The Institute of International Relations (IFA) offers participation in the special program “Cross-Cultural Fellowships”

Whom is the programme designed for?

Fellowships are principally awarded to people working in one of the following fields:

• Policy and society
• Media and culture
• Human rights and peace
• Sustainable development

In addition, from 2019 to 2023 the following key issues will be the focus for those interested in applying for compatible host organisations:

• Civic and citizenship education
• Digital civil society

Civic and citizenship education provides both young people and adults with the knowledge and skills that enable them to shape society. Against the background of current challenges such as populism, fake news and hate speech, non-formal political education, especially in connection with digital media, is gaining in importance for an active and democratically organised civil society. People working in civic and citizenship education and pursuing goals in the fields of work listed above will be supported with these key issues.

Countries currently participating in the programme are:

Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Palestinian Territory, Qatar, Republic of Moldova, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan.

What does the funding include?

First and foremost, this programme provides financial support for the fellowship recipients.

ifa covers the following costs for fellowship recipients from abroad:

• A monthly allowance of 550 euros
• Roundtrip airfare
• Accommodation
• A monthly ticket for public transport within the place of residence
• A refund of applicable visa fees
• Health insurance

ifa covers the following costs for scholarship recipients from Germany:

• A monthly allowance of 1,100 euros
• A refund of roundtrip airfare
• A refund of applicable visa fees
• Health insurance

No provisions will be made for travelling with family members such a spouse or children. ifa assumes no costs or responsibility for other persons beyond the fellowship recipient.

What are the prerequisites?

• The applicant must be between the ages of 23 and 45 at the time of the application.
• Good written and spoken English skills.
• At least two years of proven professional experience or volunteer work in a civil society organisation in the country of origin.
• The applicant is in good health for a longer stay abroad.

Desirable:

• The applicant has been and is socially engaged for the long-term.
• The applicant can prove full-time experience in his or her field of work.
• A collaboration with an organisation in the target country is in progress or planned.
• The applicant possesses other language skills, particularly, German language skills.

Exclusionary criteria for the application

Students cannot participate in the programme.

Application in 3 steps

1. Open the ifa application portal and select the fellowship of your choice.
2. Complete the application form and upload your documents. Since the application system cannot cache any input, all documents should be ready for the upload at the start of the application.
3. Submit the completed application online via the application portal.

Incomplete applications, applications sent by email and applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered.

What application documents are required?

• Curriculum vitae in English with details about education/training, work experience, volunteering and other skills.
• Letter of motivation using the Template.
• Letter of recommendation from the applicant’s home organisation/workplace in the applicant’s country of origin, for example from a supervisor, using the Template.
• Photo is optional.

What happens after applying?

After the documents have been sent through the application portal, all applicants will receive an acknowledgment of receipt by email.

Selected candidates are invited to an interview at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany. When possible, ifa employees will also take part in the interview alongside representatives of the embassy. In exceptional cases, the selection interviews will take place by phone or via Skype.

Candidates who have been accepted to the programme will be informed by email prospectively by the end of January. Rejections will be sent without further explanation by email.