The Association of Commonwealth Universities offers seven grants of up to £2,000 each, helping early-career researchers attend conferences in other Commonwealth countries. The grants cover registration fees, flights, accommodation, visas, and travel and health insurance. Applicants must be early-career academics at an ACU member university, within seven years of starting their academic career. They must be chairing a session or presenting a paper or poster at an in-person conference in a Commonwealth country other than the one where they work. The conference must take place between January 2027 and January 2028. The deadline is 13 October 2026. Conference Grants
fellowships/scholarships
Graduate Institute Geneva — Master and PhD Applications 2027
The Graduate Institute Geneva (Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies) offers Master’s and PhD programs that address global, international, and transnational challenges facing the contemporary world. Its centers include the Centre for International Environmental Studies, among others. The Institute strives to support its students — to the extent of its ability — through cost-of-living scholarships, partial scholarships, and/or tuition fee reductions. The regular application deadline is 15 October 2026. Find out more
African Climate Collaborative — PhD Fellowships in Climate and Development
The African Climate Collaborative at UCT invites applications for 12 fully funded PhD fellowships supporting a four-year doctoral training program in Climate and Development. The fellowship is valued at R390,000 for 2027, covering a stipend, fees, relocation, medical insurance, and research costs. Applicants must hold a completed Master’s degree relevant to their chosen research topic, be citizens of an African country (including those residing outside Africa), and be under 35. The deadline is 15 October 2026. PhD Fellowships in Climate and Development
Halcyon — Africa Innovation in Agriculture and Food Security Accelerator
Halcyon invites early-stage, revenue-generating ventures across Sub-Saharan Africa working on climate-resilient agriculture, food security, and smallholder farmer livelihoods to apply for its accelerator program. Selected founders receive a $10,000 equity-free stipend, $10,000 in AWS credits, professional advisors, and access to Halcyon’s global founder network. The initial eligibility deadline is 23 October 2026. Link to Halcyon
Global Water and Climate Adaptation Centre — Future Environmental Leaders Scholarships
The ABCD-Centre offers two nine-month research scholarships in Germany. They are for doctoral students from developing countries, to research water security and climate adaptation at RWTH Aachen, TU Dresden or UNU Resource Nexus in Dresden. Each scholarship pays €1,200 a month for accommodation and living costs, up to €105 a month for insurance and up to €1,000 for travel. A further €1,000 for research materials goes through the host institution. Applicants must be full-time PhD students at a university in a developing country who started their PhD within the last three years. Priority topics include water infrastructure modelling and digital twins, ecosystem monitoring, urban climate-driven water extremes, business models for unconventional water resources, and eco-friendly building materials. The deadline is 31 October 2026. Future Environmental Leaders Scholarships
Acumen Fund — India Fellows Program 2027
The Acumen Fund promotes the power of social innovation to create solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. The India Fellows Program is designed to equip local leaders with the tools, mindset, and community to tackle poverty and injustice in their communities. Past fellows have included several in smallholder agriculture, renewable energy, waste management, fair trade, and other areas. The fellowship is a mix of offline and online seminars, involving a time commitment of approximately 30 days in the year. The application deadline is 31 October 2026. India Fellows
Dalai Lama Fellows — Mentorship for Emerging Leaders
The Dalai Lama Fellowship offers emerging leaders from all around the world mentorship and coaching to design and implement their own original field projects addressing a global challenge. Project areas include environmental sustainability, among others. The fellowship does not offer funding for projects, instead, it offers coaching and a global community. This program is open to next-generation leaders (20-35 years old). The deadline for applications is 11 November 2026. Dalai Lama Fellows
Mo Ibrahim Foundation — Leadership Fellowships
The Mo Ibrahim Foundation invites young African professionals, mid-career and new executives to apply for a 12-month fellowship working in the executive office of the African Development Bank, the UN Economic Commission for Africa, or the International Trade Centre, with a stipend of $100,000, direct mentorship from the host organisation’s head, and lifelong membership in the Foundation’s Now Generation Network. Applicants must be African nationals with at least 7 years of relevant work experience, a master’s degree, and be under 40, or under 45 for women with children. Each host institution runs its own separate application process. The deadline is 20 November 2026. Link to Mo Ibrahim Foundation
Learning Planet Institute — Youth Design Challenge
The Learning Planet Youth Design Challenge is an annual global initiative encouraging young individuals aged 15-26 to pitch their ideas for innovative learning programs for their dream university. Participants can pitch programs on one of the following themes: peace and democracy, mental health and wellbeing, and environment and climate. The 12 finalists will receive regular mentorship from a global network of industries with the goal of implementing their programs. The winner receives US$1000. The deadline for submissions is 07 January 2027. Youth Design Challenge
Mercedes-Benz — beVisioneers Fellowship
Mercedes-Benz invites young environmental innovators to apply for beVisioneers, a two-year fellowship combining innovation training, venture coaching, mentorship, and project scholarships of up to €15,000, along with a needs-based cost-of-living stipend and financial support for participation costs like laptops or internet access. Applicants must be aged 18 to 28 on the application closing date, reside in an eligible country for at least 9 months of the fellowship year, and implement their project in that same country. The deadline is 31 January 2027. beVisioneers