Capacity Building Programme - Call For Applications

DiploFoundation, in cooperation with various partners, is currently accepting applications for the 2007 Internet Governance Capacity Building Training Programme.

This programme is designed to improve Internet Governance (IG) related knowledge and skills for participants mainly from developing countries and to facilitate community building among individuals with different national, cultural, and professional backgrounds.

 

How to Apply

Please read the programme details, terms and conditions below carefully.
To apply, fill out the online Application Form.

 

Basic Info

  • The Internet Governance Capacity Building Training Programme is an online training and research programme in Internet Governance and Policy, followed by a capacity building fellowship programme.
  • The programme offers 135 places for young professionals in related fields. It is open for individuals from around the world. The participants will be divided into several regionally-based groups. A special bilingual group will be created for Spanish-English speaking applicants.
  • The 8 month programme will commence on 1 March 2007. The Foundation Course of the online training phase will take place from March to April 2007. The most successful 100 participants will continue with the Advanced Course from April to July 2007. An optional research phase will follow from July to October 2007. Fellowship placements will be offered from July 2007 through to 2008, dependent on the timing of pertinent events and meetings.
  • The programme includes study and discussion of textual materials under the guidance of experienced tutors and with support from topic experts. Interaction takes place through an online learning platform enabling a variety of learning and communication tools.
  • Aims of the programme are knowledge- and experience-sharing among the participants, supported by DiploFoundation associates.

 

Application

Eligibility

The training programme seeks applications from the following categories of individuals from both developed and developing countries:

  • officials in government ministries and departments dealing with IG related issues (e.g., telecommunications, education, foreign affairs, justice);
  • postgraduate students and researchers in the IG field (e.g., in telecommunications, electrical engineering, law, economics, development studies);
  • civil society activists in the IG field;
  • journalists covering IG issues;
  • individuals in Internet-business fields (e.g., ISPs, software developers).


Requirements

  • 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 
  • Frequent access to the Internet (dial-up connection is sufficient)
  • Minimum of 8 hours commitment per week during the programme 
  • Participation in online consultations (once a week at specified times) 


Fee

Applicants from developing countries: full scholarships are available for all selected applicants to cover course tuition.
Applicants from developed countries: 2000 euros.


Deadline

The deadline for applications is 15 February 2007.


Selection

The selection of participants is based on following criteria:

  • motivation of applicants and vision of importance of the topic
  • proposed future involvement in the local community, using developed skills and gained knowledge
  • professional background and relevant work and/or academic experience in the field of IG
  • country of origin (preference for Least Developed Countries
  • regional distribution (Latin America, Africa, Asia-Pacific, Countries in Transition - Eastern Europe, Balkans, Central Asia)
  • gender equality
  • stakeholder distribution
  • age (preference will be given to applicants in the 25-35 year range
  • estimated time-availability by each applicant will be taken into account

 

Special notes

Programme Model

  • The programme is conducted fully online. In order to participate in this programme (to access course materials and engage in discussion with other participants and tutors) participants must have access to the Internet. Most course activities can be completed whenever convenient to the participant, within a given weekly schedule. Real-time (synchronous) online interaction (attending online chat sessions) takes place only once a week. Interaction is text-based, so in most cases a dial-up Internet connection is sufficient.


Working Language

  • The working language of the programme is English. Applicants are asked to consider whether their reading and writing skills in English are sufficient to follow university level materials and discussion.
  • Applicants to the Spanish-speaking group are asked to note that both Spanish and English are working languages. Reading and writing skills in Spanish must be sufficient to follow and produce university level materials and discussion. Reading and writing skills in English must be sufficient to understand instructions and for basic communication and interaction.


Expectations

  • Participants must be in the position to dedicate at least 8 hours per week to the learning phase of this programme, from 1 March to 29 June 2007. Those interested to continue with the research phase must be able to dedicate at least 8 hours per week from 15 July to 15 October, 2007.
  • At minimum, participants will be requested to read weekly materials, post several comments and questions, and respond to questions and comments posted by tutors and other programme participants. During the advanced phase, participants will also be required to join forum discussions and weekly real-time chat sessions, as well as to search for additional relevant sources of information to share and discuss with their groups.

