Most fellowship pages ask you one question: are you a fit? The Belfer Center at Harvard Kennedy School asks a better one. It is offering 14 different fellowships for the 2027-2028 academic year and each has its own audience. Some are for doctoral students. Some are for senior technologists. One is for intelligence officers.
Applications close on December 1, 2026. That leaves about three weeks and the first real task is choosing the right program.
Last Information checked: 9 November 2026
Quick Details
| Detail | Information |
| Host | Belfer Center, Harvard Kennedy School |
| Location | Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA |
| Programs | 14 fellowships |
| Typical Length | About 10 months (varies by program) |
| Focus Areas | AI, emerging technology, nuclear policy, energy, climate, security, history |
| Application Deadline | December 1, 2026 |
| Recommendation Letters | December 15, 2026 |
| Housing | Not included |
| Visa | Sponsorship available for selected international fellows |
One Center, Fourteen Doors
The Belfer Center hosts academic and professional fellows who work on science, technology and international affairs. Fellows join a research community and engage with Harvard faculty and affiliated experts while pursuing policy-relevant work.
The fellowships generally run through the academic year, and many last roughly ten months. Exact structure differs by program.
Treat the 14 as separate applications with separate rules. Eligibility is not shared across them.
Find Your Track
For doctoral students and recent PhDs
- Technology and Geopolitics Fellowship: for dissertation-stage doctoral students and recent PhD (or equivalent) recipients.
- International Security Program Fellowship: for predoctoral candidates and recent PhD recipients doing security studies research.
- Managing the Atom Fellowship: a wider net. It takes predoctoral and postdoctoral scholars, faculty and mid-career professionals working on nuclear policy, nonproliferation, arms control, disarmament and nuclear energy.
For senior professionals and innovators
- Nova Fellowship: built for senior technologists, scientists and engineers, especially founders and researchers in AI, biotechnology, quantum computing and space.
- Recanati-Kaplan Foundation Fellowship: for intelligence officers from U.S. and foreign services who are moving into, or already in, leadership roles.
For energy, climate and the Arctic
- Geopolitics of Energy Fellowship: the link between international politics, security and energy.
- Energy, Climate, and Technology Policy Fellowship: energy policy, climate policy, climate finance and energy technology innovation.
- Arctic Initiative Fellowship: policy and governance challenges from the Arctic’s rapid transformation.
For regional and historical research
- Ernest May Fellowship in History and Policy: historians working where professional history meets strategic studies.
- Emirates Leadership Initiative Research Fellowship: policy issues relevant to the UAE, the Gulf and the wider Arab world.
- Kuwait Program Research Fellowship: policy-oriented scholars connected to Kuwait.
- Kuwait Program Visiting Scholar Fellowship: senior policy-oriented scholars and faculty from Kuwait.
- Israel Program Research Fellowship: experienced scholars and practitioners working on Israel and related regional issues, through short-term residencies.
For Harvard Kennedy School students
- Belfer Young Leaders Student Fellowship: open only to eligible Harvard Kennedy School students. If you are not enrolled there, skip it.
What the Money Looks Like
Funding is uneven across the portfolio, and the source gives few specifics.
Two programs are confirmed to provide a ten-month stipend: the Emirates Leadership Initiative Research Fellowship and the Kuwait Program Research Fellowship. Both are for eligible scholars.
For the other twelve, the details were not stated in the material available. Check each program’s funding terms on the official page before you plan around it.
Two facts apply broadly:
- Housing is not included. Cambridge is an expensive place to rent, so budget for it.
- Visa sponsorship is available for selected international fellows, subject to the usual requirements.
Two Deadlines, Not One
The December 1 date covers your application. Your referees have until December 15 to submit recommendation letters.
That gap is useful, but it is not a license to ask late. A referee who hears about this on November 28 will write a thinner letter than one who hears about it this week. Send the request now, with your chosen program and a short summary of your project.
Picking Your Program
Start with your career stage, then your topic. In that order.
A mid-career nuclear policy researcher and a dissertation-stage AI scholar are looking at different fellowships, even though both fit “Belfer” in a general sense. Read the eligibility language for your shortlisted program first, then build your application around it.
Some overlap exists between areas. An energy and climate researcher might look at both the Geopolitics of Energy track and the Energy, Climate, and Technology Policy track. A short, honest read of each description will show which one your work actually matches.
How to Apply
The 14 programs, their eligibility rules and individual details are on the official Belfer Center fellowship page. Apply through the Belfer Center fellowship application portal there.
Before you open the form:
- Choose one program and read its requirements in full
- Confirm you meet the career-stage criteria
- Ask your referees now
- Check the funding terms for your program
