ICCROM Fellowships 2027: Heritage Conservation Research Support in Rome or Online, Applications Open 15 August
ICCROM’s 2027 Fellowship Programme supports experienced cultural-heritage researchers, teachers, and practitioners with a three-to-six-month independent research period, workspace, internet, and access to its conservation library and archives, with applications due 15 September 2026.
ICCROM Fellowships 2027: Heritage Conservation Research Support in Rome or Online, Applications Open 15 August
The International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) will accept applications for its 2027 Fellowship Programme from 15 August through 15 September 2026. The programme is for experienced cultural-heritage researchers, teachers, and practitioners who need a concentrated period to pursue independent research connected to heritage conservation and ICCROM’s mission.
This is a support opportunity, not a paid fellowship. ICCROM says that current budget constraints mean it cannot provide financial support. Applicants must therefore budget for travel, accommodation, personal insurance, and ordinary living costs. In return, a selected Fellow receives office space, a computer workstation, unlimited internet and stationery, and full access to ICCROM’s documentation, library, and archives. The fellowship may be undertaken at ICCROM headquarters in Rome or partly online when the applicant provides a justification.
That distinction should shape the decision to apply. The programme is a good fit for a senior conservation professional whose project depends on ICCROM’s specialist collections, staff exchange, and international setting, and whose employer or another funder can cover the cost of the placement. It is a poor fit for someone seeking a stipend, a tuition waiver, a supervised doctoral position, or a grant to pay for fieldwork.
Key details
| Detail | What ICCROM confirms |
|---|---|
| Programme | ICCROM Fellowship Programme, 2027 cycle |
| Application window | Opens 15 August 2026 and closes 15 September 2026 |
| Fellowship period | Three to six months; another duration may be considered with justification |
| Location | ICCROM headquarters in Rome, Italy, or partly online with justification |
| Financial award | None currently available from ICCROM |
| In-kind support | Office space, computer workstation, unlimited internet, stationery, documentation, library, and archives access |
| Eligible applicants | Cultural-heritage researchers, teachers, or practitioners with a relevant Master’s degree or higher and at least 10 years’ professional activity |
| Language | Research may be conducted in any language, but applicants are expected to know English or French well |
| 2026 deadline | 15 September 2026 |
| Application route | ICCROM’s online fellowship form, available from 15 August |
| Official contact | [email protected] |
What the fellowship provides
ICCROM describes the fellowship as a period of reflection and study inside an international heritage organization. The practical value is access. Fellows can use ICCROM’s conservation library, whose holdings cover more than 70 languages, as well as its archives and documentation services. They also engage with ICCROM staff and other heritage professionals, creating opportunities to test ideas with people working across countries and conservation specialisms.
The programme is designed around independent research rather than a taught course. There is no published cash amount to report, and the official page expressly says ICCROM is not able to provide financial support for fellowships. Office space, a workstation, internet, and stationery reduce the institutional cost of research, but they do not replace housing, meals, travel, insurance, visa costs, or a salary. A realistic budget and a written leave arrangement should come before submission.
Fellowships normally last from three to six months. ICCROM may consider another time frame if the applicant justifies it. At the end of the period, Fellows are asked to present their research to ICCROM staff and external guests. ICCROM also contacts completed Fellows for feedback on the fellowship and its outcomes. Those requirements make a clear output plan more convincing than an open-ended promise to read, explore, or network.
Who is eligible
The programme welcomes people who specialize in a discipline related to cultural heritage as researchers, teachers, or practitioners. The minimum academic requirement is a Master’s degree or higher in an area related to cultural heritage. Candidates must also have been professionally active in the field for at least ten years. This is consequently a mid- or senior-career research placement, not a general scholarship for recent graduates.
ICCROM says senior professionals may apply if they are nationals of an ICCROM Member State or work in an organization located in one. The organization maintains a current Member States list, so check that list rather than assuming that a country is eligible because it participates in another heritage programme. If your nationality and employer location point to different countries, explain the institutional connection clearly and ask ICCROM for a determination if needed.
