The Youth IGF India Fellowship aims to provide focused mentorship and guidance to young people who are passionate about understanding and contributing to the intersection of technology, policy, and society.
Applications Opening Soon
Applications for the Youth IGF India Fellowship 2026 will open shortly.
Objectives
- Provide young people who are passionate about internet governance a platform to engage, collaborate and take constructive action.
- Build skills and capacity on aspects of internet governance by engaging with policy experts and technologists.
- Allow fellows to understand the policy and technology space as a prospective career.
- Aid in developing an understanding of the multistakeholder model of decision making and how young people can contribute to different multistakeholder forums.
- Facilitate interactions with relevant stakeholders in the internet governance landscape.
- Facilitate financial assistance for selected fellows to participate in the Youth IGF India Annual Forum in Mumbai.
- Provide an opportunity to develop and publish a long-form research paper.
Eligibility
- Indian nationals currently residing in India.
- Fall within the age bracket of 18-30.
- Able to demonstrate an interest in the field of internet governance.
- Experience in working with or contributing to aspects of internet governance will be a bonus.
- Must be available to engage in fellowship sessions and meetings actively.
Expectations
- Engage proactively in sessions and contribute with openness to diverse perspectives.
- Commit a minimum of 4 hours per week for the duration of the fellowship.
- Write a long-form research paper on a pressing issue in tech policy or internet governance.
- Show demonstrable continued contribution to the Internet Governance ecosystem beyond the fellowship.
- Be available to attend the 9ᵗʰ Annual Forum of Youth IGF India at IIT Bombay in September 2026.
Important Dates to Note:
| Fellowship applications open | TBD |
| Fellowship application close | TBD |
| Selected fellows announcement | TBD |
| Orientation and on-boarding of fellows | TBD |
| Mentorship of fellows (Pre-annual forum; Phase 1) | TBD |
| Offline meet-up of fellows before the event | TBD |
| 9ᵗʰ edition of Youth IGF India Annual Forum | TBD |
| Mentorship of fellows (Post-annual forum; Phase-2) | TBD |
Why Join Us?
- Be a part of the selected cohort of brilliant young minds motivated to engage and contribute to the Internet Governance space.
- Opportunity to engage in webinars by experts and team discussions prior to the conference on diverse topics of IG.
- Dedicated sessions during the conference to provide the fellows with a focused exposure to the issues of Internet governance as well as an opportunity to interact with the relevant stakeholders.
- Receive a Fellowship Completion certificate post successful completion.
- Opportunity to be considered for travel support to attend the Youth IGF India Annual Forum in person at IIT Bombay.
- Be a part of the Youth IGF India’s Fellowship Alumni Community.
Thematic Focus Areas :
Fellowship sessions will explore key issues in Internet Governance, including digital access, AI regulation, global competition law, cyber governance, and digital safety. The program also features interactive roleplay exercises and sessions focused on career pathways in the field.
Additional thematic areas and session details will be announced closer to the commencement of the fellowship.