Roma Policy Research Fellowship

Deadline: 25 September 2011
Open to: Roma BA, MA and PhD graduates from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, and Slovakia
Scholarship: 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

Description

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)

Fellowship

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.

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.

Eligibility

Applicants 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.

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 available at this link.

– 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.

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.

Contacts

Open Society Foundations
Think Tank Fund
Oktober 6. u. 12.
Budapest 1051, Hungary
Tel: +36-1-882-3121
Fax: +36-1-882-3101
ttf_fellowships@osi.hu

The official website

To download the full information kit, please click here.