2026 Microsoft Research Fellowship for Academic Scholars

The Microsoft Research Fellowship creates opportunities for academic scholars (faculty, PhD students, and postdocs) to collaborate with Microsoft Research on open research challenges that advance scientific understanding, drive innovation, and deliver societal benefit.

In an era of rapid innovation, this fellowship brings together academia and industrial researchers across disciplines to shape the future through open research collaborations. Academic collaboration is foundational to advancing scientific discovery, and today, it’s more critical than ever. Academic institutions contribute deep domain expertise, novel perspectives, and a culture of exploration. Microsoft Research’s global labs offer deep technical expertise, cutting-edge academic inquiry, and real-world application. By working together, we believe we can accelerate innovation, promote responsible development, and address complex challenges that can best be solved through interdisciplinary exploration.

• Table of Content
• About Microsoft
• PhD Scholarship
• Aim and Benefits of PhD Scholarship
• Requirements for PhD Scholarship Qualification
• Interview date, Process and Venue for PhD Scholarship
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

PhD Scholarship

Aim and Benefits of PhD Scholarship

• The Microsoft Research Fellowship is designed to create meaningful opportunities for collaboration between academic researchers and Microsoft Research. These opportunities will vary by research challenge and may include working sessions, regular check-ins, asynchronous collaboration, workshops, and other formats tailored to the nature of the research.

  All funds are distributed as unrestricted gifts as a one-time payment made directly to the institution/university and disbursed according to the institution/ university policies. Direct payments to individuals are not made by the program.

  Funding amounts vary by the region a fellows’ organization/institution of employment is located in.

  • Africa – $17,000 (USD)
  • Australia & New Zealand – $17,000 (USD)
  • Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Puerto Rico – $17,000 (USD)
  • Canada – $47,000 (USD)
  • Europe – $27,000 (USD)
  • India – $17,000 (USD)
  • Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan – $17,000 (USD)
  • United States – $47,000 (USD)

  These stipend amounts include travel funding to support in-person collaboration. Fellows may use this funding to visit Microsoft Research principal investigators and collaborators at a Microsoft Research lab or office.

  All payments will be distributed in March/April 2026. If selected, Microsoft will work with respective departmental finance liaisons to transfer funds.

  *Stipend rates are reviewed annually and benchmarked against comparable fellowship programs in each geography to ensure competitive alignment. 

Requirements for PhD Scholarship Qualification

• Students may submit proposals on their own behalf. See “How to Apply” for more details
• Students must be actively pursuing a PhD at an accredited institution
• Students must be enrolled at a degree-granting university in one of the following regions: Africa; Australia & New Zealand; Canada; Europe; India; Hong Kong; Japan; Korea; Singapore; Taiwan; Argentina; Brazil; Chile; Colombi; Mexico; Puerto Rico; or the United States

Interview date, Process and Venue for PhD Scholarship

Key dates:

• Call for proposals: Tuesday, November 4, 2025
• Proposal submission deadline: Tuesday, December 2, 2025, at 11:59 PM ET
• Proposal notifications sent by: Tuesday, February 10, 2026

Check also:
Erasmus Mundus Scholarship 2027
Global Korea Scholarship 2027

Application Deadline

How to Apply

Interested and qualified? Go to Microsoft on www.microsoft.com to apply

For more details, visit Microsoft Research Fellowship webpage.