Wilson Center Research Fellowship 2027-2028

The Wilson Center is accepting applications for the 2027-2028 Research Fellowship.

The Wilson Center invites scholars, practitioners, journalists, and public intellectuals to take part in its flagship Research Fellowship Program. Fellows conduct research and write in their areas of interest, while interacting with policymakers in Washington and other fellows. The Center accepts policy-relevant, nonpartisan fellowship proposals that address key foreign policy challenges confronting the United States and the world.

• Table of Content
• About Wilson Center
• Wilson Center Research Fellowship Fellowship
• Aim and Benefits of Wilson Center Research Fellowship Fellowship
• Requirements for Wilson Center Research Fellowship Fellowship Qualification
• Interview date, Process and Venue for Wilson Center Research Fellowship Fellowship
• Documents Required for Application
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

Wilson Center Research Fellowship Fellowship

Application Deadline	30 Sep 2026
Country to study	United States
Type	Fellowship
Sponsor	Wilson Center
Gender	Men and Women

Aim and Benefits of Wilson Center Research Fellowship Fellowship

• Monthly stipend
• Travel allowance

Requirements for Wilson Center Research Fellowship Fellowship Qualification

Eligibility Requirements for Applicants

Applicants must meet the following criteria to be eligible for a fellowship:

• Applicants from academia must have a PhD in hand and have published a book or monograph beyond the PhD dissertation, or a substantial body of research articles (5+) in reputable peer-reviewed journals or chapters in peer-reviewed edited volumes.
• Applicants from government, policy, or the nonprofit sector must have achieved a level of professional distinction and experience equivalent to advanced academic standing. This is typically at least 10 years of relevant experience and a record of substantial policy impact, publication, or leadership in their field.
• Applicants must be proficient in English, as the Center is designed to encourage the exchange of ideas among its fellows and provide educational opportunities to Congress.

You do not need an institutional affiliation to apply. 

Scholars and practitioners who within the last 5 years were awarded a Wilson Center International Competition Fellowship or Research Fellowship should not apply. Scholars and practitioners who have received other categories of research awards or fellowships from the Wilson Center are not precluded from applying for a Research Fellowship. These other categories of awards and fellowships include, but are not limited to, Distinguished Fellowship, Visiting Fellowship, Public Policy Fellowship, Global Fellowship, and China Fellowship. However, the nature and recency of the prior award may be among the factors considered during the selection process.

Please note that this is not a residential fellowship. For any travel to the United States for associated events or meetings, fellows are expected to hold a valid passport and obtain the appropriate visa.

Fellows may take leave from their current positions or maintain additional affiliations during their Wilson Center Research Fellowship. Applicants will be required to describe how they will balance other responsibilities while actively contributing to the goals and mission of the Wilson Center.

Eligibility Requirements for Project Proposals

Project proposals must meet the following criteria to be considered:

• Projects must be nonpartisan in nature.
• Projects must focus on at least one of the following scholarship pillars of the Wilson Center: strategic competition, economic statecraft, technology and innovation, and regional studies scholarship.
• Primary project outputs may include but are not limited to a book manuscript, series of long-form articles, or a briefing roundtable series for policymakers. Additional projects demonstrating a high-level of scholarship may be considered.

Primary project outputs may not include rewriting or completion of doctoral dissertations; projects in the visual arts, dance, or musical composition; editing of texts, papers, and documents; or preparations of textbooks, anthologies, translations, or memoirs.

Interview date, Process and Venue for Wilson Center Research Fellowship Fellowship

Applications that satisfy the eligibility requirements are subsequently subjected to a multi-stage review process involving evaluations by Wilson Center experts and external specialists with relevant expertise. Final decisions for all federally-funded Research Fellowships are contingent on the approval of the Center’s Board of Trustees and subject to available funding.

The basic criteria for selection are: 

1. Significance of the proposed research, including the importance and originality of the project. Explain the urgency and importance of your work to resolve a larger problem in foreign policy.
2. The relevance of the project to contemporary policy issues and policymakers, with the aim of bridging the worlds of scholarship and policy.
3. Quality of the proposal in definition, organization, clarity, and scope. Describe what the reviewers will learn from your project, why it is important, and how the reviewer will know your conclusions are valid.
4. Capabilities and achievements of the applicant and their propensity to accomplish the proposed project. The proposal should convince the reviewer that something is genuinely at stake with your inquiry and your project will yield interesting results.
5. Potential of a candidate to actively contribute to the priorities and mission of the Center by making expert research accessible to policymakers and a broader audience.

The Center accepts policy-relevant, non-advocacy fellowship proposals that will address key challenges confronting the United States and the world. The Center encourages projects that transcend narrow specialties to connect to broader policy and global issues. Fellows should want to, and be prepared to, interact with policymakers in Washington, other Wilson Center fellows, and scholars within DC and the world working on similar issues.

It is essential that projects have relevance to public policy and at least one of the four pillars of scholarship of the Wilson Center: strategic competition, economic statecraft, technology and innovation, and regional studies scholarship. Projects should involve fresh research in terms of both the overall field and the author’s previous work.

Documents Required for Application

A complete application must include the following:

• The Fellowship Application Form.
• A current CV that does not exceed 3 pages, using 12-point font.
• A project proposal that does not exceed 5 pages, using 12-point font.
• 2 letters of reference.

Check also:
Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at UBC 2027
Chevening Scholarship 2027

Application Deadline

September 30, 2026

How to Apply

Interested and qualified? Go to Wilson Center on apply.interfolio.com to apply

For more information, kindly visit Wilson Center Fellowship webpage.