GMF Issues Call for Applications for 2011 Fellowship Pgm

Here's an announcement about a great program sponsored by the German Marshall Fund:

The German Marshall Fund of the United States is pleased to announce the 2011 Call for Applications for fellowships being offered through its Comparative Domestic Policy program. The CDP Fellowships are open to practitioners and policymakers working on local and state policy in the United States and Europe. Fellows have the opportunity to conduct research  projects (of varying length and rigor) designed to shed new light on an urban or regional policy challenge by exploring how it has been addressed on the other side of the Atlantic. CDP Fellows return from their time overseas equipped with the ideas and insights necessary to effect significant and lasting positive change in their own communities. The submission deadline for this round of Fellowships is January 15th, 2011.

Fellowship Overview
Starting in 2011, GMF will offer two types of CDP fellowships that vary in length and intensity, and in expected outcomes. Short-term Travel Grants are available for individuals seeking to gather information that pertains to a specific, targeted social, economic, or physical challenge or obstacle in their home communities. Over three to four weeks, these fellows visit a maximum of four cities for a series of site visits and meetings with relevant individuals and institutions.

Longer-term Research Grants are available for individuals interested in completing more rigorous policy analysis. These fellows are based abroad for three months and examine how three case study cities approached a discrete policy challenge through site visits and interviews. Long-term fellows are expected to review available literature in advance of their travel and adhere to a well-developed research methodology.

Fellowship Outcomes 
Both short and longer-term fellows are expected to produce a written report summarizing their experience and policy recommendations for publication and dissemination, as well as actively disseminate their findings to the policy community broadly, and their home communities more specifically. The type of fellowship conducted will determine the length and intensity of both the written and oral, and visual final products; long-term fellows will generally be expected to produce a full-length policy report.

Who Should Apply 
GMF is seeking applications from mid-career professionals engaged in targeted policy areas with an interest in gaining an understanding of how these issues are approached in a policy context other than their own, and an ability to translate lessons learned into policy action in their own community. Applicants should be civic leaders, policymakers or practitioners in state/local government, leaders from the private sector, or representatives of non-profit and policy organizations. The fellowship is not intended for academic research.
 
The Transatlantic Cities Network 
Central to the CDP Program is the Transatlantic Cities Network (TCN), which provides a framework for the exchange of information about innovative policies, best practices, and local policy challenges among a diverse network of policymakers, practitioners, and civic leaders who are well-positioned to put new ideas into practice in their home cities. Our hope is that potential fellows make use of this vibrant network throughout the course of the Fellowship.

Interested candidates should visit our website for further details on the program and application process. The deadline for submission of applications is January 15^th, 2011. Please contact Casey Kuklick, Program Assistant, with specific questions at ckuklick@gmfus.org.