Introducing: The Policy Mission Fellowship

A one-of-a-kind programme to enhance Europe’s political leadership and make progress on critical policy areas.

Policymaking today is more demanding than ever.

Politicians are expected to govern fast-moving, high-stakes, and increasingly complex policy challenges, often under intense scrutiny and with limited time. The current political climate leaves little room for long-term strategic thinking, innovative policy development, or meaningful cross-party exchange — all essential ingredients for impactful political leadership.

Rooted in ten years of experience creating cutting-edge political dialogue learning spaces, our programme is designed by experts in international relations, leadership, and political collaboration, to explicitly address the unique needs and most urgent policy challenges of Europe’s political class.

policy mission

Join the 2026 Policy Mission:
The Securitisation of Europe's Economic Power

We are inviting elected members of European national parliaments and the European Parliament, to join leading policy experts in a high-level Policy Mission on “The Securitisation of Europe’s Economic Power.”

The Policy Mission is designed to address an urgent political issue with far-reaching implications at both the national and European levels. It supports politicians in advancing their own national policy challenges related to the mission’s theme, and contributing to collective thinking and solutions by co-developing ideas with peers from across Europe that transcend national perspectives and respond to shared European needs.

Some of the guiding questions the mission will set out to explore:

>> How can fiscal rules adapt to allow strategic public investment without undermining debt sustainability?

>> What policy tools and approaches could help sustain public support as governments redirect spending toward defence and industrial policy?

>> In what ways might Europe’s pursuit of economic and geopolitical security reshape the European social contract and the relationship between states and citizens?

Shaping the Policy Mission together

The final policy focus will be sharpened and jointly shaped together with the selected participants through a collaborative mission-design process. This approach ensures that the Policy Mission will:

Respond to real-time political priorities;
Build on participants’ own interests and spheres of influence;
Capture emerging windows of opportunity across the European political landscape.

We are currently gathering expressions of interest from members of national parliaments and the European Parliament who are ready to take part in this co-design process.

The Fellowship at a Glance

The Fellowship lasts five months from preparatory work to mission close-out.

KICK-OFF AND EXPLORATORY POLICYMAKERS DIALOGUE

Preparatory thinking with Europe’s 1st cross-party political network

full-week diagnostic residency

Immersive fact-finding mission and adaptive leadership diagnostic lab

UPSKILLING DEEP-DIVES AND HOMEGROUPS

Continued online learning and purposeful peer connections to activate for support and collaboration

POLICY PROTOTYPING LAB

Hands-on design workshop to prototype policy ideas and solutions to a challenge of your choosing

mission close-out

Dissemination and catalysing impact beyond the mission

Curriculum Architecture

KICK-OFF EXPLORATIVE POLICYMAKERS DIALOGUE | Optional preparatory module — sharpening thinking with Europe’s cross-party political network

Gain exposure to the broader political thinking shaping debates on money, power, and governance across Europe.

Engage with over 50 parliamentarians to test ideas and sharpen your own questions and perspectives ahead of the Policy Mission.

Enter the mission with clearer strategic focus, informed by cross-party, cross-country insights.

FULL-WEEK IN PERSON RESIDENCY | Immersive fact-finding mission and adaptive leadership diagnostic lab

Meet stakeholders from EU institutions, civil society, finance and innovation, and activate strategic thinking with fellow MPs.

Identify areas for potential further policy development.

Learn the renowned Harvard-developed method used by leaders in government, diplomacy, and business to navigate uncertainty and change.

3 UPSKILLING DEEP-DIVES | 2-3h online sessions for continued deep-learning

Participate in an upskilling deep-dives on Political Communication and Campaigning, plus two additional sessions shaped by your cohort’s interests.

Choose the topics most relevant to your political work from a menu of tailored upskilling options.

HOME GROUPS | Purposeful peer connections for deeper learning, support, and collaboration

You will have access to a peer sounding board composed of three parliamentarians, with whom to reflect, connect, test ideas and your own strategic thinking.

3-DAY IN PERSON POLICY LAB | Prototyping policy ideas and solutions

Take part in a hands-on design workshop to develop your own initiative — a political campaign, policy idea, or new policy experiment.

Receive targeted support and expert feedback to transform insights into concrete proposals.

Work in one of two focus areas, selected to reflect urgent political challenges and cohort priorities.

MISSION CLOSE-OUT | Catalysing impact beyond the mission

Present your policy work and insights, receive a tailored, research-based policy paper to support dissemination and impact of the emerging policy ideas across national and European contexts.

