EU-Civil Society Fellowship Program
The EU Eastern Partnership Civil Society Fellowships 2016 (Public Policy Stream) aim at identifying and promoting talented public policy professionals who can advance the quality of public debate on crucial policy issues within the Eastern Partnership (EaP). The Fellowships are available to citizens of the six EaP countries.
The purpose of the Fellowships is to encourage leading young researchers from the EaP region to apply their skills towards better policy making. The policy briefs (5-7 pages) will be written in English and elaborated under the supervision of peers from the EU, which will be assigned to the Fellows based on the topic of their proposed research. The peers will offer guidance in relation to policy writing, understanding of the EU and its policies, as well as general advocacy strategy.
It is not necessary to cover all six EaP countries in the briefs, but advantage will be given to multi-country papers. The policy briefs need to be completed (in a publishable form) by 05 November 2016. The researchers will be subcontracted and offered an honorarium of EUR 2.500 per policy brief. This amount should include any expenses related to the production of this policy brief (including data collection, publicity, communication, possible translations and proofreading).
Target group and eligibility
- Young researchers from the EaP region (nationals of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova or Ukraine) who are affiliated to civil society organizations (including think tanks, academia)
- Fellows are expected to: o Have excellent English writing and speaking skills; o Be affiliated to a civil society organisation;
o Be a national of an Eastern Partnership country;
o Have an excellent professional and academic track record; o Have a proven track record and sound knowledge of social research methodology and experience in employing and interpreting quantitative and qualitative data;
o Have a good understanding of civil society in one or more of the Eastern Partnership countries [Previous research on civil society and/or social and political movements, including general governance aspects in their country or Eastern Europe is a plus.]
- The EU-Civil Society Fellowship Program is available to young researchers up to 35 years old.
How to apply
The deadline for submitting all application material is 13 September 2016.
Applicants will have to apply online sending:
- their CV – showing volunteering track record and experience in engaging with civil society organisations;
- a letter from a civil society organisation attesting affiliation of the potential Fellow to the organisation (contact details of the organisations need to be clearly stated);
- a piece of material on why they believe EU engagement with Eastern Partnership countries is important – applicants are encouraged to be creative on the form (examples: a max 500 words letter/ a drawing/ a video message or speech);
- max 500 words containing abstract of the future policy brief, plus short research methodology and between 3 and 10 academic references that the brief will draw on;
- contacts of two references who can speak on the professionalism and track record of the candidate. If any (these are not mandatory, but will be considered as a plus):
- an example of a previous policy research paper or policy brief drafted by the applicant (in English);
- a list of relevant publications (abstract in English translation if they are in local language/ MA or PhD theses are to be included in this list).