Call for Applications
Online Capacity Building Training in Internet Governance: India

DiploFoundation and the National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) are currently accepting applications for the Online Capacity Building Training in Internet Governance for India. This online training is designed to improve Internet Governance (IG) related knowledge and skills for participants. The training also facilitates community-building among individuals with different backgrounds.

 

The Programme

The programme offers places for young professionals from diverse stakeholder backgrounds in IG-related fields and is open to 30 individuals from India. The programme will start on 1 September 2008, and will last for 10 weeks.  

The training is conducted entirely online. Participation takes place through an online learning platform enabling a variety of interactive learning and communication tools and encouraging sharing of knowledge and experiences. Participants are divided in two groups of 15 participants, each, under the guidance of certified Diplo online tutors and with support from trained professionals from the region.


The online training consists of a 10-week long course covering the following topics:

1. Introduction to Internet Governance
(Evolution, International Context, Basic Terminology, Approaches and Patterns, Guiding Principles, Analogies and other Cognitive Tools for IG)

2. Infrastructure and Standardisation Basket
(Telecommunications Infrastructure, Domain Name System, Root Servers, Internet Service Providers, Internet Bandwidth Providers, Economic Models of Internet Connectivity, Internet Security)

3. Legal Basket
(Legal Mechanisms, Jurisdiction, Arbitration, Intellectual Property Rights, Cybercrime)

4. Economic Basket
(E-Commerce, Consumer Protection, Taxation, Digital Signatures, E-Banking and E-Money)

5. Socio-Cultural Basket
(Content Policy, Privacy and Data Protection, Multilingualism and Cultural Diversity, Global Public Goods, Education)

6. Development Basket
(Digital Divide, Universal Access, Developing Telecommunications and Internet Infrastructures, Socio-Cultural Aspects, Telecommunication Policy and Regulation)

7. Internet Governance Process
(Process, Actors, Negotiations)

(For details, please refer to the basic text: Internet Governance Booklet)


Learning activities take place in an online classroom and include the analysis of course materials, interactive group discussions, assignments and exams. The programme includes preparation of a short policy research paper on an IG issue of relevance for India.

Successful participants will receive a certificate of completion of the programme.

The ten most successful participants will be awarded a Policy Fellowship from NIXI. In this case the fellowship from will facilitate participation at the Internet Governance Forum in Hyderabad, India, December 2008, by sponsoring five days of bed and breakfast, and a stipend of ten thousand rupees to cover travel and other costs.  The selected participants may present findings of their research at some parallel events at the IGF.

 

Languages

Programme materials and platform are fully in English. Applicants are asked to consider whether their reading and writing skills in English are sufficient to follow university level materials and discussion.

 

Target Audience

The training programme seeks applications from the following categories of individuals from India:

  • Officials in government ministries and departments dealing with IG-related issues;
  • Postgraduate students and researchers interested in IG issues;
  • Civil Society activists in the IG field;
  • Journalists covering IG issues;
  • Individuals in Internet-business fields (e.g., ISPs, software developers, Registrars etc).

 

Selection Criteria

The selection of participants is based on the following criteria:

  • Motivation of applicants and vision of importance of the field;
  • Proposed future involvement in the local community, using developed skills and gained knowledge;
  • Professional background and relevant work or academic experience in the field of IG;
  • Contribution to the gender ratio of the number of participants;
  • Contribution to the stakeholder distribution (governments, international organisations, Civil Society, business, media, academia) of participants;
  • Age (preference will be given to applicants in the 25-35 year range);
  • Time availability of the applicant.

 

Timeline

  • 10 July - call for applicants
  • 5 August - application deadline
  • 15 August - selection results
  • 1 September - start of the course
  • 15 November - final evaluation

 

Fee

While the course is subsidized by NIXI and DiploFoundation, there is a nominal fee of Rupees 1000 (app. 25 USD) per participant (to be paid after the selection).

 

Requirements

The applicants are required to have:

  • Basic awareness and interest in IG issues;
  • Knowledge and/or experience of the multistakeholder approach in international affairs;
  • Fluency in English;
  • Good writing skills, ability to summarize information and focus on details; 
  • Adequate access to the Internet (dial-up connection is sufficient);
  • Minimum of 8 hours commitment per week during the programme; 
  • Willingness to participate in online consultations (once a week at specified times). 

 

Deadline

The deadline for applications is 10 August 2008, by midnight UTC/GMT.

 

How to Apply

For further information and to apply, please follow this link.

Do not hesitate to contact us at ig@diplomacy.edu.