Call for Applications: Commonwealth Startup Fellowship 2026 | Fully Funded
Applications for the Commonwealth Startup Fellowships 2026/2027 are now open. The six-month fellowship is designed to support and accelerate high-potential startups from eligible low- and middle-income Commonwealth countries.
The programme combines immersive in-person experiences with online learning, providing participants with essential entrepreneurial skills, cutting-edge knowledge, and access to a strong global network.
The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) and Imperial College London aim to equip participating entrepreneurs with the skills and connections needed to scale their businesses, pitch confidently, and create jobs in their home countries.
Benefits
Each fellowship provides:
- Approved return travel from the Fellow’s home country to the in-person Bootcamp in Accra, Ghana, including accommodation, travel, and catering.
- Approved return travel from the Fellow’s home country to the in-person Capstone Week in London, UK, including accommodation, travel, and catering.
- Reimbursement of the standard visa application fee.
- Up to £2,000 in equity-free grants to cover eligible business or participation-related costs.
- Fellows who declare a disability will receive a full assessment of their needs and eligibility for additional financial support from the CSC.
Also Apply: Call for Applications: Chevening UK Government Scholarships 2027 | Fully Funded Master’s Degree in the UK
Eligibility
To be eligible, candidates must:
- Be at least graduate level.
- Be a citizen of, or have been granted refugee status by, an eligible low- or middle-income Commonwealth country.
- Be permanently resident in an eligible Commonwealth country.
- Be fluent in written and spoken English.
- Not have undertaken a Commonwealth Professional Fellowship within the previous five years at the time of taking up the award.
- Be available to undertake the fellowship from the prescribed start date of 16 November 2026.
- Be available to attend the Bootcamp in Accra, Ghana, estimated to take place from 25 January to 4 February 2027.
- Be available to attend Capstone Week in London, UK, estimated to take place from 14–21 May 2027.
Startup Requirements
In addition, applicants must:
- Have a startup that is legally registered in accordance with local regulations.
- Demonstrate innovation through their product, service, business model, or approach to addressing a market need.
- Have progressed beyond the idea, prototype, and pilot stages.
- Have been actively operating the business for at least 12 months and demonstrate meaningful progress.
- Have a product or service that is available to customers.
- Demonstrate customer demand through paying customers and evidence of ongoing customer adoption, such as repeat purchases, contract renewals, recurring revenue, or sustained usage.
- Operate a sustainable business model that is not primarily dependent on donations, philanthropy, or grant funding.
- Create positive economic, social, or environmental outcomes through their core activities.
- Demonstrate commercial traction, growth, and potential for scalability.
- Be seeking to scale their customer base, operations, impact, or geographic reach.
Also Apply: ECOWAS Young Graduates’ Professional Immersion Programme (YGP) 2027 for Young Graduates
Application Requirements
As part of the application, candidates will be required to:
- Provide information about their business, their role within the company, and their team.
- Provide the names and positions of two referees who are qualified to comment on their capacity to benefit from the fellowship.
- Submit a one-minute video elevator pitch explaining the problem their business is solving, the solution it provides, progress made so far, and how participation in the programme would benefit the business.
- Submit the video in a compatible format, such as MP4, that can be easily played on Windows and Mac devices without requiring a specific access request. Password-protected videos are permitted, provided the password is included in the relevant section of the application form.
- Provide a scan of their passport or national identity card.