The ITTO Fellowship Programme, funded through the Freezailah Fellowship Fund, is run by the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) to develop human resources and strengthen professional expertise in tropical forestry and related disciplines across its member countries. Since 1989 it has supported over 1,400 fellows from more than 49 countries, awarding roughly US$9.8 million in total, with more than 30% of fellowships going to women. Each award provides up to US$10,000 toward a short-term professional-development activity that the applicant designs — such as attending an international conference, completing a training course or internship, undertaking a study tour, preparing a technical publication, or pursuing a small post-graduate study grant.
Benefits & funding
- Grant of up to US$10,000 per fellowship, covering eligible costs such as tuition, transportation, daily allowance, and books.
- Supports short-term activities: international or regional conferences, training courses, internships, research, study tours, and lectures.
- Also supports preparation and dissemination of technical documents (manuals, monographs, videos) and small post-graduate study grants (partial tuition or small research grants only).
- For activities costing more than US$10,000, the applicant must provide evidence of additional funding.
Eligibility
- Open only to nationals of ITTO member countries — producer and consumer members across Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America & the Caribbean, Europe, and North America.
- Fellowships are primarily awarded to nationals of developing member countries (a stated priority, not a strict bar on other members).
- Awards are made to individuals, not institutions; applicants may come from government, universities, research institutions, civil society, or the private sector.
- No age limit and no fixed degree requirement; applicants must be qualified to undertake the proposed activity.
- Previous awardees may not reapply within two years of their prior award and final report.
- Selection weighs consistency with the programme’s objectives, applicant qualifications, wider benefits, and cost reasonableness, with additional weight on geographic and gender balance and language competency.
Application process
- 1Review the eligibility, appraisal, and selection criteria and the instructions for applicants on the ITTO fellowship pages.
- 2Prepare supporting documents: two signed letters of recommendation, official letter(s) of acceptance from host institutions, and activity-specific evidence (course or conference details, travel costs, research proposal, language certificates).
- 3Submit the application online through the ITTO fellowship portal, completing the budget section per the Budget Guidelines, before the deadline.
Program timeline
Application deadline (17:00 Japan Standard Time)
Jul 20, 2026
Results announced, following the 62nd ITTC session
Nov 25, 2026 (approx.)
After Jan 1, 2027
Funded activities may begin