Deadline: 08-Sep-2025
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the International Union for Pure and Applied Physics are organizing a five-day bootcamp in Apia, Samoa, from November 17 to 21 for practitioners, students, and lecturers under the age of 35 from Small Island Developing States in the Pacific.
Successful candidates at the bootcamp will learn about creating new products and processes which draw upon physics, mathematics, engineering and related fields to foster more sustainable development, learn about how to protect their intellectual property through patents and other means, learn how to develop a business model, where to look for finance and how to take an invention to the marketplace, be expected to form a small team with other participants to develop an innovative idea over several days, learn how to pitch this innovative idea to a panel posing as business angels, hear about the experiences of small, innovative Pacific businesses, be mentored by a team of experienced inventors and entrepreneurs and encouraged to network with other participants from the Pacific.
To be eligible, applicants must be under 35 years of age on November 17, 2025, and a national of one of the following Pacific island countries and territories: Fiji, Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu. If a student, they must be studying life sciences, chemistry, geological sciences, physics, mathematics, engineering, or information and communication technologies at a university or institute of technology in one of the listed countries. Early-career practitioners or lecturers in these fields are also eligible. Participants must be available for all five days of the bootcamp.
UNESCO will provide successful candidates with a stipend to cover their return airfare from their capital city of residence to Apia, hotel accommodation in Apia for the duration of the bootcamp, all meals during their stay, and transportation. Participants will be selected based on their application answers and supporting documents.
Successful candidates will be notified by email no later than October 1, 2025. They will be required to provide supporting documents within seven calendar days of notification, including a curriculum vitae, copies of diplomas or degrees, proof of enrollment for students, a copy of their passport, and any other relevant documents. The application deadline is midnight on September 8, 2025, Samoan time.
For more information, visit UNESCO.
