Call for Applications, 2000
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IPF OverviewThe Open Society Institute-Budapest is calling for applications for its year 2000 International OSI Policy Fellowships (IPF) program for Central and Eastern Europe, the countries of the former Soviet Union, and Mongolia. Broadly speaking, an open society is characterized by a reliance on the rule of law, the existence of a democratically elected government, a diverse and vigorous civil society, and respect for minorities and minority opinions. The fellowships are intended to support research, writing or activism, and to encourage the development of program strategies for the Soros foundations network. Individual and practical/policy-oriented research and project proposals are sought in the following subject areas:
Fellowship Issue Areas
1) Pre-school, primary and secondary education, including school improvement, community education, multicultural education, teacher training, and education administration.
2) Higher education, including minority education, cross-regional/interdisciplinary approaches to curricular development in the social sciences, links between higher education and society, academic autonomy and the private provision of higher education services, management and reform of institutions, faculty development, and the diversification of funding and sustainability of private institutions.
3) Culture and cultural institutions, including the diversification of arts funding and the introduction of innovative cultural policies to support dynamic and pluralistic artistic creation, distribution, and training.
4) Law and human rights, including issues relating to penitentiary, police and judicial reform as well as access to justice; advocacy for persons with mental disabilities; international protection of refugees; advocacy for gays and lesbians; and legal defense against race discrimination.
5) Public administration, including studies on local government and corruption, promoting transparency in decision-making, administrative reform at the local and central levels (improving efficiency, client-based services), and training and education for civil servants.
6) Civil society and institution-building, including diversification of funding for non-profit organizations.
7) Media, including new electronic media, transitions from state-owned to public media, foreign ownership of media in the region, media legislation, the state of university-level journalism education, development of community media, and investigative journalism.
8) Roma and other minority rights issues, including minority access to education; national and international legal strategies for the defense of minority rights; and Roma activism, identity building, and migrations.
9) Economic reform and management education, including economic reforms in countries of transition, small business development, local economic development, microcredit, and management education reform.
10) Publishing, libraries and electronic communications, including publishing policy and industry development, textbook usage, publishing law, policy development for library infrastructure, librarian education, and the role of public libraries in providing access to information.
11) Public medicine and health, including public health education; harm reduction/drug treatment and drug policy; preventative health policy, education, and strategies for interventions.
12) Gender issues, including issues of educational equity, Romani women, violence against women, and refugee women.
Fellowships in the above subject areas may be awarded for significant independent research and writing, the design and/or implementation of pilot projects, or other full-time efforts to offer new information, insights and ideas on issues of importance to promoting an open society in the countries of the former Soviet Union, Central and Eastern Europe and Mongolia. Fellowships may be awarded for efforts focused on one country as well as those of a regional character. The program does NOT fund student scholarships. A relevant proposal associated with the final stages of a PhD dissertation may be considered if the applicant can demonstrate that the project will be undertaken on a full-time basis and would not be possible without fellowship funding.
In addition to completing their full-time projects, fellows will be expected to attend at least three meetings in Budapest over the course of the fellowship year, advise the Soros foundations network in developing strategies and policies, and write a brief policy paper in their area of expertise. Fellows will be assigned mentors with whom they will be able to discuss their work. Mentors will come from leading members of the professional staff of the Soros foundations network and from the Central European University.
Terms of Award
Fellows will be provided with a one-year stipend, expenses and needed communications equipment to work full-time on a project of their design in one of the above areas. The amount of the award will vary depending on standards in the fellow's country of residence and the budgetary needs of the proposal.
Fellows can choose to be based in their home countries, in another appropriate country in the target region, or to spend all or part of the year in Budapest in order to work more closely with the Soros foundations network. Fellows will be expected to travel to Budapest and other parts of the region as needed to participate in fellowship-related activities.