What the Fellowship Delivers

Tangible progress on a policy problem you are currently working on.

A personalised learning journey and professional upskilling modules enhancing your strategic thinking, political communication, and collaboration capacity.

A cross-party and cross-border cohort of politicians to act as your strategic sounding board and help advance your policy thinking.

Bespoke policy intelligence and research tailored to your policy questions.

Mastery of a Harvard-developed leadership methodology for political change management.

Exclusive field visits and networking with key political and institutional decision-makers.

A rare opportunity to give back to your country and parliamentary institution by bringing home fresh insights, tested solutions and a strengthened political capacity.

A unique setting to step back from daily political pressures and engage in open, diagnostic thinking in an informal setting with a trusted group of peers.

Access to the Open European Dialogue policymakers community granting you long-lasting, confidential relationships with political allies and sparring partners across Europe working on the same issues you are.

Who Should Apply? 

This programme is designed for members of parliaments (national and EU parliaments as well as parliaments from across the wider European region) who are deeply engaged in the mission themes and committed to advancing meaningful policy progress — even in the face of political complexity or gridlock.

We are seeking individuals who combine a strong sense of urgency with the discipline and perseverance required to do the demanding, time-intensive work of shaping effective political solutions.

If you are looking for the space, tools, expertise and cross-border peers to sharpen your political ideas and increase your strategic impact, this mission is for you. Participation is selective and requires a clear commitment — yet it is a genuine investment in both your political leadership capacity and the societal causes you wish to advance.

Ideal candidates will:

Possess a successful political track record. Candidates should exhibit clear evidence of leadership, influence, or institutional responsibility.

Be at a critical juncture in their career. The ideal candidate is seeking to reshape a key policy area, stepping into a new role, ready to scale an existing initiative, or start a new venture.

Embrace a spirit of enquiry. We look for candidates who demonstrate the necessary intellectual openness and acumen to engage constructively with new ideas and political perspectives.

The programme is open to politicians at all levels of seniority. You will join a cohort of 16 committed peers, political leaders and innovators, who share your ambition to advance public good.

Over the course of five months, you will participate in in-person and online sessions, receive one-to-one mentoring, and gain access to tools, networks, and support to advance your individual policy challenge while also collaborating on a shared European-level political challenge.

Fellowship Grants

Thanks to the generous support of the Open European Dialogue partners, we will award up to 16 fellowship grants to exceptional candidates. Each fellowship grant, valued at € 18,000, fully covers the costs of participation in the programme.

We are committed to making this opportunity accessible to leaders from diverse backgrounds, political perspectives, and economic circumstances.

As part of your application, you may request a fellowship grant covering up to 100% of the programme costs. Fellowships grants are awarded based on both merit and financial need. If you have the resources to contribute, we encourage you to consider covering your participation in full or applying for partial support —this ensures we can allocate more funding to candidates who need it most.

Schedule

Applications
Applications: September 18 - October 27

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, all final decisions will be delivered by end of October.

Programme Duration and Schedule
The programme runs for a duration of 5 months. Below is a tentative schedule.

November 28-30
Kick-Off Policymakers Dialogue, Milan — Optional preparatory module

Early February (Feb 4)*
Opening Ceremony — Online

March 11 - 15

Five-day Residency — In person, location: European capital tbc

May 8 - 11

Three-day Policy Lab — In person, location: Berlin

February - April

Three 3-hour Thematic and Skills Deep-Dives — Online (April 1, April 8 - 9)*

End of June (June 25)*
Closing Ceremony — Online

>> *Further details and finalised dates will be shared with selected participants.

Application Requirements

To complete your application, you must be an elected member of parliament.

You will be asked to:

Share a brief statement outlining your motivation for joining the programme.

Upload your CV or provide a link to your professional biography.

Outline an initial idea for a policy challenge connected to this year's broader policy mission which you wish to explore.

Selected candidates will be contacted for a video interview, after which the Policy Mission Fellowship selection committee will make a decision and inform the candidates.

We offer up to 16 need-and-merit based fellowship grants valued at € 18,000 for outstanding candidates. The Fellowship is at no, or at a significantly-reduced cost, except for a commitment contribution. Fellowship grants are made possible by the generous support of our Partners.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. We strongly recommend applying early to secure your place.

Application

Contacts

If you have any questions or would like to discuss whether this programme is right for you, please feel free to schedule a call using the provided link or contact us at team@aproposgroup.org.

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