Three decades after it began, the democratic transformation of Central and Eastern Europe has ground to a halt. From within, the region is challenged by ruthless power politics, political polarization, weak institutions, beleaguered civil society and media, reform fatigue, and a return of traditional nationalism and phobias.
Given these mounting challenges, the region and its Western partners urgently need fresh thinking and innovation in policy-making and civic engagement.
For this reason, The German Marshall Fund of the United States launched a fellowship program that supports next-generation policy experts and civil society practitioners from Central and Eastern Europe.
Eligibility:
- Young policy experts and/or civic activists from Central Europe, the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine);
- Maximum age: 35 years;
- Proven track record of policy analysis and/or civil society engagement at national, regional, or international levels, in a think tank, university, business, a governmental institution, or nongovernmental organization;
- Concrete projects for innovative policy research and/or effective civil society engagement that address the current and coming challenges for Central and Eastern Europe. Priority will be given to projects that have regional, rather than single country, reach and applicability;
- Commitment to produce a quality policy publication as the main output of the fellowship.
What GMF offers:
- A year-long non-resident fellowship;
- Affiliation with The German Marshall Fund of the United States, a premier transatlantic think tank;
- Access to the GMF network of policy and civil society professionals as well as individual support by GMF peers;
- Two workshops on policy research and writing at the early and mid-stages of the fellowship;
- Possibility of short-term stays at GMF offices, subject to research theme and availability;
- Professional publication, presentation, and distribution of a research paper;
- Full coverage of travel, board, and lodging for the purposes of policy research under the fellowship;
- A stipend of $4,500 for the entire fellowship.
Applications must contain: completed online application form, letter of intent, CV and example of recent publication.
The deadline for submitting applications is the 13th of January 2020.
Find out more details at the following link: http://www.gmfus.org/initiatives/rethinkcee-fellowship-call-applications .
