The Eastern Partnership and the Future of EU Engagement

Chatham House in partnership with the Robert Bosch Stiftung, St Antony’s College (Oxford University) and the European Commission invite young specialists from Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine) to apply to participate in a new project assessing the European Union’s policy towards its Eastern neighbours. Successful applicants will be invited to attend a two-day programme of events in London and Oxford on 16 and 17 March 2011. Participants will be invited to share their ideas on the future of the EU’s Eastern Partnership with leading experts from across Europe. All travel and accommodation will be covered by the project organisers.

Background

The Eastern Partnership was launched in 2008 at a challenging juncture for the European Union's relations with its eastern neighbours. The Russo-Georgian conflict forced the countries on Russia's periphery to look hard at the regional and geopolitical environment and reconsider the relative attractiveness of increased engagement with Euro-Atlantic organizations. The context has been further complicated by the global financial crisis, which shifted attention in EU member states both inwards, to domestic concerns, and further outwards, to questions of global governance reform.More than ever the EU has to make the case to its neighbours of the importance of open markets and transparent government, and that prosperity and security are best achieved through convergence with EU norms. With Poland, one of the initiators of the Eastern Partnership, assuming the EU Presidency in July 2011, this is an opportune moment for a re-evaluation of EU policy objectives and approaches in the region.

Programme

This project aims to provide an opportunity for young specialists and future leaders from the EaP countries, based in think tanks, public administration, the media and academia. The project will provide an opportunity to exchange ideas on EU policy with leading experts and policy-makers from across Europe. Participants will increase their knowledge of EU policy to Eastern Europe and build contacts with specialists from all parts of the continent. One applicant from each EaP country will be chosen to participate in an expert seminar entitled ‘The Eastern Partnership and the Future of EU Engagement’, to be held at Chatham House in London on 16 March 2011. On 17 March, participants will attend a programme of lectures, meetings and discussions on the future of the European Union with international relations experts at St Antony’s College, Oxford University. In addition, one applicant will be invited to write a Chatham House Briefing Paper on the future of the Eastern Partnership. This will be published by Chatham House and made available on the website (see below).

Eligibility

· Citizen of Eastern Partnership country (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine);
· Background in International Relations, Social Sciences or Economics;
· Track record of research on the former Soviet Union and EU relations with Eastern Europe or the South Caucasus;
· Excellent English writing and oral presentation skills;
· Under forty years old.

Requirements

All successful applicants will participate in a seminar at Chatham House on 16 March 2011 and a programme of lectures and discussions on the EU at Oxford University on 17 March 2011. Applicants may be asked to provide short presentations at the conference, or act as a discussant in panels. Applicants can also apply to write a peer-reviewed Chatham House Briefing Paper (8,000-10,000 words) on the future of the EU’s Eastern Partnership. This will be organised separately on the basis of the applications submitted, and an honorarium will be paid.

Application

Please apply by sending your CV, a cover letter, a publication sample and a proposal for a presentation or research paper on an aspect of the EU’s policy towards its Eastern partners. This can focus on the EU’s policy to a single Eastern Partnership country or the region as a whole. Proposals should be a maximum of 500 words. Please indicate in your cover letter if you would also like to be considered for the Briefing Paper. Applicants to write the briefing paper must provide a broad regional focus in their research proposal.

All travel costs and accommodation for participants will be covered by Chatham House.

Application deadline: 10 January 2011

Please send applications to:
Alex Nice
Russia and Eurasia Programme
Chatham House

10 St James’s Square

London, SW1Y 4LE

United Kingdom

anice@chathamhouse.org.uk

Tel: +44 20 7314 3627

Go to the official webpage

Jim Ellert MBA Scholarships, IMD Business School, Switzerland

IMD, "International Institute for Management Development," Lausanne, Switzerland, offers Jim Ellert MBA Scholarships for successful MBA applicants who can demosntate their financial need. Jim Ellert MBA Scholarships are intended to attract students from Africa, Central and Eastern Europe (including all former Soviet republics), and the South-Eastern Asian Peninsula (Thailand, Myramar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia).

Field of study: Master in Business Administration

Scholarship value/inclusions: CHF 20,000

Eligibility: Accepted candidates who demonstrate strong financial need (with preference given to women). Candidates will also be considered on the basis of merit as per the quality of their admission application. All scholarship applicants must submit an essay on the following topic: ‘Why I would like to do an MBA at IMD’ (maximum 500 words).

Applicants must have been accepted into the IMD MBA program prior to their application.

Scholarship applications are essay based, with winning essays typically including the following features:

* Relevance to the essay title

* Organization and structure

* Fully developed arguments

* Persuasiveness

* Personal element and/or passion

Deadline: The deadline for scholarship applications is 30 September annually.

For further information please go to: http://www.imd.ch/programs/mba/fees/scholarships/Jim-Ellert.cfm 

New Europe Master in Banking and Entrepreneurship, Italy

New Europe Master in Banking and Entrepreneurship is a post-graduate program, sponsored and organized with the contribution of Fondazione Cassamarca and UniCredit Group since 2003, which aims to provide a technical and practical understanding of the European banking system and of the multifaceted relationships between banks and business communities. The objective of the program is to create new, highly qualified professionals with a command of the knowledge essential to bank and business management. 

The business school Master[BE] offers a successful method of studying the European banking system including the relationships between businesses and financial environments. The program concentrates mainly on two areas, banking and entrepreneurship, as these areas especially represent the most important factors in all economies. 

The program is particularly focused on the situation of the Eastern Europe. It allows young students from New Europe to obtain better knowledge of entrepreneurship philosophy (for example the business environment in the Italian North East) and typical standards for operating in the European banking sector in general. 

