EUCACIS fellows from Central Asia and South Caucasus visiting Berlin for 2nd PhD School and Research Training Stay
Working full time and doing a PhD concurrently is a difficult undertaking. For doctoral candidates from Central Asia and the Southern Caucasus, the difficulty is even greater due to infrastructural challenges in their home countries. Here, the PhD Support Programme EUCACIS (“The EU, Central Asia and the South Caucasus in the International System”) steps in. The 3‑years programme supports twelve doctoral candidates from the above mentioned regions through a blended-learning approach: in the course of three years, the PhD fellows participate in online courses, conferences, PhD Schools and Research Training Stays and receive monthly stipends as well as travel grants. EUCACIS is organized by the Institut für Europäische Politik (IEP) and the Centre international de formation européenne (CIFE) and supported by the Volkswagen Foundation and Erasmus+.
The second EUCACIS attendance phase will take place in Berlin from 19 February to 18 March 2018. During the 1‑week PhD School, twelve fellows will attend seminars in methodology of social sciences, academic English writing, presentation skills, policy paper training and standards in peer-reviewed journals. The focus will be on advancing the ability of the fellows to transfer their scientific results into policy advice for decision-makers and into useful information for the wider public. Moreover, the fellows will be consulted by experienced researchers from IEP and CIFE with regard to the progress of their PhD projects and policy papers.
After the PhD School, half of the fellows will remain in Berlin for a 3‑week Research Training Stay. During that time, the fellows will make use of available research facilities (libraries and IEP/CIFE working spaces) and work on their PhD theses and policy papers. Next to individual research, the fellows will visit several Berlin-based institutions such as the German Chancellery, the Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS) and Human Rights Watch, where they will have the opportunity to discuss issues of international relations with regional experts. In the end, the fellows should be equipped with relevant contacts and new ideas on how to better structure their doctoral projects in the coming two years.