What ESA African Research Fellowship (ESRIN) actually covers.
The European Space Agency (ESA) African Research Fellowship, part of the EO AFRICA initiative in partnership with the African Space Agency (AfSA), supports early-career African scientists in conducting Earth Observation (EO) research. Selected fellows spend one year at ESA's ESRIN centre in Frascati, Italy, collaborating directly with ESA experts. Each fellowship provides a monthly stipend of €2,500, funding for travel and networking, and access to ESA cloud computing resources, scientific training, and professional networks. Four researchers are selected annually. Research focus areas include agriculture, disaster risk management, urban development, public health, energy, climate change, and coastal/marine environments using EO technologies. Since its launch in 2021, the ARF programme has supported ten fellows contributing to impactful research across Africa. The 2026 round closes on 29 April 2026, with fellows commencing their placements in October 2026. This fellowship represents a unique opportunity for African scientists to gain hands-on experience with cutting-edge space technology and build lasting partnerships with ESA scientists and institutions.
Who can apply.
Open to postdoctoral applicants seeking to study in Italy. Eligible nationalities are listed below.
46 more eligible countries — full list available on the official application page.
Every academic discipline is accepted.
This programme does not restrict by field. Research proposals across humanities, sciences, engineering, agriculture, and medicine are all accepted.
From here to submitted.
Scholar Africa helps you discover, shortlist, and track. The application itself is submitted on the provider's site.
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Save itAdd this to your shortlist so we can recommend similar scholarships and remind you of the deadline.
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Prepare your documentsMost providers ask for the same set — transcripts, references, a personal statement, ID. Use the checklist below to track progress across all your applications.
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Apply on the provider's siteSubmit on the provider's site before April 29, 2026.
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Track the outcomeAdd to your tracker so you can update the status as the provider responds (shortlisted, interview, decision).
Document checklist
Checks are local to this device — they're not stored. Always confirm exact requirements on the provider's official application page.
What we checked, when we checked it.
Scholar Africa runs a link-liveness check on every listing before it goes live and an admin manually reviews every scholarship submitted by providers. ESA African Research Fellowship (ESRIN) has been reviewed and verified by our team. Five deeper checks (contact, organisation, winners, third-party, formal audit) are on the roadmap.
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Other scholarships worth a parallel application.
Same eligibility window or destination. Many strong applicants apply to three or four programmes per cycle.