The Open Society Think Tank Fund and the Open Society Roma Initiatives announce the Roma Policy Research Fellowship, which aims to provide young Roma university graduates with skills essential for positively influencing public policies.
Application deadline: September 25, 2011
This call for proposals and the required application form are available for download at right.
The Open Society Think Tank Fund and the Open Society Roma Initiatives announce the Roma Policy Research Fellowship for young Roma BA, MA and PhD graduates from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, and Slovakia. In its first year, the fellowship program is soliciting applications from Roma graduates interested to develop their knowledge and policy development skills in the following topic areas:
- economic policies (with special interest in economic development and employment policies)
- education policies
- European integration polices
- gender policies
- governance
- local development (with special interest in housing policies)
- public health policies
- social policy
- security and individual safety (with special interest in individual safety of Roma and prevention of violence against Roma)
Each fellowship may last up to 18 months, depending on the selected topic, the duration of the internship period and the agreed policy products. The fellowships will start in January 2012.
What is the Roma Policy Research Fellowship for young Roma MA and PhD graduates?
The Open Society Roma Initiatives—which focus on, among other areas, empowerment and capacity building for future generations of Roma activists, professionals and leaders—are providing this opportunity as a response to the need for more professionals of Roma origin to take part in policy-making processes. This need has been expressed by both Roma civil society and public officials. Our long-term vision is that personal experience and commitment of young and highly educated Roma, combined with knowledge of policy-making processes, will positively influence public policies and their effectiveness on the everyday life of Roma communities.
Previous fellowship programs of the Open Society Foundations have shown that an intensive capacity-building effort that combines learning and doing is a stepping stone into the policy-advising field. This fellowship will advance the capacities of Roma youth to take on leadership roles and responsibilities, and thus help hold governments accountable for the implementation of laws and policies affecting Roma.
In the past several years the Think Tank Fund has supported the efforts of think tanks by providing paid internships for returnees—fresh graduates from Western universities—and fellowships for junior researchers employed in one of the region’s think tanks to visit and spend up to three months in another of the regional or Western European think tanks. With this new initiative, we aim to support young Roma BA, MA and PhD graduates to develop their policy research and advocacy skills and to eventually assume posts in think tanks. With these activities, we hope to help young, talented people enter the region’s think tanks and engage in policy-relevant research, analysis and advocacy under the guidance of experienced think-tank staff. We also aim to assist the think tanks in recruiting new Roma talent into their ranks.
The Roma Policy Research Fellowships are intended to attract recent graduates of BA, MA and PhD programs in economics, international relations and European integration studies, legal studies, political science, public policy and administration, social work and sociology. The fellowship program will give them the opportunity to gain first-hand research experience in the policy areas listed above. Successful candidates will receive a locally-determined stipend and an opportunity to work for six months in one of the leading think tanks in their country or another country listed in this call for applications. The program is designed to benefit both the fellows and the host organizations. The total fellowship period will last for 12 to 18 month, while the internship period in a hosting think tank is expected to last up to 6 months, depending on the research topic and its scope.
Eligibility criteria
Eligible candidates must fulfill the following three requirements:
- Have graduated in the past five years from BA, MA or PhD studies in economics, international relations and European integration studies, legal studies, political science, public policy and administration, social work and sociology.
- Be a permanent resident or citizen of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, or Slovakia.
- Applicants must be fluent in written and spoken English in addition to the local language. Knowledge of Romanes will be regarded as an advantage.
What is expected from fellows?
Once the candidate passes through all stages of the selection process and is awarded a fellowship, the fellow will be guided through three distinct phases of the program.
In the first 3-6 months, fellows will attend training that will build their understanding of evidence-based policy-making and their capacity to undertake policy-relevant research in the selected topic areas. In this period each fellow will prepare a factsheet on the situation of Roma in his/her country as well as start planning the work and policy products to be developed during the internship period.
