The Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade (IFAT) 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 Spring 2023 cycle starts on February 24 and concludes on June 23, 2023.
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 IFAT-organized events are mandatory to attend. In addition, personal attendance twice a week (16 hours in total) is also required.
The total number of absences from the mandatory programs on Fridays cannot be more than three. 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 February 24 through May 5) and work on their research papers under the supervision of their mentors until the end of the consultation period (June 23). 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.
| February 24 | Welcome presentation by the Director of IFAT |
| March 3 | Introductory training |
| March 10 | Research seminar 1. (Research methodology) |
| March 17 | Research seminar 2. (Academic writing) |
| March 24 | Research seminar 3. (Policy paper preparation) |
| March 31 | Field trip 1. |
| April 7 | Spring break – no internship program |
| April 14 | Spring break – no internship program |
| April 21 | Field trip 2. |
| April 28 | Field trip 3. |
| May 5 | Field trip 4. |
| June 5-9 | Small group workshops |
| June 23 | End of internship/Submission of policy papers |
Research interns are encouraged to incorporate the skills and knowledge gained during their stay at IFAT into their own research. They will be expected to submit a 20,000-character policy paper by the end of the program (June 23) 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 KKI Policy Briefs.
- The Biden administration and the US foreign policy
- Power dynamics and political conflicts in Argentina and/or Peru
- Debates about the foundations of the Spanish state (monarchy, secession of Catalonia, etc.)
- The question of French military capabilities in the shadow of the war in Ukraine
- The challenges of the German-French axis
- German Foreign Policy in Transition: Zeitenwende after Russia’s War against Ukraine
- Dynamics in the German-V4 Cooperation
- Visegrad cooperation in EU
- The impact of the war in Ukraine on Romania and/or Moldova and/or Bulgaria
- Diplomatic interpretations of the statements of Pope Francis
- Hydrogen as an alternative energy source in Europe
- NATO strategic concept and strengthening the Eastern flank
- The economic and political role of the Danube
- Inter-Institutional Power Struggle in the EU
- Religion and Politics in Israel
- 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 in the great power rivalry
- The complex relations of China and the EU
- Decreasing influence of China in Central and Eastern Europe
- Middle-power ambitions of South Korea and its strive for global engagement
- The dynamics of Japan-Korea relations and unresolved historical issues
- The nuclear program of North Korea as a regional security risk
- The era of economic globalisation coming to an end?
- The impact of supply chain reconfiguration on the European and Hungarian economy
- The future of Southeast Asia amid great power rivalry
- Security and defence policy aspects of the war in Ukraine
- EU enlargement vs. European Political Community
- Veto power in EU enlargement, with a special focus on EU Member states in Southeast Europe
- Opportunities in the gas supply diversification of the Balkans from Central Asia and the Middle East
- Bosnia and Herzegovina: Dynamics between the High Representative and local actors
- Montenegro: Nationalism and/in politics
- Serbia: Can China replace Russia?
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 IFAT, 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: January 19, 2023 (midnight, Budapest time)
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an interview that is going to take place in person between January 20 and February 3 by individual appointment. Results of the selection procedure will be communicated to all candidates by February 6, 2023.
Please note that the internship program is unpaid. The incorporation of scholarship schemes (Erasmus+, Visegrad Fund, etc.) is encouraged, where applicable. The successful completion of the program will be recognized by an official certificate issued by the Institute.
Enquiries related to the internship program and the selection process should be addressed to Mr. Ferenc Németh at ferenc.nemeth@ifat.hu.