UPDATE: Applications for CIP’s disability research fellowship are now closed.
Applications will reopen in June 2027. In the meantime, consider your future project and research questions. Think about the impact your research could have.
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CIP’s disability research fellowship is a 12-month online programme starting on October 1. It supports emerging researchers with disabilities from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Through the programme, participants strengthen their research and social policy skills. Applicants should have some research experience and want to develop their skills further.
Application deadline: July 31, 2026, at midnight EDT.
What Are the Disability Research Fellowship Objectives?
- Strengthen Local Research Capacity: empower emerging researchers with disabilities from LMICs to design and implement disability research projects rooted in their local contexts, generating evidence that reflects lived realities.
- Connect Fellows to Global Policy Discourse: integrate fellows into international conversations on disability rights and inclusive policy, ensuring their perspectives contribute to and benefit from global developments aligned with the CRPD.
- Mentor and Empower Disability Advocates: provide structured mentorship to fellows engaged in inclusive policy or policy research, equipping them with skills and networks to advance disability rights in their countries.
Who Is Eligible?
We are looking for applicants who are:
- A person with a disability
- From and currently based in the Global South or a low- or middle-income country (LMIC)
- Interested in social policy, research and disability equality; part of the disability movement
- Have basic disability research skills
- Have an undergraduate degree; motivated to learn or strengthen research skills
- And proficient in spoken and written English. Applicants should have an English level sufficient to understand everyday conversations and communicate using basic spoken skills. Spoken proficiency in English is not required for sign language users, for whom interpretation will be available.
Applicants must be at least 18 years old. There is no upper age limit: what matters is that they meet the essential requirements, are early in their research careers, demonstrate a strong commitment to disability inclusion and rights, and are eager to grow.
This year, in addition to our usual track, we are recruiting for a fellowship that will focus on quantitative data collection. The Fellowship is a groundbreaking initiative that equips emerging leaders who are persons with disabilities from low- and middle-income countries with the skills and support to drive change through data. Through hands-on training, mentorship, and applied research, fellows will master issues related to generating, interpreting, and advocating for disability-inclusive data, as well as first principles in data analysis. This will include building their capacity to assist with training various stakeholders on collecting data for disability inclusion.
We are NOT seeking: senior or established researchers; researchers with extensive experience in UN agencies; applicants working on topics unrelated to disability; or applicants from countries excluded by OFAC: North Korea, Iran, Cuba, Syria and Russia.
What Research Areas Does CIP Welcome?
CIP welcomes disability research proposals related to: disability data; social protection; care and support; inclusive budgeting; community support systems; and independent living.
What Benefits Does the Fellowship Offer?
Selected fellows will receive:
- A monthly stipend of USD 1,000 for 12 months
- Research costs or sponsorship for conferences/further training of up to USD 2,000
- Reasonable accommodation costs necessary to facilitate participation
- An online training curriculum, led by leading researchers
- A mentor to guide your research
- And opportunities to participate in CIP research projects and connect with a global network.
What Do You Need to Apply?
Applications must be submitted to office@inclusive-policy.org and must include:
- A research proposal (focused on disability policy in their own country), maximum 3 pages (Arial 12, 2.5 cm margins on all sides), including an introduction, research question, methodology, data and methods, expected results, and a timeline for completion within 12 months
- An updated CV
- A cover letter
- Two references.
NOTE: Due to the volume of applications we receive, we are unable to confirm receipt of each application.
Application deadline: July 31, 2026. Midnight EDT.
Can You Use AI in Your Application?
While the use of AI is not prohibited, applicants are strongly advised not to rely on AI to generate research questions or methodologies. Instead, proposals should present ideas clearly, preferably in bullet points.
