IPF | Graduate Campus

Is your research connected to environmental governance and climate change? Do you want to learn more about engaging with international policymakers?

Content

Throughout the program, participants will:

Interact with experts and gain insights into policy engagement within the Geneva ecosystem,
Build confidence and skills to bridge academia and policymaking,
Collaborate and learn from peers across faculties and Swiss universities.

The focus theme of this year’s programme is Climate Change and Environmental Governance.

Organisation

Costs

GRC supports the participation of six postdocs and covers the participation fee, meals and accommodation (up to CHF 700).

Program

The programme will feature three days of meetings, workshops and networking events in Europe’s UN capital, Geneva, including:

Virtual pre-session: introduction to the science-policy interface and the Geneva ecosystem; meet-and-greet of cohort (1.5 hours, online, co-delivered by the GSPI)
Day 0: Arrival and group drinks/dinner
Day 1: Multilateral policymaking and the mobilisation of science (with staff from selected United Nations organisations), and a tour of the United Nations Office at Geneva or the World Meteorological Organization
Reception/meeting with the UK Permanent Representation (TBC)
Day 2: Science-policy engagement through intermediaries (with relevant intermediary organisations e.g. the Global Resource Information Database (GRID) network, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
Day 3: Exchanges on practices of science-policy engagement, with feedback from United Nations policymakers and engaged colleagues from the University of Geneva
Virtual post-trip session.

You will gain insights into science advice processes on UN-level in a specific disciplinary field.
You will learn about strategies, practices, and skills to span the boundary between science and policy.
You will receive practical advice and experience from actors working at the science-policy interface in various organisations.
You will gain experience in engagement with diverse stakeholders, fostering knowledge exchange, enabling relationship-building and, in the longer term, potential partnerships. This relates to both co-participants and policymakers.

Policy engagement skills: participants will develop and reflect on strategies for engaging with policymakers, communicating research findings, and bridging the gap between academia and policymaking.
Cultural Competence: By engaging with international researchers and policymakers, participants will develop cultural competence and the ability to work effectively in a global context.

Postdoctoral researchers are eligible (you can be employed on a grant, but must be a UZH member of staff).
Applicants should be active in climate change or environmental governance. Applications from all faculties and disciplines are welcomed.
Doctoral candidates are not eligible.