Asia Policy Research Fellowship 2026: £24,000 for 12 Months of Research on Asia or the Middle East

If you care about how trade deals, AI governance, or energy transitions in Asia ripple out to boardrooms and capitals in Europe, this is the kind of fellowship that lets you write for those people — not just other academics. The Asia House Fellowship 2026/2027 gives two early-career researchers a paid 12-month run to produce a policy-facing research project that will be circulated to senior business leaders, government officials, and tech executives. Think high-impact brief with reach — not another paper that sits on a university server.

You’ll get a £24,000 stipend paid in equal instalments over the year, research support from Asia House, and access to their events and networks. The work can be done remotely, but it must speak clearly to decision-makers in business and policy. If your project ties rigorous evidence to concrete recommendations for leaders navigating geopolitics, data governance, or the green energy transition, keep reading — this guide takes you from eligibility to submission and gives practical tips that actually improve your odds.

Below I break down the opportunity in plain English, show what reviewers will be looking for, and give a realistic timeline and application strategy so you can submit a crisp, persuasive proposal by the deadline: January 31, 2026.

At a Glance

What This Opportunity Offers

This fellowship is designed for impact rather than academic prestige. Asia House wants short, sharp research that busy decision-makers can use. The headline benefit is the £24,000 stipend — enough to cover living costs for a year in many places, and to free you from full-time employment so you can finish a focused piece of work. Beyond cash, the real value is distribution and access: Asia House will publish and share your research with its extensive network across government, trade, business, and technology sectors. That means your findings could influence private-sector strategy or shape policy conversations in London, Singapore, and beyond.

You also gain membership in Asia House’s programming: think roundtables, briefings, and introductions to senior figures who can test your assumptions and help refine recommendations. Asia House provides research support during the Fellowship, which often takes the form of editorial guidance, event space, and logistical help for interviews and dissemination. For an early-career researcher, this combination — funding, editorial support, and direct access to stakeholders — is rare and strategically valuable. It’s the difference between writing in a vacuum and producing a short, readable report that ends up on ministers’ desks and CEOs’ reading lists.

The Fellowship is intentionally broad on geography (Asia and the Middle East) and welcomes a range of methodologies: quantitative analysis, mixed-methods case studies, policy audits, or practitioner interviews. What matters is relevance. If your research answers a real question that a CFO, trade negotiator, or regulator could act on, you’re in the right register.

Who Should Apply

This Fellowship is aimed squarely at early-career professionals and researchers who can produce high-quality, policy-relevant analysis within a one-year timeframe. That includes people who have completed a Master’s or PhD by October 2026. You don’t need to be a formal academic; policy analysts, consultants, NGO program leads, and early-stage civil servants with substantive expertise on Asia or the Middle East are welcome.

Examples of suitable applicants:

• A researcher finishing a PhD on regional trade flows who wants to translate findings into a practical briefing for trade ministers.
• An early-career analyst studying data governance in Southeast Asia, with connections to civil society and regulators to support interviews.
• A policy advisor who can map energy transition pathways in the Gulf and produce an investor-focused assessment.

You should be fluent in English and able to communicate clearly to non-academic audiences. Asia House is looking for candidates who are self-driven, show leadership potential, and can manage an independent project — that means you should have examples of projects you’ve taken from idea to delivery (published report, program design, or even a substantial consultancy deliverable). If you’re a grad student, your application needs a strong demonstration of independence and a plan that’s feasible without intensive lab or field infrastructure.

The Fellowship is open to applicants worldwide and can be completed remotely, which broadens the pool. If your proposed project requires travel for interviews or fieldwork, make that clear and realistic in the plan (and check whether you’ll need extra funding to cover travel — the stipend may need to stretch further).

Insider Tips for a Winning Application

This is where most applicants gain or lose ground. The reviewers are not looking for encyclopedic literature reviews; they want tight, actionable projects. Here are granular, practical tips that will materially improve your proposal.

1. Lead with the decision you want your reader to make. Start your project outline with the single question a policymaker or executive would ask. For example: “How will a China-EU trade framework affect semiconductor supply chains by 2028?” Then describe the evidence you’ll produce and the recommendation you’ll offer. That makes the application instantly relevant.

