UNESCO/Japan Young Researchers' Fellowships Programme (Keizo Obuchi) 2026

A research residency in Japan for young researchers from UNESCO member states, funded by the Japanese government. The 2026 cycle is organised around five themes: heritage conservation; AI for natural resource management and climate; ethical and inclusive AI; AI for cities and infrastructure; and AI and education. That thematic shape makes it one of the few routes in this digest that touches education research, which is otherwise almost entirely absent.

Open to nationals of invited member states, and Malawi is explicitly listed among the 47 invited African member states. Applicants must be aged 40 or under at the time of application and hold at least a master's degree. Two conditions catch people out: the applicant must already hold an acceptance letter from a Japanese academic supervisor before applying, and must meet the language requirements of the host institution. Applications cannot go directly to UNESCO — only candidates nominated by the Malawi National Commission for UNESCO are accepted.

International and domestic travel, accommodation, mandatory medical insurance arranged by UNESCO with the cost deducted from the grant, personal subsistence including meals and local transport, and other justified research costs.

Tuition fees, equipment including computers, publication costs, and conference participation unless integral to the research and clearly justified.

Submit to the Malawi National Commission for UNESCO at least two weeks before the deadline, using the UNESCO Application Guide and Annexes 1 to 5 — the country list, research areas, application form, proposal template and language certificate. The National Commission then nominates candidates to UNESCO by 30 September 2026. Direct applications are not accepted.

Timeline: Submit to the National Commission by mid-September 2026 | National Commission nominates to UNESCO by 30 September 2026, midnight Paris time | Fellowships run February to December 2027