During their time in Florence, fellows have the opportunity to develop their policy work and professional skills through participation in workshops, conferences, training and other events organised by the STG and other units of the European University Institute (EUI). They are encouraged to delve into the EUI’s academic life, share their professional knowledge and benefit from the expertise and resources located at the Institute.
A five- or ten-month fellowship in Florence
For the academic year 2022-2023, the STG plans to award about thirty scholarships, which will last either five (first or second semester) or ten months (full academic year). Successful applicants will be awarded on the basis of their professional experience and potential for future excellence in their respective policy field. They will be considered as truly committed individuals working on policy issues related to transnational governance. In addition, they shall present a work plan for the fellowship and how this project will have a "multiplier effect" after their time at STG.
Moreover, the programme strives for thematic and geographic diversity and gender balance amongst its fellows. This diversity is also reflected in the current cohort: the countries of provenance range from Algeria to Argentinia and work projects cover topics such as forest policy, transnational corruption, data standards on digital platforms or space governance. The average age is 36.6 years and female fellows make up the majority with 55%.
"We expect many and diverse applications worldwide,” said Prof Claudio Radaelli, academic coordinator of the Policy Leader Fellowships at the STG. "The Policy Leaders Fellows make up a unique community of early / mid-career policy practitioners and advocacy leaders. The Fellows benefit from targeted training and engage in the dialogue between policy and the world-class research we carry out at the EUI.”
Application deadline is 25 January 2022 at 23:59 CET. Learn more about the programme and how to apply.
How Policy Leader Fellows make a difference
Former and current fellows contribute to the academic and policy-related debate at the European University Institute in a variety of ways.
Besides Policy Leader Fellows' Talks, a series of events where Fellows discuss their ongoing work with the EUI community and the broader public, they also participate in events and conferences organised across the Institute, such as the State of the Union Conference. Marta Pardavi, Policy Leader Fellow in the academic year 2020-21, spoke at last year's edition on alliances to better protect the rule of law and civic space in the EU.
Fellows have the opportunity to publish their research and opinion pieces on the EUI's platforms, such as the STG Policy Papers or the Institute’s blog EUIdeas. However, they also attract attention outside the EUI's internal forums. For example, EUI members can contribute to the ‘Firenze Idee d'Europa’ series, run in collaboration with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica. Former Policy Leader Fellow Fatema Jafari recently wrote in La Repubblica about the situation in her home country Afghanistan.
But even after their time at the STG, fellows continue to engage with their peers and the EUI community. Fellows collaborate on shared projects, such as Akilesh Magal and Federica Vinci, fellows in the academic year 2029-2020, who carried out a joint project on environmental issues until the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Costanza Hermanin, who has joined the STG in the role of Research Fellow after the end of her fellowship to carry out a project on gender equality in politics. Hermanin is also assisting a group of European citizens in their upcoming discussions in Florence in the context of the Conference on the Future of Europe.