Apply now for the Internet Society Early Career Fellowship 2026 for early career professionals working in the Internet ecosystem

Ednah Carrick February 8, 2026

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Closing Date: 17 February 2026

Apply now for the Internet Society Early Career Fellowship 2026 for early career professionals working in the Internet ecosystem

Overview

The Internet is a resource of possibility and opportunity that has transformed our lives for the better. It’s where we collaborate, share ideas, and strengthen bonds. It’s where we work, learn, communicate, and innovate. The Internet has flourished and evolved because of its underpinning ethos: an open architecture and a culture of collaboration for the collective good.

Increasingly, there are challenges around the world to the Internet’s fundamental principles. To help address these challenges, Internet Society’s Early Career Fellowship empowers a new, diverse generation of Internet champions who will bridge the gap between technology and policy, becoming advocates for the open, globally connected, secure, and trustworthy Internet.

Fellows will have access to Internet luminaries—today’s leading thinkers and organizations—while getting direct support to nurture their professional growth. As a fellow, you’ll learn leadership, communications, and advocacy and project management skills, empowering you to bring your ideas to life.

About the Program

The Early Career Fellowship offers unparalleled access to world-class experts, including American University’s Professor Dr. Laura DeNardis and eminent scholars from the Oxford Internet Institute. It also offers project management, advocacy, and diplomacy know-how, providing the foundation for fellows to become future champions of the Internet.

A cohort of 15 fellows is selected once a year to participate in the six-month program. Fellows can develop their knowledge and skills through seminars, events, courses, discussion sessions, and project work. They will also have networking, mentoring, and collaboration opportunities. The program culminates in a final project presentation by each fellow at a closing symposium.

Who Is Eligible to Apply?

Candidates must be early career professionals working in the Internet ecosystem in a technical, policy, economic, or social capacity who have initiated or are interested in projects designed to grow or strengthen the Internet.

Candidates with the following are welcome to apply:

An undergraduate/vocational degree or at least three years of work experience in an Internet-related field
Less than ten years of working experience in an Internet-related field
An innovative and impactful project proposal for growing and/or strengthening the Internet
Reliable access to broadband Internet connection and relevant device
Availability to fully participate in the 5-month experience
Proficiency in verbal and written English

To apply, applicants must:

Commit a minimum of six hours per week for coursework, seminars, individual project work, and other program activities
Complete the required six months
Attend all required seminars or sessions and manage time zone differences

Curriculum

Internet Society Fellowship curriculum, created by renowned scholars and experts, is designed to give Fellows insights into the Internet, the regulatory forces shaping its use, and much more.

Key topics include:

Internet History
Internet Architecture
Internet Governance
Core Internet Characteristics
Internet Stress Tests
Internet Policy and Regulation
Growing the Internet and Building Networks to Connect the Unconnected
Strengthening the Internet
Internet Threats and Solutions
Project Management
Communications
Advocacy
Digital Diplomacy

Coursework is delivered through a combination of online lectures, tutorials, live interactive seminars, events, and discussion sessions with faculty, experts, and guest speakers.

Onboarding

The Fellowship Onboarding is comprised of two sessions and one Personalized Learning Plan assignment.

Session 1 is an overview of the Early Career Fellowship, in which the Internet Society team presents the program’s structure, lecturers, speakers, and the range of support mechanisms available to the Fellows.
Session 2 is an introduction to the Internet Society, its history, accomplishments, and current priorities.
The Personalized Learning Plan assignment contains questions to encourage the Fellows to write out their own intentions and goals for the program.

Core Modules

Module 1: The Internet Ecosystem

Led by Dr. Laura DeNardis, professor at the School of Communication at American University and faculty director of the Internet Governance Lab.

This module focuses on building the fellows’ knowledge of the Internet, its technical development, governance, key challenges, and opportunities.

Module 2: Trending Internet Issues

Led by the Oxford Internet Institute

This module gives the fellows in-depth presentations and interactive conversations about key Internet issues with specific emphasis on the impacts of policy developments on the technical infrastructure of the Internet (and vice versa).

Module 3: Project Management

Led by Pyramid Learning

Fellows hone their project management and development skills through a course developed by Pyramid Learning, project workshops, and through project development mentorship.

In the project management course, they learn the skills to lead and manage projects through the entire project cycle, helping them successfully deliver projects on scope, on time, and on budget. Through project workshops, the fellows have the opportunity to present the progress made on their projects in a group session to get feedback from their peers.

Module 4: Advocacy, Communications and Digital Diplomacy

Led by Diplo, Internet Society, and Internet Society Foundation

Whether fellows are working in the technology, business, academia, civil society, or policy sectors, it is essential that they understand how to work with other stakeholders to advocate for a particular technology policy position, or other Internet-related key issue. The tools and skills fellows learn in this module will allow them to present their position with clarity, conviction, and purpose, and grow their mindset, confidence, and ability to engage with a wide variety of key audiences.

This module ends with an understanding of digital diplomacy, and how to build a roadmap to keep defending the Internet after the fellowship.

Check-Ins

At least once a month, Fellows can meet with the Fellowship’s Coach for an informal check-in. In these sessions, the coach answers questions, guides them along the program, is a sounding board, and provides general support needed to develop and grow.

Moreover, fellows can check in with an advisor, an Internet Society expert that guides fellows on who to get involved and engage in the Internet Society’s work, and advance its mission.

The Symposium

The fellowship culminates in the symposium, in which the fellows present their work, how they have benefitted from the fellowship, how they will leverage their multidisciplinary and multistakeholder skills, and their plans for taking their learnings and accomplishments beyond the fellowship.

How to Become a Fellow

Candidates must complete the Online Application Form.

Application submissions are reviewed confidentially through a multi-step evaluation process by the selection committee. The committee attempts to achieve professional, geographical, and gender diversity in the overall selection.