The most effective approach we have found to building the capacity of policy analysts, catalysing institutional reform and building communities of policy practice has been a policy fellowship approach. A policy fellowship is a supported research process in which fellows work to develop a policy research project over a year long period and get intensive step by step support and mentoring to go through the stages of research, analysis/writing & advocacy. For example, ICPA worked on a policy fellowship programme in Bosnia and Herzegovina for 10 cycles over 10 years (2003 - 2013) to develop a cadre of 100 policy researchers across the NGO and governmental sector. To date, ICPA has worked on 19 policy fellowship-type projects.
Policy Fellowship Projects supported
| 1. | Policy Fellowship Programme - English language |
Local Government and Public Service Reform Initiative, Open Society Institute |
2002 – 2011 |
| 2. | Policy Fellowship Programme - Russian language | Local Government and Public Service Reform Initiative, Open Society Institute | 2007 – 2011 |
| 3. | International Policy Fellowship Programme | Open Society Institute | 2004 - 2008 |
| 4. | Policy Development Fellowship | Open Society Fund, Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2003 – 2014 |
| 5. | Policy Fellowship Programme | Open Society Forum, Mongolia | 2004 – 2013 |
| 6. | Policy Fellowship Programme | Kosovo Foundation for Open Society | 2005 - 2006 |
| 7. | Roma Policy Research Fellowship Programme | Roma Initiatives & Think Tank Fund, Open Society Institute | 2011 – 2012 |
| 8. | Policy Fellowship Programme | Alliance for Social Dialogue, Nepal | 2012– 2015 |
| 9. | Regional Capacity-Building for Think Tanks in Central Asia and the South Caucasus | Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) | 2008 – 2010 |
| 10. | Research Beyond the Ivory Tower | Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) | 2014 - 2015 |
| 11. | Think Tanks Providing Research and Advice through Interaction and Networking (TRAIN) Programme | German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) | 2010 - 2018 |
| 12. | Think and Link (Think Tank Development Project) | European Fund for the Balkans | 2013 – 2014 |
| 13. | Policy Bridging Initiative | Regional Research Promotion Programme in the Western Balkans & University of Fribourg & Swiss Development Agency | 2012 – 2016 |
| 14. | Civic Media Fellowship | Internews, Bosnia and Hezegovina | 2013 - 2014 |
| 15. | Policy Development and Engagement Programme | Gulbenkian Oceans Initiative/Gulbenkian Foundation, Portugal | 2016– 2017 |
| 16. | Programming for Policy Engagement (Staff training programme) | Gulbenkian Foundation, Portugal | 2017– 2018 |
| 17. | Policy Research for Young Academics Programme | PERFORM/Helvetas, Albania & Serbia | 2018 |
| 18. | Policy Fellowship Programme | Soros Foundation Kazakhstan | 2014 - 2023 |
| 19. | LEAP Programme Development Initiative | Gulbenkian Foundation, Portugal | 2019 - 2020 |