Capacity Building
Aim and Purposes
UNU-CRIS capacity-building activities are aimed at enhancing human resources and strengthening institution-building for regional integration in developing countries. This implies human capacity-building, mainly through teaching for higher university programmes that involve students from developing or transition countries, and institutional capacity-building through training of public officials. The aim is to raise awareness of the potential beneficial effects of regional integration with a view to incorporating regional integration in national development strategies of developing countries, but also to warn against the related challenges, such as those linked to policy implementation. All capacity-building oriented activities of UNU-CRIS are based upon the principles and guidelines of the UNU system as embodied in the UN Charter.
Overview of Capacity-building Activities
- Traineeships and Internships
UNU-CRIS offers students with an interest and background in regional integration studies the opportunity to take part in the activities of the Institute. Traineeships and Internships are respectively intended for undergraduate and graduate students. Duties combine research and administrative tasks, based on the needs of the research Institute at the time of the research stay. Traineeships and Internship are unpaid, and their duration may vary from 3 months to one year.
For more information about the application procedure, consult the internship page.
- Research Visits
Every year, UNU-CRIS gives professors, researchers, and other professionals with a background or interest in regional integration the opportunity to spend a research period in Bruges. Visiting Researchers are welcome to stay at UNU-CRIS from a minimum period of one month up to two years. Visiting researchers may conduct their own research on a topic related to the academic research programmes of the Institute, or contribute to the training and capacity-building initiatives linked to the broad area of regional integration.
For more information, consult research opportunities.
- Master Programme
The Master of Science in Public Policy and Human Development is jointly organised by Maastricht Graduate School of Governance (MGSoG) and the United Nations University – Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT). The M.Sc. programme in Public Policy and Human Development aims to prepare its students to actively participate in the policy process, as policy designers or analysts, as civil servants or academics. To achieve this goal, the MPP emphasises the connection between public policy and decision-making processes, or more specifically, the effectiveness and efficiency of governance. Students are equipped with a variety of skills, tools and knowledge, which enable them to work as policy designers and policy analysts. They are capable of working within public and private institutions at local, national and international levels, and the clear majority of students will go on to work in these areas. The MPP programme combines a general, joint semester and a specialisation semester with Master’s thesis into a one-year full-time study. The first semester consists of six intensive courses that aim to bring all students to the same high level of knowledge and skills, the focus being on theories and practices of governance and policy analysis. As for the second semester, it presently consists of five specialisations. In partnership with UNU-CRIS, a new specialisation on “Regional Integration and Multi-Level Governance” (RIMLG) will be launched in the academic year 2012-2013. Besides the specialisation, UNU-CRIS will offer MPP students the possibility to have an internship or write their Master’s thesis in the Institute.
For more information, consult the website of the programme
- Summer Schools
The Consortium for Comparative Research on Regional Integration and Social Cohesion (RISC) and UNU-CRIS co-organise the Summer School and Research Symposium entitled Analyzing Regional Social Cohesion: Theoretical and Methodological Training for Advanced Research. The Summer School will take place from 2nd to 7th July 2012 and will be hosted by the University of Luxembourg.
The deadline for application was 15 April 2012. For more information, consult the following link.
The Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar (UASB) and UNU-CRIS co-organise a Doctoral Summer School entitled Latin American, European and Comparative Regionalism. The Summer School will take place from 30th July to 3rd August in Quito, Ecuador. The aim of this one-week Doctoral School is to bring together a group of Ph.D. students and young researchers for a series of lectures held by leading senior academics in the field of Latin American, European and Comparative Regionalism and to discuss their research projects in tutorial sessions. The school is organised in collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank, OBREAL and LATN.
The deadline for application is 15 May 2012. For more information, consult the following link
- Short-term trainings and capacity-building activities
UNU-CRIS staff performs a number of short-term training and capacity-building courses (general and customised) in the area of regional integration, mainly intended for students and officials in developing countries.