Language eligibility is nuanced. The research itself can be conducted in any language, but Fellows are expected to have a good knowledge of English or French because those are ICCROM’s two official languages. A proposal that relies on sources in another language should explain how the work will be discussed, presented, and shared with the ICCROM community.
The proposal must be relevant to cultural-heritage conservation and ICCROM’s mission. ICCROM does not invite applicants to request supervision from a named ICCROM staff member; Fellows are expected to undertake independent research. A proposal can benefit from conversations with staff and access to institutional resources, but the applicant must own the research design and delivery.
Priority research areas for 2026–2027
ICCROM welcomes proposals on any topic related to cultural-heritage conservation and its mission. For the 2026–2027 biennium, it gives specific preference to two broad areas tied to its Strategic Directions for 2026–2031.
The first is better heritage conservation and risk-management approaches. Relevant work may examine how conservation responds to societal shifts and emerging hazards, including changing climate patterns, urbanization, digital transition, and complex crises. ICCROM also points to innovative technologies as a possible part of this work. A strong proposal should not merely name a hazard; it should identify a conservation decision, method, policy, or evidence gap that the research will address.
The second is integrating heritage into broader policy agendas. ICCROM is interested in research that considers how heritage can be included in policy frameworks involving climate action, sustainable development, education, health, and wellbeing. This could suit a practitioner who has evidence from a national or local programme but needs time to turn it into a comparative policy analysis, guidance document, or publishable study.
These are preferences, not an exhaustive list. If your subject falls outside them, make the connection to conservation and ICCROM’s mission explicit. The key question is why the proposed work will advance understanding or practice in heritage conservation and why ICCROM is a useful place to conduct it.
Location, duration, and personal funding
Fellowships may be undertaken at ICCROM headquarters in Rome. ICCROM also allows a partly online arrangement when the applicant gives a justification. The page does not promise a fully remote fellowship, so an applicant who cannot travel should describe which parts require physical access and which can be completed online, then confirm that arrangement with the programme contact.
Fellows are responsible for arranging travel, accommodation, and personal insurance. ICCROM assists with documents needed to enter and temporarily reside in Italy and, when possible, helps Fellows find reasonable accommodation. The word “assists” should not be read as a promise to pay for those items. Valid major global medical and accident insurance for the full fellowship period is compulsory.
Before applying, prepare a funding plan with separate lines for transport, housing, food, insurance, visas if required, and any costs attached to your research. Ask your employer whether paid study leave, salary continuation, travel funds, or professional-development money is available. If another sponsor will support the placement, confirm whether it permits research in Rome or a partly online model and whether it will cover the full period rather than only the journey.
Application materials and process
The online application form becomes available on 15 August 2026 and must be submitted by 15 September 2026. ICCROM specifies the following digital attachments:
- An up-to-date curriculum vitae.
- Confirmation from your employer, if applicable, agreeing that you may undertake research at ICCROM.
- Three letters of reference from people who have direct knowledge of your work.
ICCROM lists PDF, DOC, DOCX, JPG, JPEG, PNG, TIF, and TIFF as accepted file types, with a maximum file size of 3 MB. Even though several image formats are accepted for documents, a clean PDF is generally easier for reviewers to read and archive. Check the form’s current instructions when it opens, because the official page controls if the upload rules change.
The application form asks you to describe the proposed research. Treat the form as a research proposal, not as a request for general access to the library. State the problem, explain the knowledge gap, define the sources or methods you will use, name the tangible results you expect, and show why the work can be completed in the requested period. If you need Rome-based collections, say which category of material or documentation matters. If you request partial online work, identify the tasks that require physical presence.
If online submission is not possible, ICCROM asks applicants to contact the Fellowship Programme focal point, Alison Heritage, at [email protected]. Do not wait until the deadline day to report a technical problem. Keep a copy of every submitted file and the confirmation message generated by the form.