In the next phase, the fellow will assume a full-time internship position in one of the region’s think tanks (preferably in their home country) for up to six months. The fellow will work in the hosting think tank’s offices for the duration of the internship, becoming part of the organization. Throughout this period, the fellow is expected to engage in ongoing policy research projects and develop concrete policy products, which are to be agreed with the mentor in the hosting organization prior to internship period. The policy products of the internship period can be one or more of the following:
- Full research or baseline study (Fellows are expected to formulate clear tangible outcomes at the end of the study/survey.)
- Policy papers, briefs or newsletters
- Organized event or conference (Fellows should contribute to thematic development of an event organized within the internship period.)
- Any other policy-related product or activity that benefits both the visiting fellows and the hosting organization (e.g., designing and hosting policy blogs)
Given that the fellows will be part of think tanks for a longer period, we will expect them to be engaged in more than one project and, if feasible, in the preparation of multiple policy products.
The fellow's work is to be guided by a senior policy analyst or the director of the hosting think tank, and that person will be considered the fellow’s mentor for the duration of the fellowship period. At the beginning of the fellowship period, before the fellow goes to work in the host organization, an agreement will be made between the fellow and hosting organization about the topic of the fellowship and the expected outputs. An action plan for the internship period that is beneficial to both parties will also be developed. All fellows will be expected to produce the agreed outputs by the end of the fellowship period.
In the last 3 months of the fellowship period, the fellow will finalize the policy research and policy products started during the 6-month internship period in the hosting organization. Upon completion of the internship period and upon the completion of the fellowship period, the Think Tank Fund will expect reports from both the intern and the hosting think tank. Fellows will be invited to a final fellowship seminar, where their work and policy products will be presented and discussed.
Selection of hosting think tanks
Before the final selection of fellows, the Think Tank Fund will contact potential host organizations and make preliminary agreements with those who are willing to mentor pre-selected fellows. Agreements among the hosting think tank, the fellow, and the fellowship organizers about the mentorship plan and policy products in a selected topic area will be finalized once the fellowship is awarded and the fellow starts the first phase of the program.
Terms of the Award
The fellowship award will cover a fixed monthly stipend for the entire duration of the fellowship period. Travel and subsistence grants will be awarded to those fellows who need to travel and reside outside their home town or country during the internship period in a think tank. These expenses will be determined based upon a reasonable estimation pertaining to the country in question.
How to apply
To be considered for the Roma Policy Research Fellowship, applicants should submit the following documents in English (as .doc or .pdf attachments to email) by September 25, 2011 to ttf_fellowships@osi.hu:
- Motivation/cover letter: This letter should describe the applicant's interest in this fellowship, the specific expectations from the fellowship in relation to the applicant’s career aspirations, the applicant’s skills and qualifications, and the added value the applicant aspires to contribute both to the hosting and sponsoring organizations.
- Fellowship application form : The fellowship application form should indicate the topic area the applicant would like to work on, include justification of the topic regarding both personal career development and the advancement of Roma communities in the applicant’s country, and list local Roma NGOs that could benefit from policy research on the suggested topic. The form is attached at right and also available at http://www.soros.org/initiatives/roma/news/roma-policy-fellowship-20110901.
(optional) The applicant can also suggest the name of a think tank that he/she would be initially interested to work with during the fellowship period.
- Curriculum Vitae (CV): The CV should include the applicant’s academic and professional background, a detailed description of the applicant's previous employment, a list of academic and policy projects in which the applicant has been involved, a list of scholarships, fellowships or internships the applicant was awarded until now, and a list of two people who are familiar with the applicant’s professional engagements.
How will the selection process be organized?
The selection process will have two major stages:
I. Pre-selection: Applicants will receive a response by October 12, 2011. Pre-selected candidates will be requested to attend the Introduction and Orientation Meeting in Budapest on November 8-12, 2011. Participation in this meeting will be one of the conditions for an applicant to remain in the pool of candidates for the final stage of selection.
II. Final selection: Pre-selected candidates will receive a response regarding whether they have been awarded a fellowship by December 12, 2011.
► Please note that the Decade of Roma Inclusion Secretariat Foundation is not involved in organizing this program and cannot provide assistance to potential applicants. If you have questions or would like to apply, please use the contact information provided in the call for applications.
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