Call for Applications

Capacity Development Online Programme in Internet Governance and Information and Communication Technologies Policy
(for applicants from Latin America, the Caribbean, North America, Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia)

DiploFoundation is currently accepting applications for the 2010 Internet Governance Capacity Building Programme (IGCBP10). This online programme is designed to improve Internet governance (IG) related knowledge and skills for participants mainly from developing countries and assist them to participate in the global decision-shaping debates on Internet Governance (IG). The Programme also facilitates community building among individuals with different national, cultural, and professional backgrounds.

The Programme

The programme offers 60 places for professionals from diverse stakeholder backgrounds in IG-related fields and is open to individuals from around the world. The first two phases of the programme will be conducted entirely online.

The programme includes three phases, which take place over nine months during 2010:

I    The online training phase consists of a 12-week long Foundation Course, introducing IG policy, process, and actors, and covering 5 thematic baskets: Infrastructure and Standardisation Basket, Legal Basket, Economic Basket, Socio-Cultural Basket, Development Basket, and a section on the IG Process and Actors;
Learning activities take place in an online classroom and include the analysis of course materials, interactive group discussions using a variety of communication tools, assignments, and exams. Successful participants will receive a certificate of completion of the Foundation Course.

II  An 8-week long module of the Advanced Course, covering one advanced topic to be chosen by each participant from options such as: Intellectual Property Rights, Infrastructure, Privacy, Security, Child Online Safety, e-Participation and others.

III The online policy research phase is an optional 8-week period of supervised, collaborative online work focused on IG policy issues of highest relevance to developing countries, and is closely linked to training activities. The first four weeks emphasise the importance of policy research and research methodology techniques, and each participant will apply these concepts during the second 4 weeks, while doing actual policy research on a topic relevant to their own region.

IV The award-based policy immersion phase includes capacity development fellowships awarded to a number of successful participants in the programme, such as internships with partner organisations including a fellowship with the IGF Secretariat in Geneva, and attendance at IG-related meetings, including the Internet Governance Forum in September in Vilnius, Lithuania.
 

Languages

Programme materials and the online classroom website are in English.
In addition to English-speaking groups, bilingual groups may be formed for the foundation course, having English as the primary language, and either Arabic, French, Spanish or Portuguese as the secondary language for communication and interaction. This option may be offered depending on the needs of the applicants.

Target Audience

Diplo seeks applications from the following categories of individuals from both developed and developing countries:

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


This program is directed specifically at citizens in countries of Latin America, the Caribbean, North America, Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia (all non-ACP countries).
Applicants from ACP countries (Africa, Caribbean and Pacific) are asked to review the EU- ACP Call for Applications and apply to that programme if appropriate. See: http://www.diplomacy.edu/acp for more information.

Timeline

  • 15 January 2010 Call for Applications begins
  • 12 February 2010 Call for Applications ends
  • 20 February 2010 Selection Results
  • 1 March-28  May 2010 – Foundation Course on Internet Governance
  • 7 June - 23  July – Advanced Phase
  • August 2010 through 2011 – Policy Immersion (fellowships)
  • 4 October – 26 November – Policy Research Phase


Scholarships and Fees

Applicants from developing countries* are eligible to apply for scholarship support for the programme - a limited number of full and partial scholarships will be offered.
Scholarships for European participants will be provided by the Swiss Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
* Non-members of OECD 
 
Fees for paying participants are:
1) Foundation course: Euro 500.
2) Advanced Phase: Euro 500
2) Research phase: Euro 500.

Payment must be made before participants will be granted access to the classroom.
Applicants from developing countries who will require financial assistance to attend the course should remember to read carefully and check the appropriate box on the Online Application Form.

Requirements

The applicants are required to have:

  • basic awareness and interest in issues related to the Information society, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and Internet governance (IG);  
  • knowledge and/or experience of the multistakeholder approach in international affairs;
  • fluency in English, as well as fluency in the second language for the applicants to any of the bilingual groups;
  • good writing skills, ability to summarise information and focus on details;  
  • regular access to the Internet (dial-up connection is sufficient);
  • minimum of 8 hours commitment per week during each  phase of the programme. This is perhaps the single most important requirement and should be evaluated seriously by any potential applicant;
  • readiness to participate in online consultations (once a week at specified times).  


Deadline

The deadline for applications is 12 February  2010, by midnight UTC/GMT.