This fellowship program aims to foster an increased exchange on design and implementation of low-emission development strategies on a global scale in order to shift to low-carbon economies and avoid the devastating effects of climate change.

Designing and implementing low-emission development strategies on a global scale in order to shift to low-carbon economies is crucial to avoiding the devastating effects of climate change.

Germany and Israel, as leaders in the areas of renewable energy and innovation respectively, have much to profit from an increased exchange of perspectives and best-practices to promote cross-cutting and international strategies to lead the decarbonization process of our economies in the 21st century.

To foster increased exchange of ideas and best-practices among professionals from academic and policy communities in Israel and Germany, the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies in Potsdam, Germany (IASS), and the Israel Public Policy Institute in Tel Aviv, Israel (IPPI), have launched a new Fellowship program: “Decarbonization Strategies for the 21st Century: German-Israeli Perspectives”.

The program invites applications from professionals from the academic and policy communities in Israel and Germany currently working on issues relating to decarbonization in their home countries. Three individuals from each country will be selected to participate in the four-month program. They will be embedded in the research and policy networks of their host institutions. Fellows from Germany will be hosted by the IPPI in Tel Aviv and the fellows from Israel by the IASS in Potsdam. Aside from working with particular academic and policy institutions as well as exchanging with the policy-making communities of the host country, the fellows will have designated time for their own research on the thematic focus of the Fellowship.

Thematic Focus Areas

Transition to Low-Carbon Energy: What role does policy play in accelerating transition processes to low-carbon energy? How can energy transition processes be made politically and socially sustainable? What are the opportunities and constraints of local governments in enabling more sustainable and democratic energy transitions? How are domestic energy transitions shaping interests and strategies in the field of foreign energy policy? How are energy transitions influencing the geopolitics of energy?

Innovation in Low-Carbon Technologies: Local and international markets are increasingly adopting and demanding low-carbon technologies. How is the decarbonization of the economy influencing innovation and industrial development? How can effective policies for fostering innovation in low-carbon technologies be designed? How can and should technological development pathways be steered by governments? How can such policies balance broader goals of innovation with domestic industrial policy goals? Who are the winners and losers of these policies at different scales (i.e. local, national, global)? Which technologies bear the greatest potential to support the transition to low-carbon economies?

Sustainable Mobility: Movement of people and goods within and between countries has been steadily increasing over the past decades. What policies can support a shift towards more sustainable modes of transport? How could digitalization, smart mobility and logistics, support this effort? What roles can alternative fuels or new technologies, such as drones, play?

The Fellowship program will take place in Israel (Tel Aviv and Jerusalem) and in Germany (Brandenburg and Berlin), effectively offering experts to work on overlapping challenges and questions while interacting with the research and policy communities in both countries.

In addition to their research projects at their host institutions, Fellows will be required to compose a discussion or policy paper in their area of expertise, reflecting on best-practices from Israel and Germany, and which will be published in the IASS paper series. The final results are intended to be presented at a joint workshop organized by the host institutions.

The duration of the program is four months starting in the summer of 2019 (Starting date should be between June 1st and August 15th) and a monthly stipend of €1.650 Euros for the duration of the stay abroad is included. In your application, please indicate your preferred starting date. In addition, costs for travel to Germany / Israel will be covered by the IASS and IPPI.

Please note that neither institution can provide a substitute for the salary in case of unpaid leave nor will any of the institutions cover insurances, including health insurances.

To apply, please send your CV (up to 2 pages), a cover letter, a writing sample, and a short research proposal (2-3 pages) outlining how you would like to address one or more of the above mentioned questions to apply@publicpolicyfellowship.com

Fill up the form to start your application process