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This course is archived
Course date
July 24–31, 2023
Location
Budapest
Application deadline
The application deadline has passed. We are no longer accepting applications.
ECTS Credits
2.0
Course delivery
In-person
SUN Packages
Fee-Paying
Tuition Waiver
Partial Scholarship
Full Scholarship

Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Western response are producing spiking prices in tight markets in natural gas, oil, and food on the backdrop of global supply chain disruptions and a post-pandemic world. The result is an emerging inflection point for security in energy and food supplies. This eight-day course will delve into the changing geopolitical and institutional landscape of Europe at the grassroots level and in international relations.  

Course instructors will provide insight into how energy, food, and leadership foster instability or stability. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine broke an already tight energy market. This is dramatically altering both the scale and speed of the EU’s energy transition, now outlined in the RePowerEU plan which accelerates the Fit for 55 plan. This course delivers expert insight into the background and emerging solutions making our energy and food systems more resilient and sustainable. 

The course aims to equip emerging leaders with knowledge and experience to assist in framing the interlinked challenges for more sustainable energy and agricultural transition. The target audience is emerging leaders in policy, NGOs, and business. This includes academia, think tanks, policy research centers, non-governmental organizations focused on social and environmental issues, and energy and agricultural businesses. Course content will inform the work of actors and activists in alternative food and energy networks, supplementing their knowledge of transition movements with an in-depth analysis of the nexus between agriculture and energy systems.   

Participants will gain detailed knowledge of how EU energy markets work and how cities and communities are energizing their communities through social engagement and new technologies. Discussions will involve reflecting on the particularities of the present crisis being experienced today (high inflation, high energy, and food prices) and how these differ from previous decades of abundance in food and energy. There is an emerging inflection point for society and economics, participants will gain an understanding of both the challenges and emerging solutions.   

Key topics will discuss the formation and institutions in Europe along with measures necessary for greater resiliency in the energy and food system. The legal system will be addressed as well as emerging EU regulations necessary to weather and move beyond Europe’s current energy crisis. The course also addresses critical questions around international relations and why good leadership in politics, energy, and food leads to a more stable world. The discussions will inform the impact on the Global South with the restricted agricultural exports from Russia and Ukraine. In addition, the global competition for LNG drives prices up as Europe replaces Russian gas with global LNG supplies. The intent is to assist participants in becoming leaders in their fields. 

The objective is to: 1) foster integration of knowledge on energy and food in a time of crisis; 2) Educate emerging leaders on European policymaking, market operations, and the role of institutions; 3) foster leadership skills to enable participants to lead in their roles, and 4) foster greater collaboration with the OSUN partners. To meet the objectives of the course a diverse set of expert instructors will be attending and teaching. 

This summer school aims to deliver an intensive knowledge and skills exchange over eight days. Each of the instructors is an accomplished academic and skillful advisor to policymakers or actual policymakers themselves. The intent is to bring together both a diverse skill set and expertise along with experience to demonstrate a broad spectrum of approaches to tackle climate change. The schedule is created to foster intensive exchanges of ideas in the classroom with periods of group discussions, such as the roundtables and activities when informal discussions can occur. Each day contains at least one of these events. Some of the instructors are expected to stay for most of the course, while some may stay for two to three days.

The course will include interactive discussions, group assignments, consultation sessions, presentations, podcast recordings, and field trips. 

Target Group

The target audience is emerging leaders in policy, NGOs, and business. This includes young and advanced scholars in established fields of energy and food, mid-level analysts and managers of firms and policy think tanks in academia, policy research centers, non-governmental organizations focused on social and environmental issues, and energy and agricultural businesses.

We also invite applications from advanced undergraduate students who have adequate prior study or engagement experience on the subject and make a compelling case in their application/statement of interest.  

Pre-requisites 

As a prerequisite for the course, participants need to demonstrate previous knowledge and experience in the international energy and food sectors. A strong research, policy or business background with at least five years of experience is suggested. 

Applicants need to write a one-page (400 words) Statement of Purpose of why this summer school is relevant for them and how they could apply the learning. Students will need to do course readings before coming to the summer school. 

Language requirements

The language of instruction is English; thus all applicants have to demonstrate a strong command of spoken and written English to be able to participate actively in discussions at seminars and workshops. Some of the shortlisted applicants may be contacted for a telephone interview.

The course will focus on the following discipline areas:

  • Political geography
  • Geopolitics
  • Political economy
  • Human geography
  • International relations
  • Sustainability
  • Leadership

Please read the following directions carefully.
Below is the list of the documents you need to prepare or arrange for submission:

  1. Completed online SUN Application Form (see notes below)
  2. Full curriculum vitae or resume, including a list of publications, if
    any 
    Please upload your Curriculum Vitae or resume, including a list of publications, if any.
  3. Statement of Purpose (max. 400 words)
    In the Statement of Purpose, please describe why the course is relevant for you and how you could apply the learning,  Please list relevant courses in the field you have taken previously during your studies. 
    Please provide the name, contact email, and phone number of a person (a faculty member, job supervisor, etc.) who can be contacted by the course directors to attest to your abilities, qualifications, and academic/professional performance. 
  4. Personal Statement on Financial Aid
    Those who are eligible and wish to apply for financial aid should specify their reasons in the “Personal statement on financial aid” section (Funding page of the application form).

Optional attachments:
You can upload further optional documents on the Qualifications page such as academic documents that you think may be relevant to support your application in the ‘Other Supporting Documents’ section. All documents should be merged into a single PDF file not exceeding the size 2 MB. No passwords and encryption are allowed.

Completed CEU Summer University Application Form

We strongly advise the use of Google Chrome to enable the full functionality of the form.

Notes:

  • You may apply to a maximum of two summer courses. In case of being admitted, you can only attend both if the two courses do not overlap in time.
  • If you applied to CEU before, please use your existing login and password to start a new application. If you do not remember your password from last year click on Forgotten Password. With technical problems, bugs, or errors related to the online application forms please contact the CEU IT Help Desk.
  • Right after login, please select the ”Summer University” radio button from the "Type of course" list, and leave all other fields empty.
  • All application materials must be submitted with the online application form(s). Materials sent by postal mail, electronic mail, or fax are not considered.
  • The maximum allowable file size for upload is 2MB per file and the acceptable file formats are PDF, JPG, and JPEG. Ensure all security features (e.g. passwords and encryption) are removed from the documents before uploading them.
  • Applications cannot be edited after submission. Please submit your application only when it is 100% final and complete.
  • Further user instructions for the online application are included in the form itself. Should you have questions regarding the application form, check the relevant Frequently Asked Questions.
  • Applications submitted after the deadline will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Inquiries

If you need help or more information during the application process, please feel free to contact the SUN staff via email.

Notification

The SUN Office will notify applicants about the selection results in April. Please check the 'Dates and deadlines' section on the relevant course websites for notification deadlines planned earlier or later. The final decision is not open to appeal.