Discover the Global Fellowship Initiative
If you are in a transitional phase in your life, ready for a career change, waiting for your next assignment or looking for an opportunity to do something exceptional, then the Global Fellowship Initiative (GFI) is the right fit for you. As a GFI Fellow, you are part of a platform for innovation where you are both given the space and actively encouraged to learn, exchange ideas, co-create solutions to pressing geopolitical challenges, and expand your networks.
The GFI is a vibrant, multidisciplinary, multicultural and multigenerational network of leaders, experts and practitioners from a variety of backgrounds who want to develop sustainable solutions for a more peaceful future. The GFI was created to overcome siloed approaches to learning and expertise and promote creative thinking that draws on wide-ranging and interconnected resources, expertise and knowledge. Its aim is to act as an incubator for talent, innovation and creativity. Government officials, executives, scholars, and young leaders participate from around the world either digitally or in person in Geneva, the centre of international affairs, diplomacy, peacebuilding and human rights, with the aim of advancing global peace and security.
The GFI offers five types of fellowships both digitally and in person in Geneva: Associate Fellows, Government Fellows, Executives-in-Residence, Doctoral Fellows, Young Leaders in Foreign and Security Policy Fellows.
The GFI draws its inspiration from assumption that creativity and innovation occur through diversity, intersectionality, and the cross-pollination of knowledge, ideas and backgrounds. In today’s segmented and siloed world, experts from one field only rarely speak constructively to those from another, but it has been indisputably proved that innovation happens through connections.
Committed to the GCSP’s principles of impartiality, independence, and inclusiveness, and in the spirit of International Geneva, the GFI provides a safe space where selected individuals come together to learn, reflect, share, and lead actions for peace and security by building bridges, challenging assumptions, and breaking down silos.
More broadly, The GCSP Way is at the heart of the GFI, where the knowledge of leaders, the insights of experts, and the experience of practitioners are blended and applied to tackle global problems. The GCSP Way encapsulates the Centre’s belief in the power of collective wisdom and intelligence.
At the GCSP you will be able to promote peace, security and stability through executive education and applied policy research and dialogue, and implement projects related to the Centre’s activities. Some of the opportunities you will have access to include: executive courses and training as part of a vibrant and diverse community; dialogue and brainstorming with likeminded and non-likeminded people; political and policy analysis; closed briefings; networking opportunities and events with a global reach; mentorship; a pool of 1,000+ international experts; ISO and EduQua accreditation; Creative Spark incubation of a project (after an impartial selection process)
How do I get involved with the Global Fellowship Initiative?
Answer: Are you interested in learning more about the GFI or its project incubator, the Creative Spark? Please email us at [email protected] Not able to sign up right now, but impressed by what the GFI has to offer? Sponsor someone as Fellow through our Global Scholarship Fund
What is the methodology behind the Global Fellowship Initiative?
Answer: The GFI was created to overcome siloed approaches to learning and expertise and to promote creative thinking that draws on collective intelligence and a wide range of interconnected resources, expertise and knowledge. Its aim is to act as an incubator for talent and creativity: at the GCSP, innovation and co-creation are at the heart of our activities.
What kind of Fellowships does the Global Fellowship Initiative offer?
Answer:The GFI offers five types of fellowships, both digitally and in-residence in Geneva:
- Associate Fellows: by invitation only, formally affiliated with the GCSP for 1 year, but non-resident at the Centre
- Government Fellows: mid- or high-level government officials preparing for a new position or on sabbatical
- Executives-in-Residence: executives from all sectors working on a specific project or in transition, who want to benefit from the GCSP’s extensive resources
- Doctoral Fellows: PhD students in the final stages of their doctoral studies or recent graduates (up to 3 years) who want to pursue research
- Young Leaders in Foreign and Security Policy Fellows: promising professionals up to 30 years of age, with at least 2 years of experience and outstanding merit in their field of expertise
How does the Global Fellowship Initiative contribute to peace and security?
Answer: The Global Fellowship Initiative contributes to peace and security by bringing together a multidisciplinary, multicultural and multigenerational network of leaders, experts and practitioners striving to find creative solutions to current and future challenges to international peace and security. With both the GFI and the Creative Spark, the GCSP comes full circle in strengthening communities that help projects grow into sustainable solutions for global peace and security through the spark ignited by purposeful, focused and systematic cross-pollination.
What does the Global Fellowship Initiative offers its Fellow?
Answer: The key benefits the Global Fellowship Initiative offers to its members are:
- Participate in all the training courses offered at the GCSP and contribute with their own expertise by delivering modules and/or courses or developing new scenarii
- Take part in various dialogue activities organized by the GCSP and its partner institutions (conferences, seminars, public discussions, workshops, lectures etc.)
- Gain access and contribute to various GCSP publications, as well as promote their research activities on the GCSP website and social media pages
- Network within the International Geneva and beyond
- Incubate a project in the GCSP’s Creative Spark (after an impartial selection process).
How much does the Global Fellowship Initiative cost?
Answer: The participation to the Global Fellowship Initiative entails a cost (tuition fee) of CHF 350/month for the digital format, as opposed to CHF 500/month for the in-residence option. Said contribution allows to cover the costs of the programme (administration, logistics, finance, office spaces and supply) and is fully reinvested in its operations.
Is there a deadline for applications? How do you apply?
Answer: We accept applications all year round, on a rolling basis. Each of them is evaluated thoroughly by a selection panel on a competitive basis. If you wish to apply, please send an updated CV (maximum 2 pages) and a personal statement (no longer than 2,000 words) outlining the reasons why you are interested in this programme, as well as your main areas of expertise and the topics on which you would like to focus during your fellowship at the GCSP at [email protected].
What is the average duration of a GCSP fellowship and when does it starts?
Answer: In general, Fellows are affiliated with the Centre for a mutually agreed-upon period of time, which ranges from 2 to 6 months. As we accept candidatures on a rolling basis, the onboarding of Fellows is continuous and agreed upon with the selected candidate, in accordance with GCSP’s availabilities.
Do you provide scholarships/tuition waivers opportunities?
Answer: A limited number of partial tuition waivers and/or stipends may be available on a case-by-case basis.
Does participating in the Global Fellowship Initiative guarantee me a job at the GCSP or in Switzerland?
Answer: Taking part in the Global Fellowship Initiative does not guarantee an employment position within the GCSP or in Switzerland. However, the programme offers a diversified and collaborative environment with the potential to expand your personal and professional network in International Geneva and within the GCSP community of practice.