Schlumberger Foundation Faculty for the Future Fellowship

Benefits & funding

• Up to USD 50,000 per year for PhD study.
• Up to USD 40,000 per year for post-doctoral research.
• Covers university tuition and bench fees, accommodation and a living allowance (food, a small allowance for books and supplies, medical insurance, child care, transport).
• Includes a budget for initial travel to the host country, visa charges and conference expenses.
• Child care grants of up to USD 3,000 per year for each child under 6 and USD 1,500 for each child aged 6 to 15, capped at USD 10,000 per grantee per year. School tuition for children is excluded.
• The grant runs for one academic year and can be renewed. Renewal is not automatic and depends on academic progress, the quality of references (one from the host university supervisor is mandatory) and the foundation’s renewal process.

Eligibility

• Open to women.
• Citizenship is a hard bar. Applicants must be citizens of a country on the foundation’s eligible-country list — developing countries and emerging economies where women are under-represented in STEM. The list published on the application-criteria page runs to 84 countries and is labelled 2025-2026; it is rebuilt every year from indicators including the UN Human Development Index and gender and education indexes, so a country can be on it one year and off it the next. Check the list again once the 2027-2028 application materials are released.
• Holding a secondary citizenship of a developed country makes an applicant ineligible.
• Applicants must be preparing for a PhD degree or post-doctoral research in a STEM discipline. The programme does not fund Master-level study, and students currently pursuing a Master’s degree are not eligible to apply.
• Applicants must be enrolled at, admitted to, or have applied to a host university or research institute abroad, so a candidate who already holds a Master’s degree and has applied for a PhD place abroad can apply. Sandwich programmes are accepted when the final PhD degree is awarded by the foreign host university.
• Living in a developed country while studying does not disqualify a citizen of an eligible country.
• An excellent academic record is required, together with a proven record of teaching experience in the home country.
• Leadership skills, active community outreach and a track record of encouraging girls and women into STEM are required.
• Applicants must be willing to return to their home country or region after completing their studies.
• Language skills must be sufficient for study at the host university, and English must be good enough for an interview.
• There is no age limit.

Application process

1. 1
   Review the eligibility criteria and prepare the application before the window opens on 1 September 2026.
2. 2
   Submit the application through the foundation’s online application portal by 6 November 2026.
3. 3
   Arrange references, including one from the supervisor at the host university.
4. 4
   Selection runs in five rounds: eligibility screening, scoring review, evaluation by the scientific committee, board interviews, and final selection.
5. 5
   Results are announced in early April 2027.
6. 6
   Continuing grantees apply again through the separate renewal application each year.

Program timeline

1. Applications open for the 2027-2028 cycle

   Sep 1, 2026

2. Application deadline

   Nov 6, 2026

3. 2027-04

   Results announced (early April)

4. Grant year for successful applicants, renewable thereafter

   2027-2028