Deadline: 26-Mar-23
The Bundesamt für Naturschutz has launched the applications for Klaus Toepfer Fellowship Programme.
Eligible Countries
- Nationality and place of residence in one of the eligible countries: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Islamic Republic of Iran, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan
Eligibility Criteria
- The Klaus Toepfer Fellowship Programme is open to early-career conservation professionals (Government, NGOs, Academia or similar), from Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia, who preferably have at least three years of professional experience and preferably are not older than 35 years. The programme aims at emerging conservation leaders that have the support of their home organizations to attend the course, and a clear commitment to a career in their country and region.
- In order to be eligible for participation in the programme, applicants need to fulfil the following criteria:
- Submission of a complete application before the deadline
- University diploma in a field that is relevant to the programme and its focus (Biology, Geography, Agriculture, Silviculture, Landscape Planning, Nature Conservation, Environmental Policy, Macroeconomics, Law – or other similar subjects relevant to nature conservation practice)
- 3+ years of working experience in applied nature conservation (work experience in parallel to academic studies can be taken into account)
- Currently working in an institution concerned with nature conservation
- Age should preferably be under 35 years, and should not exceed 40 years
- Be fluent in English, both written and spoken
- Endorsement of application by current employer
- Low likelihood of absence from one or several course modules, as the modules build upon each other and as participation in the programme requires continuous attendance
- Have developed a concept for a personal transfer project benefitting from the course, which would improve the effectiveness of their organisation. And the ability for continuous work on the transfer project and assignments in between the modules on a weekly basis, during the whole programme period.
- Regular internet access with stable internet connection and high bandwith
- They look for participants with a strong leadership potential who are committed to play a central role in nature conservation in their home countries. In order to strenghten institutions in nature conservation, they are happy about applications from indiduals who are in a position to let their colleagues benefit as well from the training received. When considering if the programme meets your capacity needs, please note that the fellowship does not have a focus on field methods or environmental education. It aims at participants who are interested in a broad understanding of conservation strategies and policies from local to global level.
Selection Criteria
- The selection of applicants follows a three-step process.
- As the number of participants is limited, fulfilment of the eligibility criteria does not guarantee admission to the programme, and further selection steps are taken.
- In the first step of the selection process, complete applications that fulfil the eligibility criteria are assessed based on a numeric scoring system. Scoring of applicants is mainly oriented towards their qualification, motivation, leadership potential, commitment of the employing institution to support the applicant’s participation in the programme, quality of endorsement letters and the transfer project concept.
- In the second step, shortlisted applicants are contacted by phone, in order to clarify any open questions and to receive more information on the applicant.
- In the third step, 20 participants will be selected from the shortlisted applicants, taking into account additional criteria in order to achieve a balanced representation of countries and regions, gender, and governmental versus non-governmental backgrounds among the participants. Successful applicants will be invited to sign an agreement that will detail the commitments of all partners within the Klaus Toepfer Fellowship Programme.
For more information, visit Klaus Toepfer Fellowship.