To Apply: Application Requirements and Procedures
- Age
The Fellowship is open to persons aged 35 and younger, as of July 20, 1999. - Residency
Applicants must be permanent residents of one of the following countries: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Yugoslavia. - Language of Application
All applications must be in English and applicants must have excellent English-language skills. The English skills of finalists will be evaluated during interviews to ensure that they can participate actively in discussions in English with the expert committees and others in the Soros foundations network about their area of expertise. However, it is not necessary that the project proposed by the applicant be one in which English is the language used. Thus, an applicant may propose a research and writing project in Polish, as long as the applicant is readily able to discuss the project and related topics in English. - Application Contents
Applicants should send a proposal of no more than 1500 words outlining a project in one of the twelve areas. This proposal should briefly explain the following:
- Application cover sheet with basic data (please find this cover sheet attached below);
- Project objective and procedures for fulfilling the project;
- Time schedule;
- Resources available (in particular, if other funding sources have been approached or provided);
- Resources needed, including a detailed budget; (please see sample budget categories provided below)
- If possible, the proposal should indicate which Soros foundation network program(s) the applicant finds most interesting (please refer to our web sites for www.soros.org and www.osi.hu for details);
- If appropriate, the proposal should explain how the results of the project might be applied broadly to the region as a whole
In addition to this proposal, applicants should include:
- A one- or two-page CV that describes relevant educational, employment or other experience;
- A transcript from the highest level of school completed;
- Two letters of reference;
- One original certified copy of English translations of the transcript and letters of recommendation. Translations must be official or certified by an university English language department. Additional copies of the certification need not be originals.
Four collated copies of all materials must be provided. Please do not use staples. All submissions should be single-sided and typed. The name of the applicant should appear in the upper right hand corner of every page included in the submission. Applicants should be sure to provide contact information applicable through 1999 and early 2000, including e-mail address and fax number where possible. All application materials should be sent to OSI in the same package, to the extent possible. Applications must be sent by registered or air mail. Faxed or e-mailed applications or recommendations will not be processed.
- Application Deadlines
Completed applications must be received by July 20, 1999 to be considered. We will not accept late applications unless they are postmarked by July 1, 1999 to allow enough time for delivery. Finalists may be asked to travel to Budapest at OSI expense to be interviewed, sometime during the OSI Board meeting in late November 1999. It is expected that successful applicants will be notified by or shortly after January 15, 2000.
Applicants will be notified of receipt of their application, likely within two weeks by fax or electronic mail. If you do not receive notification of receipt, please contact the International Policy Fellowships program at OSI-Budapest at the numbers below. - Application Address
Applications will not be accepted by e-mail or fax. Completed applications should be mailed to:
Open Society Institute Policy Fellowships
Attention: Pamela Kilpadi
Oktober 6 utca 12
H-1051 Budapest, HungaryFor further information, please connect to the web site in Budapest at http://www.osi.hu/ipf/ or in New York at http://www.soros.org/ipf/, write an e-mail to fellows@osi.hu or telephone at (36-1) 327-3863.
Open Society Fellowship Sample Budget Categories
The fellowship has no formal budgetary limitations, but budget proposals must realistically reflect the financial requirements of individual, one-year projects. Budgets will vary depending on the fellow's country of residence and budgetary needs. This is a full-time fellowship. If you plan to be involved in separate activities during the year 2000 period, please indicate along with your budget the nature of this activity, time commitment needed, compensation, and any organization with which you will be affiliated.Please consider the following potential expenses when drafting a budget. Do Not include living expense/stipend costs, which are estimated by the International OSI Policy Fellowships program on a country-by-country basis.
Costs
- Communications equipment (laptop computer, e-mail)
- Travel costs not including trips to Budapest, which are paid for by IPF (i.e., airfare, land transport, visas, travel health insurance, accommodation)
- Purchase of books, research materials
- Photocopying
- Other costs associated with the proposal (please provide details)
Other Grants/Funds
- Funding body
- Amount of funding
- Documentation regarding funding
- Any previous grants, scholarships or fellowships received (indicate when awarded and by whom)
- Details of any Soros foundations or Open Society Institute grants received including date