Burning Questions Fellowship Awards

Applications for 2026 round accepted: March 24 - April 22, 2026

Work required from a Fellowship recipient:
1. Research and prepare a report (8,000 - 10,000 words in plain language). It should provide succinct information and actionable insights on a topic that is directly relevant to one or more "Burning Questions" that we have collected from issue experts (leaders of advocacy organizations, frontline campaigners, academic researchers collaborating with them) experienced with global industrial food animal production’s negative impacts, particularly concerning low- and middle-income countries.
2. Disseminate the report to non-academics using three distinct activities (e.g. webinar).
Purpose of Fellowships:
1. To shed light on the "burning questions", deepen non-academics' understanding of issues raised in the questions, help them to take action, make better decisions, and solve real-life problems.
2. To provide opportunities for academics to do research geared towards their own academic advancement beyond preparing fellowship deliverables.
Fellowships are intended for academic researchers (early career as well as senior academics). Independent scholars can also apply.
Applicants must hold, or be close to completion of, a PhD.
There are, in general, no restrictions as to applicants’ place of residence or citizenship.
The award period is nine months.

Category 1: US$60,000 - for a single individual PhD-holder or a team of up to four individuals with a PhD-holder as the lead/PI.
Category 2: US$45,000 - for a single individual PhD student close to completion of PhD or a team of up to four individuals with a PhD student as the lead/PI.

Call For Application opens once a year, usually around late March / early April.

Over 50 PhD holders and PhD students - on their own or in teams - have won the fellowships since the awards were offered in 2019.
They came from different countries and academic fields.