The SlovakAid Fellowship Program for Change Leaders

The SlovakAid Fellowship program for Change Leaders initiative is a joint effort of the Slovak Foreign Policy Association (SFPA), GLOBSEC, Institute for Public Affairs (IVO), SlovakAid, and international expert initiative iSANS.

In April-October 2021, ten Belarusian specialists will research the systemic reforms in Slovakia and join academic training at leading Slovak think tanks and institutions. All fellows will be mentored by renowned Slovak economists and managers who have promoted reforms in various industries in this country since the mid-1990s.

We expect that SlovakAid Fellowship will help Belarusian professionals become familiar with the Slovak experience of market economy transformation. It may serve as a safe role model for the Belarusian economy of the future. Although Belarus and Slovakia do not share common borders, there is a large set of mental and contextual similarities between the two countries. So, we hope this program will expand the channels of communication between Belarusian and Slovak analytical communities.

The programme will contribute to continuous coverage of the developments and trends in Belarus, help better understand the needs of the country, facilitate the formulation of the necessary reform agenda for the country, strengthen research and analysis skills of fellows and build networks supporting better policy-making in and towards Belarus.