Mercedes-Benz beVisioneers Fellowship 2023 for young innovators (Fully Funded)

Mercedes-Benz is funding a global fellowship that will provide training and scholarships to thousands of young people from around the world to implement their projects in the areas of environmental sustainability and decarbonization. To provide the seed money for the fellowship, Mercedes-Benz auctioned the world’s most valuable car, a 1955 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé, for a record price of €135 million.

Funded by Mercedes-Benz, beVisioneers provides young innovators like you with the training, resources and expert support you need to bring your planet-positive project or idea to life. It doesn’t matter who you are or what your financial status is. If you’re passionately committed to creating positive environmental change, whether in your community or across the world, beVisioneers is the fellowship for you.

As a beVisioneers fellow, you take part in a unique, one-year hybrid learning program designed and implemented by education pioneers The DO School Fellowships gGmbH. After completing the program and launching your project, you become a lifelong member of the beVisioneers community, getting support to continue developing your project as well as your leadership and entrepreneurial skills.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligible fellows:

are between the ages of 16 and 28 at the time of applying
reside in Denmark, Germany, Hungary, India, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden or the United Kingdom
show a strong dedication to positive environmental change
demonstrate entrepreneurial spirit, including persistence, resilience and determination
show leadership in their communities
have an early-stage project or project idea for positive environmental impact in one or more of the target countries
may not work for, or have a parent or guardian who works for, Mercedes-Benz

beVisioneers Program Details

In the coming years, beVisioneers will scale up to support up to 1,000 young people per year. beVisioneers fellows will be 16- to 28-year-old innovators who have promising ideas for sustainability projects. They will come from diverse backgrounds and be selected by The DO School. To be selected for the programme, applicants will have to present a viable project idea with the potential to make a measurable positive impact on the environment and, ideally, on the applicant’s local community.
The DO School experts will provide the fellows with a comprehensive 12-month intensive training and skills development program focused on leadership, entrepreneurship and sustainability. During this 12-month hybrid-learning period, the fellows will also be matched with a personal mentor, while experts selected by The DO School will contribute their knowledge and skills in one-to-one or group meetings. The fellowship includes access to project funding and a financial stipend, if required.
Mentoring and expert support will continue after the first year as part of the fellows’ ongoing project and leadership development. The long-term goal of beVisioneers is to build an inclusive and effective global community of fellows, mentors and experts, working together at eye level to achieve positive environmental change.

Benefits

There are no costs to individual fellows.
Participation in the program is fully funded by a donation from Mercedes-Benz. All fellows benefit, free of charge, from the beVisioneers training curriculum and from access to the beVisioneers online community. All expenses associated with travel to summits are covered.
beVisioneers begins with a 12-month hybrid intensive program, a blend of weekly on-demand and live classes in which fellows build knowledge and learn by DOing. The program is structured around three labs. Grants will be awarded to the projects that demonstrate the highest potential for environmental impact. Whether or not you receive a grant, you will learn the DO Method for taking your idea from project phase to launch and beyond.

Financial Support

beVisioneers offers two types of stipend to help fellows with specific needs overcome logistical and/or financial barriers that may prevent their full participation. Both stipends are available only for the initial, 12-month intensive learning program, and every candidate invited for a fellowship interview is welcome to apply for these stipends on a needs-blind basis.

Stipend I: Monthly income replacement For fellows whose current income would be compromised by the fellowship’s required time commitment, beVisioneers offers a basic monthly stipend to help replace lost earnings.
Stipend II: Technology and infrastructure For fellows lacking an adequate technology set-up, beVisoneers offers one-time funds to purchase a laptop designated for fellowship purposes and/or a stipend to cover the monthly costs of home-based internet.

Method of Application

You may apply for a beVisioneers fellowship here until March 5, 2023.
The application process consists of questions on topics such as your project or project idea, its impact, and your dedication to creating environmental change.
The application should take about one hour to complete. You can save your application at any time and come back to it at a later point. Please note that you will need to upload an official proof of identity and record a motivation video of 90 seconds or less.

Timeline: