OECD Co-operative Research Programme Research Fellowship 2027: Travel and Weekly Support for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Scientists, Deadline 10 September 2026
The OECD Co-operative Research Programme offers 2027 research fellowship awards for scientists in agriculture, forestry and fisheries to spend 6 to 26 weeks at a host institution in another participating country, with return travel, weekly subsistence support and terminal charges.
OECD Co-operative Research Programme Research Fellowship 2027: Travel and Weekly Support for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Scientists, Deadline 10 September 2026
The OECD Co-operative Research Programme (CRP) Research Fellowship is a focused international mobility award for scientists working in food, agriculture, forestry or fisheries. The 2027 call is open now. It supports a research visit of six to 26 weeks at a host institution in another participating CRP country, helping the Fellow learn methods, use facilities, build a new collaboration and connect scientific work with policy questions about sustainable natural-resource use.
This is not a general scholarship, a PhD stipend, or an unrestricted project grant. The programme is aimed at established research scientists who have enough postdoctoral experience to propose a useful exchange and who can return to a continuing scientific role after the visit. The host relationship matters just as much as the applicant’s publication record: the application must explain what each side contributes and why the work is better done through this specific international collaboration.
For the 2027 funding year, applications are due by Thursday, 10 September 2026, at midnight Paris time. The application is submitted online in English. Before applying, a candidate needs the agreement of their employer and a dated, signed acceptance letter from the proposed host institution. That host letter is a substantial part of the case, not a formality to arrange after submission.
Key details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Opportunity | OECD Co-operative Research Programme Research Fellowship Awards |
| Funding year | 2027 |
| Applicant profile | Research scientists in agriculture, forestry or fisheries |
| Fellowship length | 6 to 26 weeks |
| Host requirement | A host institution in another participating CRP country |
| Financial support | Return economy-class travel, EUR 600 or EUR 650 per week for subsistence, and EUR 165 terminal charges |
| Application deadline | 10 September 2026, midnight Paris time |
| Submission language | English |
| Decision timing | Awards by mid-December 2026; applicants informed by January 2027 at the latest |
| Official contact | [email protected] and the relevant national correspondent |
| Official application page | OECD CRP Applications for Fellowships |
The total value is not a single fixed award. Travel support depends on the distance between the Fellow’s laboratory and the host institution, while the subsistence portion depends on the number of approved weeks and the host country’s cost-of-living category. The official guidelines describe the award as a travel lump sum allowance and say that no other costs are reimbursed under it.
What the fellowship offers
The CRP award combines mobility funding with a defined research exchange. The travel component is calculated from a return economy-class ticket between the Fellow’s place of domicile and the host laboratory. The weekly subsistence allowance is currently EUR 600 or EUR 650 per week and is intended to cover ordinary living costs such as accommodation, food and daily travel to and from work. A further EUR 165 terminal-charge allowance covers transportation costs incurred when taking up and leaving duties at the host laboratory.
That structure suits a researcher who has already identified a concrete method, dataset, facility or expert group abroad. The award may be granted for fewer weeks than requested, so explain the minimum viable period as well as the preferred schedule.
The programme’s wider purpose is to strengthen scientific knowledge that can inform policy on the sustainable use of natural resources. The official action areas include sustainable productivity and food security, climate risk and emissions in agriculture and food systems, forest loss and land degradation, livestock and animal welfare, biodiversity, soil health, water and air quality, agricultural knowledge transfer, and sustainable and resilient fisheries and aquaculture. Proposals should make their connection to one or more of these areas explicit.
Who this opportunity fits
The strongest candidates are research scientists working at an institution in a participating CRP country who want to collaborate with a host in a different participating country. The programme normally expects about four years of postdoctoral training. It is not targeted at PhD students. In exceptional cases, the guidelines allow consideration of an applicant without a PhD who has equivalent expertise and an extensive publication record, but that should be treated as an exception rather than a route to rely on.
The applicant also needs a credible return path. The normal expectation is a contract with the current employer that ensures continued employment after the fellowship. If the contract lasts less than three years, the institution may need to certify that the Fellow will retain an ongoing scientific affiliation with the host laboratory after the visit. This requirement reflects the programme’s interest in durable international cooperation rather than a one-time trip.
The home and host institutions must be in different participating countries. A scientist already holding a position in a foreign laboratory cannot use the fellowship simply to remain in that same laboratory. Candidates who have previously received a CRP fellowship may apply again, but only five years after the year of their first fellowship. Employer approval is required before submission and should cover both applying and taking up the fellowship if selected.
Check the OECD country list and correspondent notes before applying. Brazil is eligible for 2027; Türkiye will not participate in the 2027-funded call. Contact the relevant correspondent if your circumstances are unusual.
How to find and secure a suitable host
The host institution is central to the application. Start by defining the capability that the visit must add: a particular field site, laboratory method, long-running dataset, specialist instrument, analytical technique or research group. Then identify a host whose published work and infrastructure match that need. A prestigious name without a clear scientific reason is weaker than a well-justified specialist collaboration.
Contact a potential host early enough to discuss the objectives, methods, dates, equipment and contributions from both institutions. The official sample invitation letter shows the expected detail. The final letter must be on headed paper, dated and signed, and confirm that the host will accept the Fellow if selected.
Explain the exchange in both directions. The application should show what the Fellow brings to the host institution and what the host provides in return. This can include a complementary research skill, a unique field context, a new comparative perspective, access to samples, or a method the other group does not currently use. The guidelines say new collaborations receive preference over ongoing collaborations, so a new relationship should be described as a credible beginning of longer-term work rather than as a vague networking opportunity.
Arrange the host letter early: it must be sent in original form to the Secretariat and may require institutional signatures or corrections. A host who cannot confirm facilities, supervision and a realistic schedule is a sign that the visit is not ready.
