Deadline: November 28, 2025
Applications are open for the Imperial Global Development Fellowship 2025-2026. The Global Development Fellowship intends to support high impact, short term placements for PhD students from Least Developed and Lower Middle-Income Countries, to spend time at Imperial College London.
With support of their PhD supervisor, and a host supervisor at Imperial, students from a Least Developed or Lower Middle Income Country (as specified by the OECD ODA Recipients list) will have the opportunity to spend between 2 and 4 months at Imperial. Placements must be commence in March 2026 and be completed by 31 July 2026.
Benefits
The Fund will provide:
- A monthly stipend of £1,900
- A one-off £200 payment on arrival in the UK
- Return economy class travel
- Payment for the standard visa application and Biometrics Residence Permit
- Financial support for travel to the visa application centres
Note, only individuals are eligible for the funding, dependents will not be supported. Students are expected to arrange their own accommodation in London for the duration of their stay. Suggestions for potential accommodation options can be found in the student guidance document.
Eligibility
Participants must:
- Be a current doctoral student.
- Be a passport holder and be a permanent resident of a Least Developed (LDC) or Lower Middle Income Country (LMIC), as specified by the OECD ODA Recipients List. Note, this does not include Upper Middle Income Countries.
- Be currently studying for your PhD at in institution in an LDC or LMIC country.
- Be over 12 months into their PhD at the time the placement takes place.
- Have a Letter of Support from an academic host supervisor at Imperial. The supervisor should ensure that the Letter of Support is signed by the Head of Department.
- Have a Letter of Recommendation from their own supervisor.
Application
To complete the application, applicants will need to provide:
- Details on background to show how they meet the eligibility criteria (included in application form).
- A letter of recommendation from the home institution, preferably from the PhD supervisor or advisor, addressing the applicants’ skills and suitability for the placement. This letter should also include confirmation that the applicant possesses a sufficient level of English, to carry out the placement.
- A letter of support from the hosting supervisor at Imperial in the proposed host department/institute detailing training and support that will be provided. This must be signed by the Head of Department.
- Answer the following questions (in the application form):
- Provide a ‘layperson’ summary of your PhD work (200 words)
- What will you do during your research placement and how will it add value to your PhD? (500 words)
- Explain how you will take advantage of this opportunity at Imperial to enhance your personal and professional skills, competencies and networks (250 words)
The letter of recommendation and letter of support must be emailed to [email protected]
For more information, visit Imperial Global Development Fellowship.