2. Keep the scope surgical. A twelve-month fellowship is not the time for multi-country ethnography unless you can demonstrate rapid access and a clear timeline. Prefer focused comparative cases (two to three countries) or sectoral analysis that you can complete and publish within the year.

3. Outline a dissemination plan. Say how you will get your findings in front of decision-makers: a one-page policy brief, a public Asia House event, and targeted briefings to three stakeholder groups. If you can name potential partners or interviewees (for example, “I have agreed interviews with regulator X and industry lead Y”), include that.

4. Show methodological rigor without drowning readers in detail. Briefly explain your method (data sources, interview plan, modelling approach) and why it’s appropriate. If you plan interviews, describe sampling and consent practices; if you’ll use public datasets, name them. Concrete detail builds reviewer confidence in feasibility.

5. Use accessible language and signpost outcomes. Write as if the program director has ten minutes to read your proposal. Use short paragraphs, clear subheadings, and a summary of expected outputs: 6,000-word report, 2-page executive brief, one policy roundtable.

6. Provide evidence of independence. One of the required personal-statement elements is an example of driving a project independently. Choose a concise, high-impact story (e.g., you led a cross-institution research brief that informed a local policy change) and distill it to the problem, action, and measurable outcome.

7. Be realistic with timelines and resources. Create a month-by-month plan showing milestones: literature review, data collection, analysis, draft report, stakeholder feedback, and final publication. That signals you can finish.

8. Anticipate ethical or political sensitivities. If your project touches on sensitive political topics, explain how you’ll manage risk, protect sources, and handle potentially explosive findings. That shows maturity.

9. Seek feedback from non-specialists. Before you submit, give your two-page project outline to a policymaker or industry contact (or someone who has worked with them). If they can’t state the policy takeaway in one sentence, rewrite.

10. Clarify costs. The fellowship provides a personal stipend, not necessarily research budgets. If you need travel or paid data access, explain alternate funding or realistic ways to reduce costs (scoped interviews, virtual workshops).

Application Timeline (Work Backwards from Jan 31, 2026)

Start early. Really. You’ll need time to refine the project and secure referees.

• December 2025: Finalise draft, circulate to 2–3 reviewers (including one non-specialist), and incorporate feedback.
• Mid-January 2026: Confirm referees and make sure their contact details are ready. Final edits to personal statement and project outline.
• January 29, 2026: Aim to submit at least 48 hours before the deadline in case of email problems.
• January 31, 2026: Official deadline — applications received by this date via email.
• February–March 2026: Expect to hear about shortlisting and potential interviews. Use this time to prepare a crisp 10-minute pitch and a one-page summary document.
• April–June 2026 (approx): Interviews and selection decisions; precise schedule communicated by Asia House.

Block calendar time for writing: assign one week for the first draft of your two-page project outline, another two weeks for feedback cycles, and two days for final polish. Don’t leave the CV and referee confirmations to the last minute.

Required Materials and How to Prepare Them

Asia House asks for straightforward materials, but each should be tailored and proofed.

• CV (maximum two pages): Focus on academic research experience, publications, and leadership examples. Use concise bullet points for achievements and include hyperlinks for published work.
• Personal statement (two parts): Why do you want the Fellowship? And provide a concrete example demonstrating your ability to drive an independent project. Keep the “why” to one clear paragraph and the example to a second paragraph that follows the problem-action-result structure.
• Proposed research outline (maximum two pages): This is the core. Include a short abstract (100–150 words), research question(s), methodology, timeline with milestones, expected outputs, and a dissemination plan targeted at business and policy audiences.
• Referees: Provide contact details for two professional/academic referees. Alert them in advance so they’re ready if Asia House gets in touch.
• Optional annexes: If you have key supporting documents (published policy briefs, datasets, or endorsement emails from potential interviewees), prepare them but only attach what strengthens your case.

Practical preparation: draft the two-page project outline in a clean, readable layout with subheadings, and have someone outside your field check whether the executive summary communicates the main message in a sentence.

What Makes an Application Stand Out

Reviewers are looking for work that is original, timely, feasible, and actionable. Standout applications show a clear policy or business problem, a credible method to address it, and a plan to ensure findings are heard by the right people.

Originality: Your research should offer a novel angle or synthesize existing evidence in a way that clarifies decision options. For example, instead of rehashing “China-US tech rivalry,” examine specific policy levers that European regulators can realistically use over the next 18 months.

