Urban Studies Foundation International Fellowships

Benefits & funding

• A grant budget intended to cover accommodation and subsistence at the host institution, return economy travel, visa and insurance costs, and eligible research resources.
• A three-to-nine-month in-person placement at the chosen host institution.
• A small optional budget may support the mentor’s engagement with the fellow’s home institution, research networks, or research sites.
• Shortlisted applicants may separately request limited support for extraordinary disability- or caring-related costs after discussing eligibility with the foundation before applying.
• Funding is paid directly to the fellow in GBP, normally 50% at the start and 50% halfway through the fellowship.

Eligibility

• Applicants must hold a completed PhD in a relevant social-science or humanities discipline awarded within the ten calendar years before the deadline. A documented career break may extend this period only after advance discussion with the foundation.
• Applicants must be nationals of a country or territory on the current OECD DAC list of ODA recipients: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tokelau, Tonga, Tunisia, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Wallis and Futuna, West Bank and Gaza Strip, Yemen, Zambia, or Zimbabwe.
• Applicants must reside and hold a formal affiliation with a university or research organisation in one of those ODA-listed places. People based in a World Bank-classified high-income territory or economy are ineligible; this excludes Guyana, Montserrat, Nauru, and Panama from the current residence list even though they remain on the DAC list.
• Primary data collection and analysis must already be complete, and the proposed outputs must make a clear contribution to urban studies.
• The fellowship must be held at a different organisation from the applicant’s current affiliation, with one suitable senior urban scholar as mentor. The fellow must be released from other duties and cannot hold the award alongside another active role or grant.
• Previous Urban Studies Foundation International Fellows cannot apply again.

Application process

1. 1
   Read the current Further Particulars, FAQ, and host-and-mentor guidance.
2. 2
   Agree on a three-to-nine-month, in-person placement with one mentor at a different eligible host organisation.
3. 3
   Prepare applicant details, proof of nationality, a career-stage statement, two referees, fellowship dates, host and mentor arrangements, and a GBP budget with evidence for every item above GBP 500.
4. 4
   Prepare the English research proposal, planned-output statement, applicant CV, mentor CV, and mentor support letter within the published limits.
5. 5
   Submit the official online application form by the deadline.

Program timeline

1. Most recent application deadline.

   6 July 2026

2. Within 12 weeks after the deadline

   Decisions normally communicated.

3. From 6 November 2026

   Earliest permitted start for the 2026 round.

4. By 6 September 2027

   Latest permitted start for the 2026 round.

5. Next annual call

   Exact opening date not published.