 

Programme Outline

Online Training Phase

The training consists of two courses:

1. Foundation Course

  • Aims at raising awareness of problems related to the Information Society and the importance of Internet Governance (IG), and sharing the views of the participants among themselves.
  • Lasts for 5 weeks, from 1 March until 9 April 2007.
  • Gathers 135 participants from developing countries, with diverse stakeholder background, interests, and experiences.
  • Groups participants in 9 regional groups (including one Spanish-English speaking group), each tutored by an experienced Diplo associate.
  • Provides a solid base of knowledge about global IG processes and various related issues, and introduces 4 core thematic baskets: Infrastructure and Standardisation, Legal, Economic, and Socio-Cultural, with a strong developmental dimension.
  • Is facilitated through an online classroom which provides basic tools for online learning and interaction.

2. Advanced Course

  • Aims at building human capacities and creating a community of skilful IG fieldworkers at global, regional, and local levels.
  • Continues immediately after the Foundation Course, and lasts for 12 weeks, from 9 April until 29 June 2007.
  • Gathers the 100 most successful participants from the Foundation Course, based on interest and activity shown during the Foundation Course.
  • Groups participants in the same tutored 9 groups, with involvement of additional per-topic facilitators, as well as renowned worldwide experts in various topics (university professors, diplomats, researchers...)
  • Provides deeper insight into actual and important IG issues through advanced materials, discussions, and exchange of experience and knowledge with the assistance of topic facilitators and expert advisors.
  • Introduces a set of optional topics chosen by each participant, for further profiling skills and knowledge of participants according to their interests.
  • Is facilitated through an online classroom which provides basic and advanced tools for online learning and interaction.
  • Enables cross-group interaction through common resources, forums, and joint activities.
  • Concludes with a final, narrative exam that assesses the level and way of understanding of the most challenging course issues; and provides certificates of successful completion of the programme, based on a course-long evaluation of participation and contributions.


Online Research Phase

  • Aims at developing online research skills of the participants, acquainting them with online research methodology, academic guidelines, modern research tools, online teamwork, collecting and analyzing data, and drafting a comprehensive report.
  • Continues 2 weeks after the Advanced Course, and lasts for 13 weeks, from 16 July until 12 October 2007.
  • Gathers the most successful participants from the Advanced Course, based on the final course assessment and interest in research work.
  • Groups participants according to the topic of interest within 10 teams of 3 to 4 participants, each team supervised by an experienced Diplo associate, and assisted by expert advisors.
  • Introduces analytical insight in challenging IG related topics, with a strong developmental dimension, with the introduction of a case-study approach.
  • Is facilitated through a Portal-oriented online research platform which enables the collection, structuring, and analysis of data and its presentation in an easy-to-manage web form with summaries, recommendations, and conclusions.
  • Provides an opportunity for the promotion of research results within Diplo publications as well as at global and regional IG conferences, including the Internet Governance Forum meeting later this year.


Fellowship Programme

An important component of the programme is a series of fellowships and capacity building packages:

  • Aims at providing participants with practical experience in dealing with IG issues.
  • Fellowships are granted to a number of the most successful participants of the programme.
  • Selection is based on results from the online course, successful development of the research project, and equal regional distribution.
  • Positions include placements with DiploFoundation projects, the Internet Governance Forum Secretariat, and other partner institutions and participation at the main regional and global meetings related to IG, including the IG Forum meeting in Rio.

 

Topics

Basic Topics

  • Introduction to the IG process
  • Infrastructure and Standardisation
  • Legal Basket
  • Economic Basket
  • Socio-Cultural Basket


Advanced Topics

  • IG Process and Actors
  • Telecom Infrastructure for Access and Economic Models
  • e-Commerce for Developing Countries
  • Network Neutrality
  • Cultural Diversity and Multilingualism
  • Security and Threats
  • Openness and access to knowledge
  • Jurisdiction and Arbitration
  • Emerging Issues and Future of Internet


Optional Topics

  • TLD management, DNS policy, and DNSSEC
  • Spam
  • Cyber-crime
  • Local strategy and policy development and implementation
  • Groups in Focus (Gender, Youth, Vulnerable groups, Indigenous people)
  • e-Government and e-Voting
  • e-Learning
  • Capacity Building and Raising Awareness
  • Privacy and Content Policy, Liability
  • IPv6
  • Small Islands Inclusion
  • Copyright/Copyleft/Copyfree
    (final list of optional topics is subject to change)

 

Information

For further information, please contact us at:
ig@diplomacy.edu