Relevance: Projects that explicitly target executive decisions — like risk management for investors, regulatory options for governments, or trade implications for exporters — are preferred. Make that relevance explicit in the proposal.

Feasibility: Use a realistic sample, named data sources, and a clear timeline. If you depend on interviews, name types of stakeholders and how you’ll secure them.

Clarity and brevity: Decision-makers don’t read long reports. Propose a short, tightly argued final paper plus a two-page executive brief and a public event. If you can promise and deliver clear deliverables, your application will look practical and serious.

Engagement plan: Identify who will use your research and how you will get it to them. Offer at least two concrete dissemination tactics: an Asia House policy roundtable and targeted briefings to named stakeholder groups.

Common Mistakes to Avoid (and How to Fix Them)

Many applications fail not because they lack expertise but because they miss basic expectations. Avoid these mistakes.

Mistake 1 — Overambitious scope: Propose a handful of countries and a huge dataset. Fix: Narrow to two or three cases or a single sector where you can deliver depth.

Mistake 2 — Vague impact: Don’t say “this research will inform policy” without specifying which policy decision and how. Fix: Name the audience and the decision you hope to influence (e.g., “This brief will inform regulators considering data localisation rules in ASEAN”).

Mistake 3 — Sloppy timeline: Submitting a plan that piles everything near the end signals poor project management. Fix: Break the year into clear milestones and show how feedback loops are built in.

Mistake 4 — Weak proof of independence: If you’re early career, reviewers worry whether you can run a project alone. Fix: Provide a compact example of a project you led end-to-end and mention any supervisory support or co-collaborators.

Mistake 5 — Ignoring dissemination: A great study that sits unread is a wasted opportunity. Fix: Include concrete dissemination outputs and named target audiences.

Mistake 6 — Poor writing and structure: Long, jargon-heavy prose loses readers. Fix: Test your summary on a non-specialist and cut anything that doesn’t directly support the policy takeaway.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does the £24,000 cover research expenses or only living costs? A: The stipend is intended to support you personally during the 12 months. It’s wise to assume research expenses (travel, data access) might need separate funding or careful budgeting. If your plan requires significant travel, explain alternatives (virtual interviews, local collaborators) in your application.

Q: Can I do the Fellowship remotely? A: Yes. Asia House permits remote completion. Remote candidates should have clear plans for stakeholder engagement and demonstrate how they will maintain momentum without in-person access.

Q: What counts as early-career? A: There’s no strict definition published, but Asia House expects applicants to be in the early stages of their career — recent postgraduates, junior policy analysts, or researchers within a few years of finishing a PhD. Experience that demonstrates independence is key.

Q: Do I need to have an institutional affiliation? A: No formal requirement is stated, but institutional backing can help with access to data or ethical approvals. If you’re independent, explain how you’ll secure necessary resources.

Q: Will Asia House provide research supervision? A: Asia House offers research support and editorial guidance, but the Fellow is responsible for driving the project. Be ready to show you can manage logistics and meet deadlines.

Q: Can projects be interdisciplinary? A: Yes. Interdisciplinary projects that clearly connect methods to policy outcomes are welcome, especially if they bridge technology, economics, and regulation.

Q: When will successful applicants be notified? A: Exact timings vary; expect shortlisting and interview rounds in the months after the application deadline. Prepare for possible interviews in February–April 2026.

Next Steps and How to Apply

Ready to apply? Here’s a concrete checklist you can complete in two weeks if you start now.

1. Draft a one-paragraph executive summary of your project (100–150 words).
2. Expand that into your two-page project outline with method, timeline, and dissemination plan.
3. Prepare a two-page CV focused on research and leadership.
4. Write the personal statement with the required example of independent project management.
5. Ask two referees for permission and collect their contact details.
6. Proof all documents, test the executive summary on a non-specialist, and submit via email at least 48 hours before the deadline.

Submit your application and required documents to: [email protected]

For full program details, eligibility notes, and official guidance, visit the Asia House Fellowship page: https://www.asiahouse.org/fellowship-programme/

If you want, send me a draft of your two-page project outline (paste it into the chat) and I’ll give quick, targeted feedback on clarity, scope, and the policy hook.