Mission of the IPF Program

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• Identify the next generation of open society leaders in Central and Eastern Europe and other regions of interest to the Soros foundations network and support their policy research,

• Improve the quality of independent analysis and help prevent ‘brain drain’ and by ensuring that these leaders are able to conduct research in their home countries while maintaining a high degree of mobility and intellectual freedom,

• Develop the capacity of these leaders to write professional policy documents and advocate policies–skills that are underdeveloped in countries where the Soros foundations work, and

• Utilize the ideas and policy papers of these leaders to encourage the development of program strategies for the Soros foundations network and other organizations.

Policy Fellows participate in three training seminars in Budapest over the course of the fellowship year conducted by professors of public policy from around the world and earn a Certificate in Public Policy. Fellows gain vital skills including how to write professional policy documents, identify appropriate policy instruments, and effectively advocate policies. The product of each fellowship is a detailed analysis of a major issue, published in English and translated into other languages. Outstanding young Fellows from Eastern Europe may be nominated to participate in additional training and research opportunities including a three-month International Junior Public Policy Research Scholar Fellowship in Washington, D.C. in affiliation with the Woodrow Wilson Center’s East European Studies program.