United Nations Nippon Foundation Fellowship Program

The objective of the United Nations Nippon Foundation Fellowship Program is to provide opportunities for advanced education and research in the field of ocean affairs and the law of the sea, and related disciplines including marine science in support of management frameworks, to Government officials and other mid-level professionals from developing countries, so that they may obtain the necessary knowledge to assist their countries to formulate comprehensive ocean policy and implementing the legal regime set out in UNCLOS and related instruments.

The structure of the Program consists of two phases: a three-month training phase with OLA/DOALOS at the United Nations Headquarters in New York (from approximately mid-March to June 2026), immediately followed by a six-month research and study phase with a host institution with demonstrated expertise in the Fellow’s field of research (from July to December 2026).

Upon completion of the fellowship, fellows are expected to return to their home countries and use their in-depth knowledge and extended experience to assist in formulating comprehensive ocean policy and in implementing the legal regime set out in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and related instruments, including through designing, implementing and/or evaluating specific improvement projects.

Program Details

• Area: Marine sciences and ocean science-policy linkage.
• Number of awards: 14.
• Duration: 1st phase of 3 months at United Nations Headquarters in New York and 2nd phase of 6 months Advanced Academic Research and Study at one of the prestigious participating Host Institutions and under the guidance of subject matter expert(s) who have recognized in-depth expertise in the Fellows’ chosen field of study.
• Target group: Open to nationals of developing coastal countries.

United Nations Nippon Foundation Fellowship Benefits

Selected candidates for this North America opportunity will receive the following benefits:

1. Fellows will be provided with a return air ticket in economy class for travel from their home country to the first host institution, from the first host institution to the second, and from the second host institution back to their home country.
2. Fellows will receive a stipend during their 9-month fellowship in accordance with the established United Nations rates for each host Country. These rates are updated regularly and are available here.
3. In addition to the stipend, fellows will be provided with a Book Allowance for phase two of the Fellowship.
4. For the period of the Fellowship, medical coverage will be provided.

Host Institutions of the UN Nippon Foundation Fellowship

Below is a list of universities and institutions taking part in the UNNF Fellowship Programme and generously providing their resources to host Fellows and provide a co-supervisor for Fellows’ research projects.

1. Ankara University Research Center of the Sea and Maritime Law
2. Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS), University of Wollongong (Wollongong, Australia)
3. Cardiff University, School of Law and Politics, (Cardiff, U.K.)
4. Centre de Droit Maritime et Océanique, Université de Nantes (Nantes, France)
5. Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES), University of the West Indies (Cave Hill Campus, Barbados)
6. Centre d’Etudes et de Récherches sur le Droit des Activités Maritimes et l’Environnement (CERDAME), Institut du Droit et de la Paix et du Développement, Université de Nice Sophia Antipolis (Nice, France)
7. Coastal Resources Center, Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island
8. Columbia Law School, Columbia University (New York, USA)
9. Department of Public, Civil Procedure, International and European Law of the University of Milan (Milan, Italy)
10. Edinburgh Centre for International and Global Law, Edinburgh University (Edinburgh, U.K.)
11. Faculty of Law, The University of New South Wales (Sydney, Australia)
12. Gerard J. Mangone Center for Marine Policy, University of Delaware (Newark, U.S.A.)
13. Graduate Program in Marine Affairs, Department of Marine Affairs, University of Rhode Island (Kingston, U.S.A.)
14. Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology – ZMT (Bremen, Germany)
15. Marine and Environmental Law Institute, Dalhousie University in partnership with the International Ocean Institute-Canada (Halifax, Canada)
16. Marine Affairs Programme, Dalhousie University (Halifax, Canada) in partnership with the International Ocean Institute-Canada (Halifax, Canada)
17. Marine and Shipping Law Unit, University of Queensland (Brisbane, Australia)
18. Marine Law and Policy Research Centre, Istanbul Bilgi University (Istanbul, Türkiye)
19. Maritime Institute, University of Ghent (Ghent, Belgium)
20. Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, (Heidelberg, Germany)
21. Melbourne University Law School (Victoria, Australia)
22. National Oceanography Centre (NERC), (Southampton, U.K.)
23. Nelson Mandela University South African Research Chair in the Law of the Sea and Development in Africa, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
24. Netherlands Institute for the Law of the Sea, Utrecht University School of Law (Utrecht, The Netherlands)
25. NOVA University, School of Law, (Lisbon, Portugal)
26. Saint Mary’s University (Halifax, Canada)
27. Strathclyde Centre for Environmental Law and Governance (SELG), University of Strathclyde (Glasgow, Scotland)
28. Sydney Law School, University of Sydney (Sydney, Australia)
29. School for the Environment, University of Massachusetts Boston (Boston, U.S.A.)
30. Tulane Maritime Law Center, Tulane University (New Orleans, U.S.A.)
31. University of Milano Bicocca (Milano, Italy) : Dipartimento di Giurisprudenza and Dipartimento di Scienze dell’Ambiente e della Terra “Marine Sciences Programme
32. University of Tromso (Tromso, Norway)
33. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (Woods Hole, MA, )
34. World Maritime University (Malmo, Sweden) and Global Ocean Institute (Malmo, Sweden).

United Nations Nippon Foundation Fellowship Eligibility

Candidates wishing to be considered for this Organisation Fellowship award must ensure that they meet all of the following criteria:

• be between the ages of 25 and 45;
• have successfully completed a first university degree, and demonstrate a capacity to undertake independent advanced academic research and study;
• be from a developing State;
• be a mid-level government official or mid-level professional dealing directly with ocean affairsand/or the law of the sea such as, but not limited to, the implementation of UNCLOS andrelated instruments, and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for SustainableDevelopment, particularly SDG-14, including in relation to the establishment of maritimezones and the delimitation of maritime boundaries; sustainable development of oceans andseas; national and/or regional ocean policy; coastal zone management; conservation andmanagement of marine living resources; maritime transport and shipping; maritime security;the protection and preservation of the marine environment, and marine sciences.
• your proposed research and study program must contribute directly to your nation’s formulation and/or implementation of ocean affairs and the law of the sea policies and programs; and
• you must be free of all non-Fellowship obligations during the entire Fellowship period unless otherwise authorized by the Division.

How to Apply for the United Nations Nippon Foundation Fellowship

To apply for this foundation fellowship program, candidates must fill in the Online Application Form and transmit the following documents to [email protected]:

1. Application Form: Personal History and Proposed Research Topic. Please click here to download the form
2. Nomination and Recommendation Form. Please click here to download the form
3. Copy of national passport.

Each question must be answered clearly and completely in order to ensure that the application will be processed. The Application form consists of two documents: 1. The “Personal History and Proposed Research/Study Programme Form”, and 2. The “Nomination and Recommendation Form”. Both forms must be signed, the first one by the applicant, the second one by the official nominating entity. The forms may be returned in either word or pdf format.

Once both the “Nomination and Recommendation Form” and the “Personal History and Proposed Research/Study Programme Form” are completed and signed, please email them directly to DOALOS at [email protected].

The deadline to submit applications is September 14, 2025. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. For more information on this United Nations Fellowship, please visit the official page. To be the first to see latest opportunities, please follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.