SEACAF Research Fellowships on Empowering Academic Freedom in Southeast Asia 2026 – YOA

Deadline: July 20, 2026

Applications are open for the SEACAF Research Fellowships on Empowering Academic Freedom in Southeast Asia 2026. Academic freedom in Southeast Asia is more and more below risk, carefully tied to the area’s broader development of democratic backsliding. Like different human rights defenders, teachers and college students who converse out on problems with social justice face fixed danger – together with state surveillance, administrative penalties, criminalization of dissent, and casual restrictions on what could also be taught, researched, or printed.

These threats are much more acute in areas affected by armed battle or the place governments invoke nationwide safety to justify tighter management over tutorial areas. The rise of youth actions in current years in international locations like Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand are the circumstances in query the place they face harsh state repression.

Research Fellowships on Empowering Academic Freedom in Southeast Asia brings collectively an annual cohort of 6 early-profession researchers and advocates for ten to 12 months of structured inquiry, professional mentorship, and peer trade — producing authentic analysis and coverage proposals that matter to the area.

Research Themes

For 2026, SEACAF will assist six analysis fellowship that fall below one of many following themes:

• Neoliberal Higher Education and Its Impacts on Academic Freedom: Neoliberal insurance policies governing increased training contribute to the erosion of educational integrity and independence. Grounded in case research, analysis below this theme will examine how such neoliberal increased training impacts tutorial freedom in follow. The findings will inform coverage advocacy aimed toward securing increased training establishments as area for vital data improvement and enquiries.
• Developing Regional Indicators for Academic Freedom: The analysis below this theme will have interaction stakeholders to design regional context-delicate indicators and suggest mechanisms for tutorial freedom monitoring in the area. The outcomes would be the foundation of SEACAF’s future work to ascertain a sturdy tutorial freedom monitoring and documentation system in Southeast Asia.
• Participatory Action Research for Training Modules on Academic Freedom (OPENED FOR RESEARCH TEAM ONLY): This analysis theme focuses on collaborative engagement with tutorial communities and pupil teams to co-develop coaching modules on tutorial freedom. Using participatory motion analysis strategies, the man will develop coaching modules and academic supplies and take a look at the modules via participatory workshops.

Funding

• Theme 1: Neo-liberal Higher Education – $12,000 per mission
• Theme 2: Developing Regional Indicators – $12,000 per mission
• Theme 3: Participatory Action Research for Training Modules – $15,000 per mission

Eligibility

Individual Researcher

• Applicants ought to maintain at the least a Master’s diploma (MA, MSc, or equal).
• Early-career or mid-profession researchers with 3-5 years of related analysis expertise.
• Current analysis or instructing affiliation with the next training establishment, skilled affiliation, or analysis group.
• Demonstrated curiosity in tutorial freedom or associated human rights points in Southeast Asia. Three themes welcome all related subjects.
• Priority given to researchers from or at present based mostly in Southeast Asia.
• Working proficiency in English is required. Research could also be performed in native languages.
• Ability to lawfully obtain stipend funds in the nation of present location, taking accountability for any relevant native tax or reporting obligations.

Team Research

• The group analysis contains 3-5 group members.
• Applicants ought to maintain at the least a Master’s diploma (MA, MSc, or equal).
• Early-career or mid-profession researchers with 3-5 years of related analysis expertise.
• The group members could also be PhD or MA college students or junior researchers with lower than 3 years of analysis expertise.
• Current analysis or instructing affiliation with the next training establishment, skilled affiliation, or analysis group.
• Demonstrated curiosity in tutorial freedom or associated human rights points in Southeast Asia. Three themes welcome all related subjects.
• Priority given to researchers from or at present based mostly in Southeast Asia.
• Working proficiency in English is required. Research could also be performed in native languages.
• Ability to lawfully obtain stipend funds in the nation of present location, taking accountability for any relevant native tax or reporting obligations.

Application

Click here to apply

For extra data, go to SEACAF Research Fellowships.