The Ethereum Foundation is sponsoring the 2026 PhD Fellowship Program to support Ethereum-related academic work led by PhD students to expand the frontiers of Ethereum-related academic research. The program remains open to all disciplines, and we particularly encourage applicants in the following disciplines to apply:

1. Economics - institutional economics, mechanism design, contract theory, and industrial organization.
2. Political Science - comparative institutions, governance, political economy and international relations.
3. Business School - organizational theory, finance, management information systems and operations research.
4. Public Policy - public administration, public management and urban policy.
5. Computer Science - artificial intelligence, machine learning and distributed systems.
6. Urban Planning - urban governance, infrastructure planning, transportation systems and regional development.
7. Sociology - organizational sociology, economic sociology and science and technology studies.

We are seeking proposals that align with the RFP topics listed below. We encourage researchers to use these RFPs as a starting point, and to think creatively about how their work can generate meaningful insights and contributions to the Ethereum ecosystem.

The program will award 7-8 Fellowships, each with a $24,000 USD stipend over one year.

Proposals are due 23:59 AoE April 1st, 2026.

Requirements

1. All applicants must be actively enrolled in a PhD Program from a university or academic institute.
2. Projects must produce formal academic research published in venues such as conferences or journals: The journal publication and/or conference presentation may occur at any future date, but the grant recipient must submit proof that the process is ongoing (e.g. submission receipt, upcoming call for papers, or other evidence on a case-by-case basis).
3. Research output must be open-access with a free and permissive license.
4. All applications must have a written proposal in PDF format: Proposals must be in English; Proposals must adhere to this template; Proposals must include an applicant profile; Proposals must include a public repository or link to published work.
5. Applications are selected for funding on a case-by-case basis. You may submit more than one application as long as each proposal is unique and meets the requirements of the RFP item that they're linked to.
6. Decisions will be emailed 6 weeks after the application deadline.

Deadline

The application window opens on Monday, February 2nd, 2026 and closes on Wednesday, April 1st, 2026.

Selection criteria

Applications are selected on a case-by-case basis. Submissions will be reviewed using the following considerations. Note: depending on the proposal, some criteria might not be applicable:

1. Expected impact and implications for theory and practice of the proposed research output
2. Quality of work and experience of the applicant and their supervisor
3. Clarity and conciseness of the proposal
4. Potential of long-term involvement in the Ethereum ecosystem
5. Translatability of research that helps a non-technical audience gain insight into the output

Fellowship details

Select from the available RFP items below and submit your application. Please review the item details carefully and explain how your background and approach align with the project requirements.

Please note that this fellowship provides USD 24,000 in funding over one year, intended as a supplement to the PhD candidate's existing stipend. At the conclusion of the fellowship, selected scholars may be eligible for a continuity stipend to support further development of their project beyond the initial one-year period. Eligibility for this additional support is contingent on the quality of the work and the overall success of the project.