In 2025, the APNIC Foundation will launch its Research Fellowship program to support meaningful, applied research on the future of the Internet in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. This initiative marks a new chapter in the Foundation’s commitment to strengthening digital infrastructure, inclusion, and knowledge across one of the most diverse and fast-evolving regions of the world.
The fellowship will offer five selected researchers a stipend of USD 10,000 each to pursue a four-month research project from September to December 2025. Fellows will work remotely and are expected to produce practical, policy-relevant outputs that can support decision-makers, network operators, the Internet technical community, and the broader tech ecosystem.
Why this fellowship matters
Across the Asia Pacific region, governments, technical communities, and development actors are grappling with questions around AI readiness, Internet stability, the evolving role of digital public infrastructure, and the shifting nature of work. What’s often missing is evidence-based, region-specific research that connects technical understanding with actionable policy insights. This fellowship is designed to help bridge that gap.
The program invites proposals that explore how digital transformation is impacting societies, economies, and governance frameworks in APAC. Projects may address questions such as:
- Which industries in the region are likely to see job transformation or displacement due to AI?
- How resilient are Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) to changing traffic patterns or geopolitical shifts?
- Are national digital public infrastructure systems open, secure, and IPv6-ready?
- What does it take to measure and benchmark Internet stability across economies?
By encouraging interdisciplinary approaches that blend quantitative data, technical analysis, and stakeholder interviews, the fellowship aims to produce insights that are not only rigorous but also relevant and usable.
Four tracks, real-world focus
Applicants can choose from four thematic tracks:
- AI and the future of work: Focused on automation, industry exposure, skills transformation, and policy roadmaps for reskilling.
- Internet infrastructure and operations: Centered on measuring IXP effectiveness, network topology, and the intersection of technology and geopolitics.
- Digital public infrastructure and AI capability gaps: Examining the readiness of national digital public infrastructure systems and disparities in compute, data, and talent across APAC subregions.
- Internet stability and measurement: Exploring routing performance, IPv6 benchmarks, churn analysis, and best practice in Internet measurement.
Each fellow is expected to deliver a practical output by the end of their term. This could take the form of a dataset, measurement tool, framework, or policy guideline. The work should clearly identify its intended users and demonstrate how it can support real-world decisions or improvements.
Who should apply
The fellowship is open to citizens of any economy, but applicants must be residing in the Asia Pacific to be eligible. Whether you’re a technologist exploring measurement methods or a policy researcher mapping digital capability gaps, the program is designed to support those who are able to think across disciplines and deliver outputs that connect theory with practice.
Applications are due by 30 August 2025 at 23:59 (UTC+10). Shortlisted candidates will be contacted shortly after the deadline.
Ready to apply?
Applicants are encouraged to choose one primary research track and shape their proposal around a well-defined, achievable scope that can be completed within the four-month fellowship period. Proposals that draw on multiple tracks are also welcome, as long as the approach remains focused and realistic.
Applications must be submitted through this online form. Applicants must submit a short methodology summary (maximum 400 words) outlining the problem they intend to address, their research approach, key data sources, expected outputs, and a month-by-month timeline.
They will also need to describe a target deliverable such as a dataset, measurement tool, framework, or policy guideline and clearly identify its intended users. Each applicant must upload a CV in PDF format (maximum two pages). They may also include an optional letter or email of support, along with links to prior work or code if relevant.
For any queries, reach out to partnerships@apnic.foundation. We look forward to reading your ideas about shaping the digital future of the Asia Pacific region.
The views expressed by the authors of this blog are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of APNIC. Please note a Code of Conduct applies to this blog.