Applications are now open for the 2026 Commonwealth Professional Fellowships, a prestigious opportunity for mid-career professionals from low and middle-income Commonwealth countries. This fully funded program allows fellows to work at UK host organizations, enhancing skills in fields like science, health, entrepreneurship, peace, resilience, and inclusion. The deadline to apply is 4:00 PM BST, August 22, 2025. Eligible professionals with at least five years of relevant work experience can apply, with no application fee required. The fellowship covers airfare, visa fees, stipends, and additional allowances, ensuring accessibility for diverse candidates. Find more BS, MS and PhD scholarships.
Key Details
- Eligibility: Mid-career professionals (5+ years’ experience) from eligible Commonwealth countries
- Fields: Science and technology, health systems, innovation, peace, resilience, inclusion
- Duration: Typically 3 months (varies by host organization)
- Funding: Fully funded (return airfare, visa fees, stipend of £2,104–£2,612/month, arrival allowance up to £1,183.20, up to £2,000 for courses/travel)
- Application Fee: None
- Deadline: August 22, 2025, 4:00 PM BST
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Development Themes
The fellowships align with six key themes:
- Science and technology for development
- Strengthening health systems and capacity
- Promoting innovation and entrepreneurship
- Strengthening global peace, security, and governance
- Strengthening resilience and response to crises
- Access, inclusion, and opportunity
Host Organization Programs
Various UK organizations will host fellows in 2026, each offering tailored programs. Below is a summary of key programs:
Also see: 33 Fully Funded PhD Positions at Eindhoven University of Technology
Bees for Development
- Focus: Beekeeping as an income-generating activity in African Commonwealth countries.
- Program: Offers training to three professionals to support beekeepers, focusing on knowledge transfer and sector growth. Fellows will act as change agents, delivering services and fostering collaboration.
- Impact: Enhanced beekeeping practices and increased agricultural yields (e.g., cashew farmers in Ghana double output with bee pollination).
British Geological Survey
- Focus: Geochemistry laboratory training.
- Program: Builds on hosting 16+ fellows since 2012. Includes training in lab techniques, quality assurance, health & safety, and data presentation (e.g., R, QGIS). Fellows evaluate their labs and plan improvements.
- Impact: Improved lab capabilities and knowledge sharing in home countries.
Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council
- Focus: Digital Services placement.
- Program: A 3-month placement to learn transferable local government concepts. Fellows maintain a weekly diary to adapt UK practices to their home workplaces.
- Impact: Development of short- and long-term plans for implementing learned concepts.
See also: 15 Fully Funded PhD and Postdoctoral Opportunities at the University of Tübingen Germany
Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
- Focus: Mental health and substance use services.
- Program: Partners with Tanzania and The Gambia to train five fellows (three Tanzanian, two Gambian) in community and inpatient mental health practices. Includes mentoring and training opportunities.
- Impact: Enhanced clinical expertise and management for better mental health services.
Knowledge for Change
- Focus: Adolescent mental health in Uganda and Tanzania.
- Program: Trains health and social workers in community-based interventions, addressing high rates of depression, anxiety, and self-harm among adolescents.
- Impact: Implementation of pilot interventions to improve mental health outcomes.
Also Check: CYD Doctoral Fellowships in Switzerland
Lancaster University
- Focus: Eco-innovation and entrepreneurship.
- Program: Supports five fellows to develop entrepreneurial capacity through the Centre for Global Eco-innovation. Focuses on creating hubs for academic-private sector partnerships.
- Impact: Catalyzes eco-innovative solutions and entrepreneurial ecosystems.
Lifegate Outreach Centre
- Focus: Community resilience and migration literacy.
- Program: Empowers fellows to address migration, entrepreneurship, and climate resilience. Involves engagement with UK institutions like the Home Office.
- Impact: Reduced migration vulnerabilities and stronger community businesses.
Tackle
- Focus: HIV and sexual/reproductive health via football.
- Program: Enhances skills for professionals to deliver health programs using football’s popularity.
- Impact: Expanded program reach and improved management.
Check also: OIST Fully Funded PhD Program 2025/2026
Eligibility Criteria
To apply, you must:
- Be a citizen of or have refugee status in an eligible Commonwealth country.
- Be permanently resident in an eligible country.
- Have at least five years of full-time (or equivalent part-time) relevant work experience (voluntary work excluded).
- Be employed at an organization you will return to post-fellowship.
- Provide two references, including one from your current employer.
- Not have undertaken a Commonwealth Professional Fellowship in the last five years.
- Not seek academic research or study programs.
- Be available for the prescribed fellowship dates.
- Meet host organization-specific eligibility criteria.
Eligible Countries
- Bangladesh
- Belize
- Botswana
- Cameroon
- Dominica
- Eswatini
- Fiji
- Gabon
- The Gambia
- Ghana
- Grenada
- Guyana
- India
- Jamaica
- Kenya
- Kiribati
- Lesotho
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mauritius
- Montserrat
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Nauru
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- Papua New Guinea
- Rwanda
- St Helena
- St Lucia
- St Vincent and The Grenadines
- Samoa
- Sierra Leone
- Solomon Islands
- South Africa
- Sri Lanka
- Tanzania
- Togo
- Tonga
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- Vanuatu
- Zambia
Check also: Enrico Fermi Fellowships 2025/2026
How to Apply?
Applications for 2026 are open until 4:00 PM BST, August 22, 2025. Review host organization programs and select the most relevant. Apply via the Professional Fellowship Application Form.
Application Requirements
- List undergraduate/postgraduate qualifications (if applicable).
- List up to 10 publications/prizes (if applicable).
- Detail employment history (100 words per job).
- Explain relevance of work experience to the fellowship (300 words).
- Provide two references (one from current employer, unless self-employed).
- Submit a four-part development impact statement:
- Link to CSC themes and development issues (200 words).
- Plan to apply new skills post-fellowship (100 words).
- Expected development outcomes, timeline, and beneficiaries (250 words).
- How impact will be measured (100 words).
- State award objectives and how they will be met.
- Outline two-year and long-term objectives.
- Provide a personal statement on your background and impact goals (500 words).
- Summarize voluntary activities and leadership experience (500 words).
- Submit a scan of your passport or national ID.
For fully funded internships, visit here!
Financial Support
Each fellowship includes:
- Return airfare to the UK.
- Visa application fee reimbursement.
- Monthly stipend: £2,104 (or £2,612 in London) (2024/25 rates).
- Arrival allowance up to £1,183.20 (includes clothing).
- Up to £2,000 for courses, conferences, or UK travel (per host guidelines).
- Additional support for fellows with disabilities
I need assistance, the Lord will help our dear country