The Mountain Sentinels Fellowship Program offers leadership, mentorship, research, and educational opportunities to students, postdocs, youth, practitioners, and community members who are living, working, or from the mountains.

Fellows may use initial funds of USD 1,000 to support an ongoing or new project focused on improving social and environmental well-being and sustainability in mountains. We particularly encourage projects that elevate community voices and address community needs in mountains, and build/enhance long-term relationships with mountain communities.

Deadline 15 February 2026. 

This third GEO Mountains Small Grants Call 2026-2027 welcomes proposals that address mountain monitoring, data, and information, with priority given to projects in the following mountain regions: Andes, Central Asia, East Africa, South Caucasus, and Hindu Kush Himalaya. Projects that consolidate the ‘state-of-the-art’ or promote transformative research capabilities for sustainable mountain development are particularly encouraged.

Deadline: 20 February 2026, 23:59 CEST.

Interdisciplinary Centre for Mountain Research (CIRM), University of Lausanne, Switzerland.

To encourage the start of new interdisciplinary projects, CIRM has made funds available (seed-funding). Limited to a maximum of CHF 20,000 per project, these funds are intended to launch interdisciplinary projects (particularly networking initiatives) focused on the concept of ‘Living Well in the Mountains.’ Funded projects should, where possible, lead to more ambitious, externally-funded research projects.

Deadline is 15 January 2026.

Interdisciplinary Center on Mountain Research (CIRM), University of Lausanne, Switzerland.

To support research in the humanities and social sciences focused on the Valais Alps, the Interdisciplinary Center on Mountain Research (CIRM) at the University of Lausanne, in collaboration with the Culture Department of the Canton of Valais, is announcing a competition for a research grant dedicated to mountain studies.

In 2026, projects must focus on natural hazards in the mountains from a diachronic perspective, drawing on the collections and archives of cultural institutions in Valais. They may address, among other topics, recent disasters, risk management and anticipation, regional impacts, and social and cultural representations.

The grant is worth CHF 20,000.

Application deadline is 20 January 2026.

The Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

This postdoctoral scholar program will help create the next generation of leaders in climate science and policy. It endeavors to attract spectacular recent PhDs in sciences that address studies with relevance to the Wilkes Center climate research and climate policy goals.

Postdoctoral scholars will perform cutting-edge and impactful research in climate science and/or policy, with particular priority areas on data informed climate forecasting, wildfire and climate extremes such as heat waves, droughts, and floods, climate impacts on local communities, economies, ecosystems, and human health, and the development of tools to mitigate, adapt, and manage climate impacts. These can include analysis of past, current, or possible future climate variability and change as well as the study of the underlying social, physical, chemical, and biological processes.

Deadline for submissions 31 January 2026.

The Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia and the Swiss Polar Institute (SPI) have launched the next call for PolARTS, a joint initiative that supports collaboration between artists and polar scientists. The program aims to create space for dialogue, exploration, and shared research across disciplines—without the pressure of producing specific outputs.

Up to three tandems—each consisting of a Switzerland-based artist and a polar scientist—will be supported for a collaborative process lasting 12 to 18 months. The focus is on mutual learning, with regular exchanges in both artistic and scientific contexts. Applicants are invited to propose projects that engage with the polar regions (Arctic or Antarctic) or remote high-altitude environments (e.g., Andes, Himalayas).

Eligible artists and scientists must be based in or affiliated with Swiss institutions and must not have received previous PolARTS funding. A field trip to a polar or high-altitude region may be supported as an optional component of the collaboration.

Funding includes:

• Up to CHF 7,000 for artists’ living expenses (plus childcare support if applicable)
• Up to CHF 5,500 for tandem operational costs
• Up to CHF 10,000 for field trip expenses (artist only, separate application)

The application deadline is 31 January 2026 at 17:00 CET. All applications must be submitted in English via the online platform.

For full details and application instructions, please visit the official PolARTS website or click the “read more” button below.