Application process and required materials
Applications must be completed online in English. The OECD provides the guidelines, selection criteria, action areas, sample applications, a sample CV, a sample invitation letter and a PDF version of the application form from the official call page. Read those materials first: the online form supports ordinary text only, and the guidelines caution against relying on formatted text, bullet points or tables inside it.
At minimum, prepare the following material:
- A completed online application with every relevant field answered in clear, specific English.
- A curriculum vitae in the requested format.
- A list of publications from the last five years.
- A dated and signed host acceptance letter on headed paper.
- A description of the research objectives, methods, schedule and expected outcomes.
- Evidence that the home employer agrees to the application and potential fellowship leave.
The host letter must state the proposed starting and ending dates, what the visiting researcher will bring, what the host will contribute, the work’s objectives and methods, and the equipment that will be provided. The application should also make it possible for reviewers to judge whether the work can actually be completed within six to 26 weeks. A large programme of work with no defined first result will look less feasible than a bounded study with a clear deliverable and a plan for using the collaboration afterward.
Submit before midnight Paris time on 10 September 2026. Keep the system’s submission confirmation and final application materials. If eligibility is unclear, contact the national correspondent or CRP Secretariat at [email protected] rather than guessing.
What reviewers are likely to value
The official selection criteria provide a useful outline for the proposal. First, show a direct contribution to the CRP objective and relevant action areas. A proposal about a technical method should explain the food, agriculture, forestry or fisheries question it helps answer, not only describe the technique.
Second, define a focused problem and a realistic study. The reviewers assess scientific excellence and innovation, but innovation does not require an inflated claim. It can mean applying a useful method in a new setting, joining complementary datasets, testing a policy-relevant approach or bringing disciplines together around a concrete problem. State what will be done during the visit and what evidence will show that the work succeeded.
Third, make the host and Fellow’s complementarity visible. Name the capability at home, the capability abroad and the gap that the exchange closes. Explain why the host’s infrastructure supports the proposed work. A general statement that the host is “world leading” does not answer this question.
The remaining criteria are the applicant’s scientific record, interdisciplinary engagement, dissemination, potential impact and policy relevance. Identify likely users of the findings, such as researchers, producers, conservation practitioners, fisheries managers or policy officials, and describe a credible way to share results. Keep claims proportionate to a short visit; the programme also asks how the research might benefit society.
Timeline and award administration
The deadline is 10 September 2026. Decisions are expected by mid-December, with applicants informed by January 2027 at the latest. Visits are advised not to begin before 1 March 2027; arrangements should be complete before 1 November, with departure possible as late as 15 December 2027.
If selected, the applicant signs an acceptance form confirming the start date and terms. The official contract is sent about three months before departure. Payment is by bank transfer: for visits of 12 weeks or less, 50 percent is paid after the acceptance paperwork and 50 percent after arrival confirmation; longer visits receive 50 percent before departure, 25 percent after arrival and 25 percent around the midpoint.
This is a lump-sum arrangement, so budget carefully. The applicant is responsible for insurance, medical cover, passports, visas, removals, family travel and bank charges. Laboratory costs and bench fees are not covered and may need to be handled by the host or home organisation. The payment is not automatically tax-exempt: a Fellow is not an OECD official and should ask the appropriate employer or tax adviser about local treatment.
Preparation strategy and common mistakes
Turn the visit into a small, testable collaboration. Write an internal brief with the research question, host contribution, weekly activities, output and policy audience. Test a shorter version, then align the application, invitation letter and employer leave arrangements.
Do not present the award as a personal trip or open-ended sabbatical. The CRP supports a defined research exchange. Avoid a same-country host, an unprepared host or a project outside the programme’s scope. Confirm insurance, visa timing, bench fees and employer approval separately because they are not covered by the allowance.
Connect the publication record to the proposed visit, explain why the host is right now and show how the collaboration can continue after return. Check every date, obtain the signed host letter, save the receipt and submit early enough to resolve problems.
Recipients also have obligations after the visit. The host supervisor must confirm arrival to the Secretariat. Within two weeks of the fellowship ending, the Fellow must complete an evaluation questionnaire. A summary report is due as soon as possible and no later than two months after the fellowship; it must include a non-scientific explanation of how the research might benefit society. The report is a condition of the award, and the guidelines say that failure to submit it can lead to a request to reimburse 10 percent of the lump sum.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a full salary or PhD scholarship?
No. It is a short research exchange with a travel lump sum, not PhD funding or a replacement for continuing employment. Applicants should retain a scientific affiliation at home.
How much money will a Fellow receive?
There is no single amount. It includes return economy-class travel, EUR 600 or EUR 650 per week for subsistence, and EUR 165 for terminal charges. The total depends on distance and approved weeks.
Can the host be in the applicant’s own country?
No. The home and host institutions must be in different participating CRP countries.
Are visas, insurance or laboratory fees covered?
No. The guidelines exclude insurance, medical cover, visas, passports, removals, family travel, laboratory costs and bench fees. Discuss facility costs with the host and home organisation.
Can a previous CRP Fellow apply again?
Yes, but only five years after the first fellowship year.
When can the 2027 visit take place?
The OECD advises starting no earlier than 1 March 2027. Arrangements must be completed before 1 November, with departure possible by 15 December 2027.
Official links and next steps
Begin with the official OECD CRP fellowship call and its 2027 Fellowship Guidelines and Conditions. Review the selection criteria, action areas, samples and host-letter template; then identify the correspondent, secure employer approval and approach a host.
The immediate priority is the host letter and focused research plan. Then align the CV, five-year publication list, schedule, budget assumptions and dissemination plan. Submit in English by 10 September 2026 at midnight Paris time and retain the confirmation.