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EU Eastern Partnership Civil Society Fellowships 2016 – Public Policy Stream
Deadline: 11 September 2016

The European Union is committed to supporting civil society in Eastern Partnership countries. Civil society – represented in a multitude of forms of organisation between state and citizens – is recognised by the EU as an actor in its own right to engage in dialogue with both their governments and the EU. The 2015 Communication on a Reviewed Neighbourhood Policy had especially recognised the potential that young civil society leaders in partner countries have in consolidating this conceptual understanding of civil society.
We are pleased to announce the launch of the EU Eastern Partnership Civil Society Fellowships 2016 – the Public Policy Stream. The Fellowships 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. The Fellowships are available to citizens of the Eastern Partnership countries, namely Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. A remuneration of 2,500 EUR will be offered.
The Eastern Partnership Civil Society Fellowships are supported by the European Union through the project “Civil Society. Dialogue for Progress”.
Description
The purpose of the Fellowships is to encourage leading young researchers from the Eastern Partnership (EaP) region to apply their skills towards better policy making. Fellows will receive financial support and guidance in developing policy briefs targeting the EU, partner governments and/ or other relevant national and international actors. Fellows are encouraged to draw their proposals on the CSO mapping studies conducted in the framework of the project “Civil Society. Dialogue for Progress”1. The goal of the mapping exercises was to provide relevant stakeholders with an in-depth analysis of the CSO landscape in each country. The comprehensive studies were conducted in 2014 – 2016 and consist of an analytical and empirical part. They were carried out by experts from the EaP countries and local sociological institutes.
The policy briefs (not exceeding 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. Possible topics that could be addressed are:
• how can the EU and/ or partner governments can better engage civil society actors in policy dialogue (in reference to Invited/ claimed spaces of participation, legal environment for CSOs, public perception of CSOs, new trends in civil society growth and development, shrinking space for civil society in the Eastern Partnership etc.)
• role of civil society organisations in the advancement of the Eastern Partnership reform agenda
• understanding and implications of institutional history of state – government interactions in the Eastern Partnership for the future of inclusive and evidence-based policy making in the concerned countries
• role of Association Agendas in advancing reforms and inclusion of civil society in dialogue with the EU and partner countries
• future of the Eastern Partnership as a regional political project
• other topics that may be related with evidence backed realities in the Eastern Partnership countries, and which may have an impact on the Eastern Partnership.
It is not necessary to cover all six EaP countries in the briefs, but advantage will be given to multi-country papers. The researcher will be supervised by an individually assigned peer-reviewer. Based on need, interviews with relevant EU stakeholders may be facilitated.
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 2.500 Euro 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
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).
Intellectual property rights
All intellectual property rights, in any given format remain in the possession of the European Commission. The copyright and any other right of ownership relating to the outputs will belong exclusively to the European Commission except for any element subject to existing copyright or other property rights.
Online Application
Please send the online application to info@csdialogue.eu. Links for downloading should be sent for non-written materials that exceed 10MB.