normally PhD plus ten years of research; innovative interdisciplinary proposal; residency normally at least eight weeks.
Lewis Walpole Library Visiting Fellowships and Travel Grants, 2027–28
Return travel, local transport/rental-car reimbursement, on-campus accommodation and Hartford-area GSA meals/incidental per diem. Four-week fellowships or two-week travel grants. Postdoctoral/advanced researchers and doctoral dissertation candidates using eighteenth-century British collections. Non-
NWU Observational Solar Physics Postdoctoral Fellowship 2027
ZAR350,000/year tax-free, ZAR50,000 annual research allocation, ZAR20,000 once-off relocation; three years from 1 March 2027. PhD in solar physics, space science or related field within five years, publication record and required solar-observation/data-analysis programming expertise. Nationality res
Wits Faculty of Health Sciences Project-Linked Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026
Fellowship stipend and research-host support; current call does not publish the amount or project-specific benefit schedule. PhD within five years; demonstrated experience and skills for the chosen health-research project; ability to complete it in the fellowship period. International fellows suppor
Shorenstein Postdoctoral Fellowship on Contemporary Asia, 2027–28
Ten-month salary prorated from USD 83,000 annual rate, plus up to USD 3,000 research expenses. Recent PhDs researching political, economic or social change in Asia, regional international relations or political economy. Doctorate no more than three years old at start; dissertation approved by June 3
CISAC Fellowships, 2027–28
Predoctoral stipend linked to Stanford graduate fellowships plus required non-matriculated tuition and medical insurance. Postdoctoral salary follows experience/university minimums with medical benefits; professional funding varies. Applications welcomed from non-U.S. citizens. Predoctoral, postdoct
Wits Global Higher Education Futures Postdoctoral Fellowship
ZAR340,000/year for two years. PhD within five years; no academic position or salaried employment; full-time research on higher education futures.
Wits Mining Engineering Postdoctoral Fellowship
ZAR350,000/year for two years. Relevant mining/engineering/computing PhD within five years; research/publication record; full-time commitment.
Wits UNESCO Chair in Teacher Education for Diversity and Development Postdoctoral Fellowship
ZAR340,000/year for two years. PhD within five years, no academic position or salaried employment; full-time Johannesburg research in teacher education, diversity and development.
TUT–Stellenbosch Collaborative Postdoctoral Research Fellowships
ZAR 350,000 annually, tax-free; one year at each university
UCT Faculty of Health Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowships
ZAR 320,000 for 2027; one year, competitively renewable once
UCT–SOCCO Biological Oceanography and Marine Biogeochemistry Postdoctoral Fellowship
ZAR 500,000 annually for 24 months; tax-free fellowship, no additional benefits
University of Notre Dame Kroc Institute Visiting Research Fellowships
USD 30,000 per semester plus furnished Institute accommodation and office/research access
University of Notre Dame ECG Faculty Fellowships: DELTA (Faith and AI)
Permanent faculty: half base academic-year salary capped USD 80,000; others USD 80,000 salary plus benefits; USD 1,000 research and USD 1,500/month eligible housing allowance
CYD Master Thesis Fellowship
Rolling thesis-research fellowship for students already enrolled in Switzerland: CHF 2,500 monthly for up to six months, with limited research funding.
Jean Monnet Fellowships
EUR 2,850 monthly, reduced with other income to a minimum EUR 2,100. Conditional family allowances, EUR 650 research support, travel reimbursement up to EUR 1,200 and visa-cost reimbursement up to EUR 250. Open for 12 months from September 2027; residence in Florence required. Eligibility and application conditions apply.
Lalor Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship
The Lalor Foundation: USD67,000/year total fellowship budget, including stipend, fringe benefits and institutional overhead capped at 5%; competitive renewal possible for one further year. Eligibility and application conditions apply.
David E. Bell Postdoctoral Fellowship
Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies: USD75,000 salary plus fringe benefits/subsidized health insurance; up to USD4,000 relocation and USD11,000 research/travel/computer fund over two years. Eligibility and application conditions apply.
Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellowship in Engineering
University of Notre Dame: USD75,000/year stipend for 24 months, plus USD15,000 research/training allowance. Eligibility and application conditions apply.
Folger Long-Term Scholarly Fellowship
Folger Shakespeare Library: USD70,000 for nine months or USD35,000 for five months. Eligibility and application conditions apply.
Citizens of the World Scholarship — Commitment Component
Université Laval: Research masters CAD20,000 over four terms; doctorate CAD30,000 over six terms. Eligibility and application conditions apply.