Master[BE] is connecting people from all over New Europe, including Azerbaijan, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine and many others. We all have one goal in common: to increase cultural and general institutional knowledge as a basis of economic development in open environments such as the Italian North East, in particular in the Veneto region, and to apply it in New Europe Countries. 

Candidate requirements and admission

The Master’s program is geared to graduates (both bachelor’s and master’s degrees) and young professionals with up to two years of professional experience.

Ideal applicants should have citizenship in one of the Central and Eastern European countries where UniCredit Group is present (e.g. Azerbaijan, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, the Ukraine). 

Applicants need to have:

• a university degree
• a TOEFL or similar certificate to demonstrate proficiency in English
• internship experience and / or work experience (preferably finance-related)

A maximum of 30 students will be accepted into the program. Admission to the New Europe Master in Banking and Entrepreneurship will follow a selection process based on the candidates’ documentation in addition to interviews to get to know them better and to evaluate their competence in English. 

Application and deadline
In order to apply for the New Europe Master in Banking and Entrepreneurship and the related scholarship, applicants must provide the following documents no later than June 30, 2010.

• Motivation letter
• Curriculum Vitae
• Application form
• Passport copy
• English transcript of academic degree, exams, grades
• Language certificates
• Letter of recommendation (e.g. university professor, manager of a company)

The registration fee for the program is Euro 25,000. This includes board, lodging and teaching materials. The sponsors of the New Europe Master in Banking and Entrepreneurship will award selected candidates with a scholarship covering up to Euro 22,000 of the registration fee of the Master’s program. The remaining fee is to be paid in three installments of Euro 1,000 each (+ 20% VAT).

Applicants interested in a scholarship should send a completed scholarship application form together with all other required documents to the Secretary, Umanesimo Latino S.p.A. no later than June 30, 2010. The request must include acceptance of all the conditions of the scholarship and the authorization to handle personal data. Applicants who will be granted a scholarship will be notified by letter and by e-mail. 

For more details and application forms please go to the website: http://www.masterbe.com

 

Key contacts:
Operating manager: Mr. Daniele Paparotti - info@masterbe.com
Secretary: Mrs.Monica Zoppas - infocampus@fondazionecassamarca.it.

Visby Scholarship for Summer Courses in Sweden

The Swedish Institute Visby Program funds annual summer courses on different topics for candidates from Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. The summer courses are open to three groups of applicants: students with at least three years of university studies,  upper secondary school teachers (under 35 years of age) and PhD students and younger university teachers (under 35 years of age). Applicants must be citizens of Belarus, Russia or Ukraine. 

These Summer University courses are funded by the Swedish Institute and thus, there is no course fee. The scholarship also includes lodging and food. There is also some contribution to the travel costs. 

This  year the following courses are available:

Courses for students:

- Folkuniversitetet and University of Gothenburg: Sustainable Development in the Baltic Region — August 16 to August 27, 2010;

- Lund University: Gender Issues, Equality and Swedish Society — June 21 to July 7, 2010;

- Svefi Academy: The Open Society — Sweden as an example, HR in Sweden and Swedish involvement in HR issues in the World — August 15 to 29, 2010.

Course aimed at upper secondary school teachers (under 35 years of age):

- Uppsala University, Erken Laboratory: Local and Global Impact — Environmental and Climatic Effects on Lakes as Tools in Education 2010 — August 2 to August 15, 2010.

Course aimed at the PhD students and younger university teachers (under 35 years of age):

- Blekinge Institute of Technology: Introduction to Strategic Sustainable Development — August 1 to August 14, 2010.

The deadline for all applications is April 15, 2010.

Information about the courses and how to apply is available on the website.

Carnegie Research Fellowship Program 2010

The National Council for Eurasian and East European Research is pleased to announce the competition for the Carnegie Research Fellowship Program in the United States for the next academic year. Scholars of the humanities and social sciences from eligible regions may apply for individual, non-degree research opportunities at universities and institutes in the United States. This competition selects university faculty, researchers, advanced graduate students, and scholars in the social sciences and humanities from the Russian cities of Kaliningrad and Rostov-na-Donu, as well as scholars from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

Eligible applicants:

- Advanced graduate students, university faculty and scholars at any stage in their careers who have not recently conducted research projects at U.S. institutions.

- Scholars who hold a “Kandidatskaya” degree or higher, or who are working towards a “Kandidatskaya” degree at the time of application.

Participants in the CRFP will receive the following:

1) round-trip airfare from their home cities to their host universities in the United States;

2) a pre-departure orientation, and an orientation program in either Seattle or Washington D.C.;

3) a monthly stipend;

4) health insurance;

5) access to libraries and archives, and alumni activities.

Additionally, all CRFP scholars will be eligible for a scholar development fund to aid in purchasing books, technology, and other research tools, or to attend a conference and become affiliated with professional groups in the United States. 

Established in January 2001 by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Carnegie Research Fellowship Program brings Russian and former Soviet scholars to the United States for short-term, non-degree research at American universities and research institutions. All fellows spend up to four months at their host universities conducting research on specific topics in their fields and write a 15 to 30-page academic paper for presentation upon the fellow's return home. It is expected that returning fellows will actively participate in the development of the program activities of the CASE with which they are affiliated. Fellows are also expected to present their work at conferences and receive peer evaluation of the results of their research.

A select number of successful participants are designated as George F. Russell fellows and placed at the University of Washington. 

Deadline for application: April 30, 2010.

Website: http://www.nceeer.org