Call for applications: Fellowship Programme
Name: Fellowship Programme 2018
What: Fully funded three-month research residency for activists, researchers and journalists working with civic activism and social issues in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Dates: Two intakes: Summer 2018 (June-August) and Autumn 2018 (September-December)
Location: Prague
Who should apply: Anyone from Eastern Europe and Central Asia (see map below) with proven experience and commitment to civil society in their country or region. This includes experts, researchers, human rights defenders, environmental or urban activists, journalists and members of NGOs and civic-minded groups.
What is the Fellowship Programme?
Fellowships are fully funded three-month research residencies in Prague for individuals from Eastern Europe and Central Asia. This includes activists, experts, researchers and people working on civic-minded projects and social issues in their country or region.
You can use this opportunity to:
• research challenges, opportunities and trends affecting civil society in your country or region
• write a book or training manual, policy or analytical paper
• conceptualise and initiate a new project
All travel and living expenses are covered by the Prague Civil Society Centre and you will have the opportunity to receive a small grant to aid the development of your project. There will also be opportunities for professional development, networking and English language training.
Practical information
Health insurance
If the fellow does not have travel health insurance, they must buy an insurance policy for the duration of stay in Prague. The Centre will reimburse the cost of insurance.
Visa
Obtaining information about the visa process and ensuring that the visa is received in a timely manner is the responsibility of the fellow. There are different types of Schengen visas. Please bear in mind that, if selected for fellowship, you need to stay in the Schengen area for 90 days continuously. If you already have a partly used 90-day Schengen visa than you will be able to use only the remaining unused number of days during your fellowship and you will not be able to prolong the visa in the Czech Republic after you have used all 90 days.
Per diem
The Centre will pay a per diem of 500 CZK per day for the first three weeks and 400 CZK per day thereafter, throughout the duration of the fellowship period. This provides a decent living for one person. The per diem should be spent on food, mobile phone services, public transport, admission fees to cultural events and other daily needs of the fellow (not including accommodation, this is covered by PCSC separately). The Centre does not assume responsibility for all the expenditure a fellow can have during the stay in Prague beyond covering travel, visa, per diems and accommodation.
Travel
Fellowship related travel within and outside of the Czech Republic is allowed and the expenses will be deducted from the fellowship project allowance. Travel plans have to be communicated to the centre in advance. Travel that is not related to the fellowship is not encouraged and the fellow will not receive per diems for these travel days. Please bear in mind that traveling back to the country of origin for the purposes of fellowship project or research is strongly discouraged. All research and preparation related to the fellowship project which needs to be done in the country of the origin, should be undertaken before the beginning of the fellowship. Any exception has to be agreed in advance.
Office space
Fellows will be provided with a shared office space next to the Centre. Each fellow will have a table, access to internet and printer. Please bring your own personal computers, the Centre will not be able to provide you with one.
Project allowance
The Centre can provide the fellow’s project with financial assistance of an amount between 1,500 and 2,500 EUR. The allowance can be used for approved project-related expenses that should be discussed with the Centre in advance. Potential expenses include: international events or conferences, travel, books or articles, a research assistant, mentor or international advisor, etc. If the fellow would like to take advantage of the project allowance, they will be asked to provide in advance a detailed budget and justification for the expenses. The project allowance is subject to separate approval and is not automatically granted to selected fellows.
Mentors, international advisors, research assistants
The Centre can assist you in finding a mentor to help with your fellowship project, or you can find your own international advisor. The rate offered to mentors from the Czech Republic, other Central European, Baltic or post-Soviet countries is 20 EUR/hour and the total number of hours cannot exceed 15 hours or 300 Euro. The rate offered to international advisors (prominent international expert or scholar) is 40 EUR/hour and the total number of hours cannot exceed 12 hours or 500 Euro. You are permitted to recruit the help of a research or project assistant. The rate offered to assistants is 120CZK/hour. The mentor, international advisor or assistant fees will be deducted from the project allowance.
Other opportunities.
The Centre can also arrange the following opportunities during your fellowship stay in Prague: English classes, personal development and coaching sessions. This is also deducted from the project allowance.
You could be:
• in the advanced stage of working on a research paper or book and need a few months to finish a project without the distractions of everyday life or challenges of a repressive political environment
• an experienced trainer or someone who provides educational programmes for civil society and are looking to develop a new curriculum or re-think your current approach
• someone with extensive knowledge and experience with a certain type of activism and are looking to document your knowledge to share with others
• someone with knowledge and experience of successful or failed reform processes in your country and want to document this experience as to guide future reforms in your country or abroad
• looking to write a comparative analysis of reform experiences between your country and another country/countries in the region. The fellowship can fund your research trips.
• someone with a fresh idea on how to reinvigorate civil society activism and need time to conceptualise this and work out your approach
• someone with extensive experience with using technology and smart communication tools for social change and activism and you feel that you are ready to share your experience and approach
• someone with extensive experience with social entrepreneurship or other ways of combining profit making and pro-bono work and you want to record and share your knowledge
• working in a repressive environment and need a safe place for a productive recess
What is the program looking for?
Your project proposal should aim to reflect and elaborate upon your current work in your home country. You should demonstrate how participating in the fellowship programme will aid your work upon returning home, how you will share the knowledge and expertise gained during the fellowship or how you plan to develop cross-country or regional collaborative projects and networks.
You are free to propose a project on any topic, but the program does have some thematic priorities that it is particularly interested in. Applications that address these priorities will be given favourable consideration.
If selected as a fellow, you will be asked to provide a specific project output to be agreed before the beginning of the Fellowship Programme. The Prague Civil Society Centre may also request you to contribute to our ongoing projects.
How to apply
Step 1 – Download and complete the fellowship application form.
Step 2 – Complete the registration form. You will find a link to this on the fellowship application form.
The selction process will involve interviews with shortlisted candidates and discussions regarding the project idea and your availability. The program will provide updates regarding the section process on the website.
For more information click "LINK TO ORIGINAL" below.
This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:
https://praguecivilsociety.org/call-for-applications/?utm_source=ARMACAD&utm_medium=ARMACAD