Newberry Short-Term Fellowships
Newberry Library: USD3,000/month, generally one month; some awards two months. Eligibility and application conditions apply.
Newberry Long-Term Fellowships
Newberry Library: USD5,000/month for four to nine months. Eligibility and application conditions apply.
Huntington Research Fellowships
The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens: Long-term USD50,000 for nine months or USD25,000 for four to five months; short-term USD4,000/month for one to three months. Eligibility and application conditions apply.
Folger Long-Term Public Humanities Fellowship
Folger Shakespeare Library: USD70,000 for nine months; up to three months may be virtual. Eligibility and application conditions apply.
Folger Short-Term Scholarly Fellowship
Folger Shakespeare Library: One to three months: USD5,000/month onsite or USD4,000/month virtual. Eligibility and application conditions apply.
Heinz Heinen Fellowships
University of Bonn, Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies: Doctoral €1,700/month; junior postdoc €2,600/month; later postdoc €3,100/month; travel and accommodation allowance up to €1,000/month (€1,250 with children). Eligibility and application conditions apply.
IEG Fellowships for Postdocs
Leibniz Institute of European History: €2,100 monthly for 6–12 months plus applicable family allowances; accommodation charged separately. No travel or health-insurance grant; housing charges are paid from the stipend. Eligibility and application conditions apply.
Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellowship at NTU
Nanyang Technological University / Schmidt Sciences: Up to two years remuneration/benefits, travel support and AI research training; numerical salary not published. Eligibility and application conditions apply.
EMBL EIPOD-LinC Postdoctoral Fellowship
European Molecular Biology Laboratory: Three-year fully funded fellowship contract, social insurance, partner-lab travel/accommodation support and applicable family allowances. Eligibility and application conditions apply.
Damon Runyon Postdoctoral Fellowship Award
Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation: Four-year stipends USD70,000–76,000/year plus USD2,000 annual expenses. Eligibility and application conditions apply.
Damon Runyon Quantitative Biology Fellowship Award
Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation: Three-year stipends USD76,000–80,000/year plus USD2,000 annual expenses. Eligibility and application conditions apply.
Jane Coffin Childs Postdoctoral Fellowship
Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund for Medical Research: Three-year stipends USD72,000/74,000/76,000 plus research and travel allowances. Eligibility and application conditions apply.
JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship for Research in Japan (Standard)
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science: JPY 362,000 monthly, return airfare, JPY 200,000 settling-in allowance and insurance; 12–24 months. Eligibility and application conditions apply.
NTU AI-for-X Postdoctoral Fellowship
Nanyang Technological University: Up to four years remuneration and benefits, plus SGD 250,000 research grant. Eligibility and application conditions apply.
Related pages
Frequently asked questions
What counts as a research fellowship?
A research fellowship funds protected research time — usually 1–3 years — with a salary or stipend, a research/mobility budget and access to a host institution. Examples: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships (€2,330+/month + mobility), Alexander von Humboldt (€2,670+/month), Newton International (£24,000/year), Wellcome Early Career Awards (£400k+), Branco Weiss, Schmidt Science.
Are research fellowships open to African researchers?
Yes — every flagship scheme on this page explicitly accepts African nationals. MSCA, Humboldt and Newton International have no nationality restrictions; Wellcome funds globally; FLAIR is specifically for African early-career researchers.
Do I need a PhD to apply?
For postdoctoral fellowships, yes — most require a PhD awarded within the last 4–8 years. Some early-career schemes (Branco Weiss, Schmidt Science) accept candidates within 5 years of their PhD. Senior research fellowships (Wellcome Senior, Humboldt Bessel) require 6–12 years of independent research.
How important is host PI outreach?
Critical. MSCA, Humboldt, Newton International and Wellcome all require a confirmed host PI letter of support. Start outreach 9–12 months before the deadline — see our cold-email guide and postdoc shortlist for the exact workflow.
Can I bring my family on a research fellowship?
Most major schemes include a family allowance (MSCA: €660/month, Humboldt: €400+/month per child, Wellcome: dependant support). Mobility allowances and relocation budgets usually cover the family move.
Are there fellowships for returning to an African institution?
Yes — Carnegie African Diaspora, Volkswagen Sub-Saharan Africa Postdoc, FLAIR follow-on, NRF Black Academics and the AvH return fellowship all fund African researchers moving back to a host African university. See our return-home grants guide for the full list.
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