FAO Fellows Programme Opens Applications for Headquarters, Regional and Country Office Assignments

Overview

FAO’s current Fellows Programme call covers headquarters, regional, subregional, country and liaison office assignments. Applications close on 31 December 2026. This route is designed for people with specialised knowledge and research experience. FAO does not pay remuneration to fellows.

About the Programme

Fellows contribute expertise while pursuing defined learning objectives through time-bound assignments. The programme commonly attracts researchers, professors and doctoral students. The proposed work should connect to FAO’s mandate and be suitable for collaboration with a hosting office.

Start by identifying the question you want to explore and the contribution you can realistically offer. A proposal should be more than a broad expression of interest in agriculture. It should explain a problem, why it matters, the knowledge gap and a practical way to investigate it within the assignment you propose.

Benefits and Funding Conditions

The opportunity centres on specialised learning and technical contribution. Fellows or their sponsors arrange accommodation. FAO provides service-incurred medical coverage; other medical insurance is the fellow’s responsibility. Do not treat the programme as a fully funded scholarship or assume that living expenses will be covered.

Prepare a funding plan before making commitments. List the expenses you would need to meet and identify which, if any, can be supported by your university, employer or research sponsor. Ask a potential sponsor about its approval timetable, reporting requirements and any restrictions on the location or length of an assignment.

Eligibility

Applicants must be nationals of FAO Members, have a completed relevant master’s or postgraduate qualification or be enrolled in a PhD, and bring at least two years of pertinent work or research experience. Knowledge of one FAO official language is required. There is no age limit. FAO’s listed close-family employment restrictions also apply.

Check your academic status carefully. Enrolment in a master’s programme alone is not sufficient under the programme FAQ. When describing experience, make clear which periods involved research, employment or another professional activity, and avoid counting overlapping periods twice.

Application Process

Apply online to the current call through the official recruitment portal and include a research proposal. Only selected candidates are contacted. If the call closes without selection and you remain interested, FAO instructs applicants to apply to the next call rather than assume automatic consideration.

Develop a Useful Research Proposal

Begin with a concise problem statement. Explain what is already understood, what remains uncertain and why your proposed work could help. Define a question narrow enough to answer, then describe a method that fits the time, information and resources you expect to have.

Be explicit about feasibility. A proposal relying on unavailable data, unconfirmed access to field sites or a very large survey needs revision before submission. Explain what information you would need, how you would obtain it legitimately and what you could still deliver if one part of the plan proved impractical.

Identify useful outputs. Depending on your field, these might be a structured analysis, a methodological note, a literature synthesis or another clearly defined product. These are planning examples, not promises of FAO assignments. Choose outputs that follow from your own research question and can be assessed against a realistic timetable.

Separate your existing expertise from what you hope to learn. Show how previous work prepares you to deliver the project while acknowledging areas where supervision or collaboration would be valuable. An honest account of your strengths and limitations helps a potential host understand the support you may need.

Required Documents

Prepare the online profile and research proposal required by the call. Keep your CV, academic records and evidence of relevant experience ready, and follow the live portal’s instructions for additional attachments. Check that your proposal, profile and supporting documents use consistent dates and descriptions.

Deadline

The current call closes on 31 December 2026. Confirm the exact displayed closing time in the recruitment portal and submit ahead of it. Save your application confirmation and a copy of the proposal you submitted.

Summary Table

Organisation	FAO
Route	Fellows Programme
Assignments	Headquarters and decentralised offices
Remuneration	Unpaid
Current call	2601977

Conclusion

Assess eligibility and financial feasibility first. Then build a specific proposal showing a credible research question, appropriate methods and useful outputs, and submit through the official call.

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