Food Transition
Fellowship
Nearly half of the planet's habitable land is now farmland. 80% of that feeds livestock, not people. Industrial animal agriculture drives deforestation, biodiversity loss, antibiotic resistance, and is a leading source of global emissions: our food system is reaching its limits.
The EU Food Transition Fellowship places you inside the organizations driving Europe's food transition in Brussels. Seven months, a full salary, and a cohort of ambitious professionals who decided their skills belonged somewhere that mattered. You start contributing from day one.
Note: Can't commit full-time? A maximum of seven self-funded fellowships are available: 2.5 days per week alongside your current position, remote and flexible.
The Program
Seven months. A full salary. A direct path into the policy movement driving Europe's food transition.
Selection
Our application process focuses on skills over credentials, with multiple rounds to identify the right talent.
Training
One month of intensive preparation in the Netherlands & Brussels: EU food and agricultural policy, the protein transition, stakeholder engagement, coalition building, and narrative change.
Placement
Six months inside a leading food transition organization in Brussels. Not an internship — live policy, active campaigns, real challenges from day one. You're matched based on your skills and the organization's needs.
Guidance
Regular sessions with your cohort throughout the placement. Share what you're learning, work through challenges together, and build a network that lasts beyond the program.
Outflow
80% of our first cohort stayed in the field they entered. We ensure you keep access to an unmatched network, and provide ongoing career support to help you land your next role.
Why food transition?
Right now, the EU is rewriting the rules of its food system: agricultural subsidies, protein diversification, and sustainable food policy are all on the table. The organizations shaping these decisions need people who understand systems and can make them move: policy experts, lawyers, strategists, communicators. This fellowship puts you where those decisions are being made.
this fellowship has connected me to an incredible network
We Offer
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We're looking for
Eligibility
- Minimum of five years' experience in one of the fields listed below. Non-linear careers welcome. We select on skills, not credentials.
- Eligibility to work and live in Belgium, willingness to relocate to Brussels for the duration of the placement (support provided).
Note: the part-time track does not require relocation, but does require eligibility to work in the EU.
Profile
- Policy, law, strategy consulting, communications, marketing, economics, research, or advocacy.
- You don't need a background in food or agriculture. This is a career transition program — we're looking for transferable skills, not subject-matter expertise.
- Ambitious, resourceful, and ready to commit. You care about how our food system works, you're good at what you do, and you want your work to matter.
Apply as Part-Time Fellow
Can't commit full-time? A limited number of self-funded hybrid fellowships are available for the EU Food Transition program: 2.5 days per week, remote and flexible.
If your employer offers paid leave, sabbatical options, or you can otherwise free up 2.5 days per week, this track lets you join without leaving your current role.
What Happens After You Apply
Application period
Submit your application here by April 27, end of day (any timezone). This takes approximately 1,5 hours.
Video Interview
Complete a short recorded video interview via Hireflix.
Written assignment
Complete a written test task relevant to the fellowship.
Personal Interviews
Meet the team behind the fellowship program you applied to.
Host org matching
Get matched with a host organization for your fellowship placement.
Selection results
Receive the final decision on your application.
*Exact dates for interviews and host organization matching may vary slightly per program. You'll receive specific scheduling details once you progress to that stage.
I quit my job because I knew my skills could do more good
Frequently Asked Questions
Some of our programs provide financial and logistical support with temporary relocation to your placement location. See program details for more.
No, there is no job guarantee after the fellowship. Your fellowship will have equipped you with many desired skills and many contacts to organisations and funders. You must find your own place after the fellowship.
Yes, there is a limited number of hybrid fellowship spots available for the EU Food Transition (2,5 days per week) and Tobacco Free Future (1 day per week) programs. Only these two tracks let you join without leaving your current role or committing full-time. Please be aware that the part-time option is self-funded, as we can only fund fellows who can commit fulltime.
Most host-organisations require you to be present at least 2 - 3 days in their office in Brussels. It is also good to be there to network and lobby. So, either you do relocate, or you spend every week two of three days and nights in Brussels. There is a budget to reimburse your costs for travel and accommodation, up to 1000 euro per month.
No, you cannot apply for the EU/Global Fellowships (Tax, Food Transition, Tobacco) if you already applied or will apply to the Food System Reform Fellowship (US).
Our Host Organizations
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Meet Our Fellows
They quit their jobs, joined the fellowship, and didn't look back. See where they are now.
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From the Field shares personal insights and stories from people working on some of the world's most pressing challenges. It is run by our Moral Ambition Fellows: professionals who left successful careers to work on challenges that are sizable, solvable, and sorely overlooked.
Watch Our Films
Go behind the scenes of the Brussels Fellowship — from training week to the halls of parliament.
other Fellowships
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