Call for Applications to the Research Internship Program – Fall 2023

The Hungarian Institute of International Affairs (HIIA) calls for applications to its Research Internship Program with the objective of providing the participants with valuable professional tools related to their research, an insight into the work of Hungarian institutions operating in the field of foreign affairs and foreign trade policy, and, in selected cases, a platform for the publication of their work.

The Research Internship Program of the Institute consists of a 10-week training module and a 6-week consultation period. The Fall 2023 cycle starts on September 22, 2023 and concludes on January 19, 2024.

ELIGIBILITY ꞏ The research internship program is advertised to students from Hungarian higher education institutions enrolled in programs in International Relations, Law, Economics, Philology, History, Political Science, Security or Area/Country Studies. The program is open to undergraduate (BA/BSc) students who completed at least 4 semesters of studies (prior to the start of the program), graduate (MA/MSc) students, PhD students, and recent graduates of any such program not currently enrolled in an institution of higher education, who are interested in pursuing research in the area of International Relations.

High-level command of English is expected; skills in other languages, corresponding to the intern’s field of interest, are an asset.

ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS ꞏ Internship programs on Fridays (as shown in the draft schedule below) and participation in given HIIA-organized events are mandatory to attend. In addition, personal attendance twice a week (16 hours in total) is required.

The total number of absences from the mandatory programs on Fridays cannot be more than two. Noncompliance with the attendance requirements leads to the automatic termination of participation in the program.

 TASKS ꞏ Research interns contribute to the work of the Institute during the training module (from September 22 through December 8) and work on their research papers under the supervision of their mentors until the end of the consultation period (January 19). The training module includes research-oriented workshops as well as field trips to Hungarian institutions operating in the field of foreign affairs and foreign trade policy.

Research interns are encouraged to incorporate the skills and knowledge gained during their stay at HIIA into their own research. They will be expected to submit a 20,000-character policy paper by the end of the program (January 19) in English, corresponding to one of the thematic scopes of the Institute. On meeting required standards of quality, the papers can be published as part of the MKI Policy Briefs.

• The challenges of the German-French axis in the EU
• Energy diversification in the EU
• The question of French military capabilities in the shadow of the war in Ukraine
• French military operations in Africa
• Road to the NATO Vilnius summit
• Visegrad cooperation in the EU
• US foreign policy during the Biden administration
• Road to the 2024 US presidential elections
• European security policy and the war in Ukraine

• Security policy aspects of the sanctions against Syria
• Russia and China as near peer competitors in Africa
• Climate change as a security threat in the MENA region
• Energy policies in the MENA region
• Great power rivalry and local politics in the Gulf
• Afghanistan under the Taliban: Dilemmas of humanitarian engagement and international recognition
• The geopolitical and geoeconomic significance of the Middle Corridor
• Reform dynamics in Central Asia

• China’s public diplomacy in the post-covid era
• The changing foreign policy of Japan and South Korea
• Ongoing fragmentation of the global economy and its implications for the European Union

• Bosnia and Herzegovina: Dynamics between the High Representative and local actors
• Veto power in EU enlargement, with a special focus on EU Member states in Southeast Europe
• Staged accession before full-fledged membership?
• Impact of the war in Ukraine to the Western Balkans’ integration to the EU and/or its CFSP alignment (case study)
• Internal political dimensions of Bulgaria
• International politics in the Black Sea region
• Impact of the war in Ukraine to Romania, Bulgaria or Moldova (case study)
• Moldova: Independence, EU integration and/or unification with Romania?
• Transnistria conflict: The prospects of resolving a protracted conflict in the forefront of war in Ukraine
• The situation of the national minorities in Moldova and surrounding regions – a multi-ethnic country in a multi-ethnic region

Interns will work under the professional guidance of a Research fellow of the Institute, corresponding to their professional interests. The Research fellow designated for mentoring will provide regular feedback on the intern’s work.

During the internship, research interns also:

• contribute to the activities of the fellows of the Institute with research related tasks, e.g. data mining and analysis, research of scientific literature, project work, media watch and news analysis,
• participate in the events held at or organized by HIIA, write memos and news articles of these events, and participate in the reception of delegations visiting the Institute, and
• additional ad-hoc duties given by mentors.

APPLICATION ꞏ Applicants are required to submit (in .pdf format) their:

• CV in English,
• most recent thesis (“szakdolgozat” or equivalent), OR, in the case of undergraduate students, a university paper (e.g. seminar paper, TDK paper, term paper) that demonstrates the applicant’s capabilities in academic writing, AND
• a research proposal in English (4,000 to 8,000 characters) corresponding to one of the thematic scopes of the Institute (see above). Applicants with a different thematic scope must justify the relevance of their chosen research topic. A model for the expected proposal can be found HERE.

Complete application packages should be sent to info@ifat.hu AND ferenc.nemeth@ifat.hu.

Application deadline: June 21, 2023 (midnight, Budapest time)

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an interview that is going to take place in person between June 22 and July 5 by individual appointment. Results of the selection procedure will be communicated to all candidates by July 7, 2023.