Policy Fellowship
Does your work focus on the green transition or the technological development and extensive digitalisation of society? And would you like to explore one of these areas in more detail and gain new perspectives? If so, you should apply for a 10-month Policy Fellowship at Queen Mary’s Centre, which will give you a unique access to cross-disciplinary and research-based expertise.
Working on the great challenges of our time, a lot of people feel the need for more cross-disciplinary and research-based knowledge that can lead to new solutions – but finding the time and occasion to look for new insights can be difficult.
Therefore, you now have a chance to become a Policy Fellow with Queen Mary’s Centre (the application form is now closed). Our mission is to contribute to new ways of bridging the gap between research and practice, and our Policy Fellowship is a professional development programme that gives you a better understanding of the societal challenges you are grappling with. The programme, which is inspired by a similar initiative at the University of Cambridge, is the first of its kind in Denmark. It is aimed at stakeholders from the public, private, philanthropic and civil society sectors whose work is strategic and influences decision-making in their organisation.
As a Policy Fellow, you get a chance to bridge research and practice through close collaboration with university experts from the faculties of social sciences and humanities in particular. Once you have formulated the problem(s) you wish to explore, we set up meetings for you with several university experts who can give you new perspectives on your work. This will give the researchers practical knowledge of the policy world in which you work, and you get a chance to build strong and lasting relationships with university experts and other Policy Fellows.
The programme is funded by Realdania and is free of charge for Policy Fellows. We expect you to take active part in the programme. Policy fellows are selected via an application process.
Individual expert meetings and exchange of experiences
The 10-month programme, which runs from September to June the following year, will give you inspiration and input on the challenges you formulate at the start of the programme. We make sure the programme is compatible with a busy work life. Each month, there will be one or two meetings – either individual meetings with university experts, network meetings with the other policy fellows or inspiration meetings, including external activities. We collaborate with the University of Cambridge and i.a. organise activities together with the Cambridge Centre for Science and Policy.
At the end of the programme, you will produce an written product reflecting on the insight you have gained and how you can use them in future policy activities – e.g. to reformulate your organisation’s strategy, inspire staff and colleagues or find new solutions to key challenges.
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After the programme, you can choose to become part of our alumni network. To test the programme, we have run a pilot project in 2022-2023 focussing on the green transition. You can read more about the policy fellows and researchers who participated in the pilot project here. (Please note that the group of researchers is likely to change for next year’s programme, as researchers are invited to participate based on the questions formulated by the new policy fellows).
Two subprogrammes
This year, you can apply for a policy fellowship focussing on either the green transition or digitalisation / technology. Each Policy Fellowship is unique and dependent on the questions you formulate. You can choose to explore specific aspects of your work in detail or step out of your usual role and approach issues from a more long-term perspective. You decide what is relevant to you – as long as it is related to one of the two main themes.
You can apply for one of this year's two Policy Fellowships by filling out the short application form by 2 April 2024 (the application form is now closed). A selection committee with representatives from the Faculties of Social Sciences, Law, Humanities and Theology will select 5-10 policy fellows per thematic focus.
If you are selected for this year's Policy Fellowship, we will start planning your programme with you in June. Here, we emphasise the importance of utilising the rich opportunities for academic breadth that we have at the Faculties of Humanities and Social Sciences and ensure a match that is valuable both for you and for the researchers you meet.
When? The programme runs from September 2024 to June 2025. We will hold a meeting with each Policy Fellow in June 2024.
How much time am I expected to spend on my Policy Fellowship? You are expected to participate in three network meetings which require little preparation and around four or five inspiration meetings, which do not require any preparation. In the expert track, you will meet with five or six experts. These meetings require some preparation, and here the mutual collaboration between researcher and policy fellow is paramount. Finally, we expect you to produce an end project, the content and scope of which we will decide on at the start of the programme.
What is the final, written product? Together, the Policy Fellow and Crown Princess Mary Center agree on the content and scope of the final, written product; this is to make sure it is as relevant as possible to the issues and opportunities of the individual Policy Fellow. It can be a strategy presentation, a policy brief, an article, a case description or the like. The written product must include your reflections on the new research-based perspectives you have gained as a Policy Fellow and how you intend to make use of them.
Where? Most of the joint and individual meetings will be held at the Crown Princess Mary Center, Øster Farimagsgade 3, 1353 Copenhagen K. If you need an office, one will be made available to you at the Center.
Who can apply? Employees in the public sector, private sector, civil society or philanthropic organisations focussing on the green transition or technological development/digitalisation and whose work is strategic and affects decision-making in the organisation.
How do I apply? To apply for one of the two subprogrammes, you need to fill in and submit the application form (also available at the right-hand side of the page as long as it is active).
When should I apply? The deadline for applications is 2 April at 23:59.
When can I expect an answer? You will be notified of our decision at the end of April.
How much does it cost? The programme is funded by Realdania and free of charge for policy fellows.