Applications opened on August 24, 2026, for the COP31 Young Academy Team coordinated by Türkiye's Council of Higher Education (YÖK). The initiative is designed to give university students roles in academic projects and events connected with the United Nations climate conference that Türkiye will host in Antalya. Online applications will remain open through August 26 on COP31's official website.
Who can apply?
According to YÖK, the program is open to associate, bachelor's, master's and doctoral students. Before applying, candidates must contact the relevant academic and confirm the name of the project or event previously submitted to YÖK, along with the academic's information. This verification step is intended to allow applications to be matched accurately with existing COP31 academic records.
After the application window closes, the university, project or event title and academic information supplied by each student will be compared with YÖK's current COP31 academic submissions. Projects and events linked to student applications will then undergo an academic assessment. The announcement does not describe admission as automatic; places will be allocated after evaluation and within a defined quota.
How will students be selected?
For projects and events found suitable, selection will consider basic eligibility, foreign-language proficiency and the contribution a student could make to the work. Students chosen by YÖK will enter a COP31 training process. Those who successfully complete that training will work with academic teams on the day or days when their associated project or event appears in the conference program.
Exact duty dates, areas of work and other implementation details have not yet been finalized. YÖK says they will be announced after the COP31 academic program is completed. Candidates therefore need to follow official updates and use verified academic and project details in their applications rather than relying on unofficial summaries.
What the initiative is intended to do
YÖK is running the initiative under a message that invites students to become part of the team. Its stated aim is to involve students directly in university-backed academic projects and events, not simply as observers at the conference. The structure may give students at several levels of higher education practical exposure to climate science, sustainability and related academic work.
YÖK President Erol Özvar said the team would enable students to take part directly in the academic dimension of the international process. The official statement emphasizes contributions based on students' knowledge and skills. It does not yet provide a final participant total, the distribution of duties or the detailed schedule for selected students.
Why the application timetable matters
The application window lasts only three days: August 24, 25 and 26, 2026. Interested students need to verify their project and academic information within that period and then complete the online form. Training will follow the selection stage, while on-site duties will depend on the final academic program. Submitting an application alone does not guarantee a role because the announcement sets out several assessment steps.
The call marks a new stage in efforts to expand the role of universities in COP31 preparations through student participation. Important operational details, including the quota, training calendar and duty dates, will be published later. For now, the verified information covers eligible study levels, the August 24-26 application period, the requirement to confirm project and academic details, and the selection criteria described by YÖK.
