About this opportunity
The International Blue Carbon Institute, hosted by Conservation International, has opened the call for its 2026 Blue Carbon Fellowship. One fellow will be selected and awarded a USD 60,000 grant, allocated over two years, to carry out a multidisciplinary project spanning scientific research, social sciences, community engagement, communications, policy and law, and conservation finance. In future years the number of fellows may grow, but for 2026 the programme selects a single fellow.
The fellowship is not an early career award. The institute is looking for outstanding experts and professionals with advanced master's or PhD degrees and around five years of expertise, actively researching, publishing and mentoring, and committed to the protection, conservation and restoration of blue carbon ecosystems. Work across all of them qualifies: mangroves, salt marshes, seagrasses and kelp forests.
Applications are welcome from all regions, and the institute goes further: it strongly encourages researchers and practitioners from the Global South, including Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, South and Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands, and states plainly that for this cycle applications from Africa are particularly encouraged. Applicants from underserved communities are actively welcomed.
Beyond the money, fellows join a network of blue carbon professionals, current fellows and alumni, gain laboratory exchange and research collaboration opportunities, receive skill enhancement training including science communications, and take part in the annual International Blue Carbon Scientific Working Group meetings, with possible additional funding to attend. Selected fellows are announced in March 2027.
What you receive
- USD 60,000 grant over two years for a new programme, project or existing research
- Funds can cover laboratory travel, equipment, publication fees, field assistants and other research costs
- Possible additional funding to attend the annual International Blue Carbon Scientific Working Group meetings
- A network of blue carbon professionals, current fellows and alumni
- Laboratory exchange and research collaboration opportunities
- Skill enhancement training, including science communications
- Multidisciplinary scope across research, social sciences, community engagement, communications, policy and law, and conservation finance
Who can apply
- Outstanding experts and professionals working across diverse blue carbon disciplines, with a demonstrated commitment to research or application of the natural and social sciences and to protecting, conserving and restoring blue carbon ecosystems
- Advanced master's or PhD degree with around five years of expertise, actively researching, publishing and mentoring
- Applications welcome from all regions, with no nationality restriction and no closed country list
- Researchers and practitioners in the Global South strongly encouraged, and applications from Africa particularly encouraged for this cycle
- Applications from underserved communities actively encouraged, including economically challenged and underrepresented regions
Documents to prepare
- Proof of employment or a Letter of Support from your institution
- Curriculum vitae
- Completed IBCI Fellowship Application Form, using the template on the programme page
- Completed Budget Sheet on the official template
How to apply
- Read the fellowship objectives on the official IBCI Fellowship page and confirm your project is relevant to blue carbon science, conservation, restoration or implementation
- Identify your ecosystem (mangrove, salt marsh, seagrass or kelp forest) and discipline focus
- Prepare your programme content and purpose statements, showing local and regional impact
- Download and complete the IBCI Fellowship Application Form and Budget Sheet templates from the programme page
- Collect your proof of employment or institutional letter of support and your CV
- Upload all materials through the 2026 IBCI Fellowship Applications upload link on the programme page. Documents cannot be edited after upload
- Submit by 23 November 2026. Shortlisted candidates are invited to an interview with the selection committee
Selection process
- Review is overseen by a selection committee of global and regional blue carbon experts, including Conservation International technical experts and members of the International Blue Carbon Scientific Working Group
- Applications are evaluated on proposal materials, including programme content and purpose statements
- Candidates are selected on technical content, alignment with IBCI priorities, potential local and regional impact, and geographic representation
- Shortlisted candidates interview with the selection committee, and fellows are announced in March 2027
Sources and verification
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Questions applicants ask
How does the fellowship work?
Each year one fellow is selected and awarded USD 60,000, allocated over two years, to complete multidisciplinary projects spanning scientific research, social sciences, community engagement, communications, policy and law, and conservation finance. The number selected annually may increase in future years.
How is the IBCI fellow selected?
Applications are evaluated on proposal materials, including programme content and purpose statements. Candidates are selected on technical content, alignment with IBCI priorities, potential impact at local and regional level, and geographic representation. Shortlisted candidates are invited to an interview with the selection committee.
Who is encouraged to apply?
Applications are welcome from all regions, with strong encouragement for researchers and practitioners in the Global South including Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, South and Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands. For this cycle, applications from Africa are particularly encouraged.
Where can I learn more?
Visit the International Blue Carbon Institute fellowship page on conservation.org, or email IBCI@conservation.org.
Important disclaimer
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