How selection works
ICCROM’s Fellowship Selection Committee assesses the proposals. The published criteria are useful as a checklist: overall quality and clarity; a genuine research need; the quality and value of anticipated results; feasibility within ICCROM’s resources and the proposed timeframe; relevance to ICCROM’s Strategic Directions; and a plan for dissemination, with open access encouraged.
The committee is not only asking whether a topic is interesting. It wants to see an identified gap, a method that can answer the question, and a result that will make a meaningful contribution to heritage conservation. The proposal should also make a reasonable case for the resources ICCROM can provide. A project that requires a laboratory, field team, or expensive new data collection may be unsuitable if those resources are not already available.
A useful structure is: problem, why the gap matters, research question, materials and method, work plan, expected contribution, and dissemination. Then add a short “why ICCROM” paragraph that connects the project to the library, archives, documentation, professional exchange, or Rome-based setting. Keep the argument accessible to heritage professionals outside your exact subfield.
ICCROM does not publish a fixed notification date. Candidates are informed in writing as soon as results are available, and the timeframe varies with the number of proposals received. All awarded fellowships will be undertaken in 2027 unless another arrangement is agreed.
Preparation strategy and common mistakes
The first practical step is to decide whether you can finance the placement. Applying without a credible plan for housing and insurance creates a risk even if the proposal is strong. The second is to confirm your employer’s position. If the employer must approve leave, obtain the written confirmation before submission rather than treating it as a formality.
Next, choose referees who can discuss the quality and significance of your actual work. Three famous names who know you only indirectly are less useful than three people who can explain your contribution, independence, and ability to finish the project. Give referees the proposal summary, timetable, and the ICCROM criteria so their letters reinforce the application.
Avoid presenting a book-length ambition as a three-to-six-month fellowship project. Avoid making ICCROM staff responsible for the research. Avoid generic claims about preserving culture without naming the evidence and decisions your study will examine. Finally, do not hide the dissemination plan until the last paragraph. State whether you expect a scholarly article, policy brief, conservation guidance, dataset, presentation, or another defined result, while avoiding promises you cannot deliver.
FAQ
Is ICCROM’s 2027 fellowship paid?
No. ICCROM states that it cannot provide financial support because of current budget constraints. The in-kind support is office space, a computer workstation, internet, stationery, and access to documentation, the library, and archives.
Can a PhD student apply?
The published eligibility requires at least a Master’s degree or higher and at least ten years of professional activity in cultural heritage. It is aimed at experienced professionals, so a PhD student who does not also meet that career requirement should not assume they qualify.
Does the research have to be conducted in English or French?
No. ICCROM says research can be conducted in any language, but Fellows are expected to have a good knowledge of English or French, the organization’s official languages.
Can the fellowship be fully online?
ICCROM says the fellowship may take place at headquarters in Rome or partially online if a justification is given. The official page does not promise a fully remote option. Ask the programme before relying on one.
Does ICCROM provide a research supervisor?
No. Fellows are expected to conduct independent research and cannot request supervision by an ICCROM staff member.
Where do I ask questions?
Email the Fellowship Programme focal point at [email protected]. The official page also lists Alison Heritage, Project Manager for Strategic Planning and Research, as the contact for the programme.
Official links and next steps
- ICCROM Fellowships — official 2027 call, eligibility, support, and selection criteria
- ICCROM Fellowship Research Proposal Application — available from 15 August 2026 according to ICCROM
- ICCROM Member States
- Fellowship Programme contact: [email protected]
If the programme fits your work, use the days before 15 August to settle the budget, confirm employer permission, identify the collections or professional exchange you need, and brief your referees. When the form opens, submit a focused project with a realistic timeframe and a clear public or professional benefit. The deadline for the 2027 cycle is 15 September 2026, and ICCROM’s official page should be checked again before submission for any updated form instructions.