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CSaP Policy Fellowships: how to challenge thinking

6 October 2016

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CSaP Policy Fellows often describe their first visit to Cambridge as an opportunity to "challenge conventional thinking" and "gain fresh perspectives". Taking time out of the office to immerse themselves in one-to-one meetings with experts across the disciplines, has helped our Fellows test and shape their thinking on policy issues from cybersecurity to climate and cities.

Rupert Cryer, a member of the Cabinet Office Policy Lab and CSaP Policy Fellow, sums up his experience of the visit to Cambridge in the video below.

The CSaP Policy Fellowship is a flexible professional development programme which starts with five days spent at the University of Cambridge meeting with researchers from a wide range of disciplines to discuss questions that you identify as important to you. More information on the programme is available here, along with a list of current Fellows and FAQs about the programme.

How to apply

We have elections to the Fellowship three times per year – 31 October, 31 January, and 15 June – and a simple application form to complete and submit by email, available here.

The key starting point is your questions: you tell us 3-6 questions relevant to your work that you would like to explore in your meetings with researchers – in the words of one of our Fellows, “the questions I don’t even know where to start asking”. We also ask for a statement of your aims for the Fellowship, including an indication of how the knowledge you gain from taking part will be applied to influence public policy.

Am I the right person to be a CSaP Policy Fellow?

If your job requires you to think about the major issues facing society – privacy, security, risk, sustainability, innovation, resilience, well-being, economic growth, or similar challenges – and your work influences decision-making in your organisation, then you will have questions which we can help you address. Policy Fellows are in public policy roles within civil society, business, industry, and government - at local, national, European, and transnational levels. In the case of Policy Fellows from business and industry, questions must relate primarily to public policy challenges of core interest to the network.

What is unique about the Policy Fellowships Programme?

CSaP’s focus is on building relationships between researchers and policy professionals based on mutual understanding, respect and trust. We provide access to world-leading research across a range of disciplines at the University of Cambridge, and offer a space to reflect away from the day job. While Cambridge is famous for its science, technology and innovation, it is also home to many other disciplines whose contributions challenge and inspire our Fellows.

What level is the Fellowship aimed at?

The core Policy Fellowship scheme is designed to meet the needs of senior civil servants (in Whitehall terms, Directors and Deputy Directors; in European Commission terms, Heads of Unit and Policy Officers), and of senior policy professionals in industry and civil society, such as Heads of Strategy, Research Directors, Public Policy Directors, VPs Innovation, CIOs, and MDs. The Junior Policy Fellowship is aimed at early career policy professionals (in Whitehall, Fast Streamers in their third or fourth years). The Policy Leaders Fellowship is aimed at the most senior officials (such as Directors General) and CEOs.

We encourage applicants to discuss their questions with us, so if you are interested in this opportunity please contact us at policyfellows@csap.cam.ac.uk or call Dr Clare Moran at +44 1223 339596.