The Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade (Külügyi és Külgazdasági Intézet, KKI/IFAT) invites applications for its 12-week research internship program for undergraduate, graduate and PhD students, as well as recent graduates, starting on March 4, 2019.
Objectives
The objective of the research internship program is to provide the participants with valuable professional experience related to their research, as well as an opportunity for professional development and, in selected cases, a platform for the publication of their work. The research internship program is primarily advertised to university students enrolled in programs in International Relations, Law, Economics, Philology, History, Political Science, Security or Area/Country Studies. Interns will be granted access to the research infrastructure of the Institute, including its library.
Eligibility
The program is open to:
Undergraduate (BA/BSc) students, who completed at least 4 semesters of studies,
Graduate (MA/MSc) students,
PhD students, and
recent graduates of undergraduate and graduate programs 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 volunteer’s field of interest, are appreciated.
Tasks
Research interns contribute to the work of the Institute at least twice a week (16 hours) on the premises of IFAT (H-1016 Budapest, Bérc u. 13-15.), including the attendance of mandatory seminars on Friday mornings. Certain tasks might require work outside IFAT premises.
Research interns are encouraged to incorporate the skills and knowledge gained during their stay at IFAT into their own research, and will be expected to submit a 20,000-character analysis paper no later than 4 weeks after the end of the program. On meeting required standards of quality, the papers can be published as part of the KKI Policy Briefs / KKI-Elemzések series (in English or in Hungarian). Interns will be supervised by the deputy director for research of IFAT, and will work under the professional guidance of a research fellow of the Institute, corresponding to their professional interests. The fellow designated for mentoring will provide regular feedback on the intern’s work.
On request, 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 for the weekly bulletin of the Institute, and
participate in the events held at IFAT, write memos and news articles of these events, and participate in the reception of delegations visiting the Institute.
The internship starts on March 4, 2019, and concludes on May 26, 2019, with a possibility of prolongation on an individual basis. Midway through the program, a positive assessment on the quality of the volunteer’s work by the assigned mentor will be required for further participation.
Research interns are not eligible for financial compensation, scholarship or salary for their work. The successful completion of the program will be recognized by the issuing of an official certificate by the Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Application
Documents needed for the application (MS Word or PDF format):
Curriculum Vitae,
the most recent thesis (“szakdolgozat” or equivalent) of the applicant, or, in the case of undergraduate students who have not yet written any, a university paper (e.g. seminary paper, TDK paper), and
a short analysis paper (approx. 6,000 characters, properly referenced) on one of the topics enlisted in the Annex to this call, corresponding to the research interest of the candidate, written in English or Hungarian.
A selected number of candidates who are eligible according to the criteria outlined in this call will be invited to a personal interview with one of the research fellows of the Institute.
Applications and related inquiry should be sent to: info@ifat.hu
Application deadline: February 17, 2019 (midnight)
Personal interviews for selected candidates will take place between February 18 and 27, by individual appointment. Results of the selection process will be communicated to all candidates by March 1, 2019.
ANNEX
to the Call for Applications to the Research Internship Program
of the Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade
Spring 2019
Available themes for the short analysis paper
Group dynamics inside the EU – Comparing regional and functional models of cooperation
European integration and the 2019 European elections: What is at stake?
Decision making culture in German foreign policy
Export development and investment promotion in Hungary
Hungary’s external economic relations
China’s role in the world economy
Ethnicity-related challenges in the Western Balkans
Energy security in the Western Balkans
Current dilemmas in EU–Western Balkans relations
NATO and Transatlantic relations
The conflict in Afghanistan from the great powers’ perspective
Drawing the balance of foreign interventions in the Middle East
Challenges of jihadist terrorism in the 21st century
US foreign policy, with special regard to transatlantic security cooperation (Russia, Middle East, nuclear non-proliferation)
Connections between NATO and the European Security and Defense Policy
US–Central Europe relations
Past, present and future of the Visegrad Cooperation
Czech and Slovak EU-policies since 2004
Interest representation of small(er) member states in the EU
Political and economic processes in Latin America
Political and economic processes in the Iberian Peninsula
Stateless nations in the EU: strategies and options
What has Brexit taught Britain and/or the EU?
Britain in global trade
Central Asia in world and regional economy context
Economics of transition (focus on economies of Post-Soviet countries)