EU:CD Fellowship 2024: Open Call for Applications
The EU Cyber Diplomacy Initiative — EU Cyber Direct, in cooperation with EU CyberNet is launching a new edition of the EU:CD Fellowship Porgramme for Junior and Mid-Level Experts from Partner Countries that will run from January to August 2024.
The main purpose of the EU:CD Fellowship is to support partner countries and non-governmental stakeholders to engage in international cyber diplomacy debates through addressing development of skills and knowledge at the individual level. The Fellowship will pay particular attention to knowledge transfer among the Fellows in order to build relationships and strengthen North-South and South-South cooperation. Some of the issues that the Fellowship will address include:
The UN framework for responsible state behaviour; Regional and multilateral approaches to countering cybercrime; International frameworks for strengthening cyber resilience; International digital cooperation, including standardisation and data governance; Global governance of emerging disruptive technologies.
1. Identify and discuss key policy dilemmas across various cyber, digital and tech issues;
2. Identify and engage with stakeholders at national, regional and international level;
3. Shape domestic policies in the domains covered during the Programme;
4. Contribute to strengthening national and/or regional perspective on cyber and digital issues, including through official submissions to international organisations, written opinion pieces or presentations during workshops;
5. Transmit the acquired knowledge to other members of the national ecosystem or a stakeholder group.
Structure of the EU:CD Fellowship Programme
The EU:CD Fellowship Programme will be comprised of three main pillars:
1. Knowledge building: Fellows will be invited to participate in targeted online sessions related to the main themes of the Programme. In particular, Fellows will have a unique opportunity to interact with senior officials from the EU and member states.
2. Representation broadening: Selected Fellows will obtain support to prepare and participate in a session of the United Nations Open-Ended Working Group on ICTs in New York, as well as another international cyber-related event in Europe. Please note that in case of government officials, participation in some of these meetings might be subject to accreditation from a respective national government.
3. Mentorship: Each Fellow will have an opportunity to benefit from a mentorship by a senior government official or expert collaborating with the EU Cyber Diplomacy Initiative.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the Fellowship, the candidates must meet the following criteria:
Be a national of a country from one of the regions: non-EU members of the Eastern European Group (EEG), Africa Group, Latin America and the Caribbean Group (GRULAC), Asia Pacific Group (APG); Have a clear relevance of cyber and/or digital developments at national, regional or international level for current employment or line of work; Have a proven working knowledge of English.
Selection
Individuals interested in applying for the Fellowship, should fill in the submission form by 4 December 2023. The EU Cyber Diplomacy Initiative team will select up to 15 Fellows in cooperation with EU CyberNet. Selected individuals will be informed about the outcome by January 2024. The selection process will take into account the need to ensure diversity in terms of regional representation, age, gender, race, and professional background.
