Swedish Institute Academy for Young Professionals (SAYP) Baltic Sea Region and Eastern partnership countries

Please note that the deadline for submission may vary among different modules.

You can apply for a SAYP module via the website of the respective organiser (host university). The links are provided below. If you apply for more than one training programme, it is very important to rank the programmes in order of your preference in the motivation letter, as you can only be admitted to one of them. You need to submit a separate application with a unique letter of motivation for each module you have chosen. We recommend that you apply for not more than two programmes corresponding to your interests and professional role.

Gothenburg university, Migration and Integration: Challenges and Good Practices for the Development of Inclusive Societies
(deadline for submission is 5 April)
This module provides public servants, policymakers and civil society workers in Eastern Partnership / Baltic Sea Region with a practical toolkit for addressing key pressing migration and integration challenges facing European societies: large-scale refugee flows, internally displaced peoples, plus labor and student migration. Through lectures, problem-based learning exercises, seminars and project work, the module focuses on case studies of good practices from across Europe. Activities allow for participants to regularly reflect on how these case studies can be considered in light of differing political, economic, and cultural contexts. The module will be held in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Linköping university, Sustainable e-Government: Resilience, Innovation, and Democracy
(deadline for submission is 5 April)
The “Sustainable e-Government: Resilience, Innovation, and Democracy” (SeGRID) is a professional training programme for young public servants, policymakers, and civil society from the Eastern Europe (EE). The course provides skills and knowledge about democratic digital governance, rooted in theory and practice, to manage challenges of democracy, inclusion, sustainability, human and citizenship rights. SeGRID offers academic knowledge, practitioners’ expertise, a platform for discussing challenges and solutions, key contacts, and resources for initiating concrete projects based on outputs of the programme. SeGRID is designed to strengthen participants’ ability to lead democratic change and digital transformation in EE.

Lund university, Perspectives on Multi-level governance, Decentralisation and Human Rights
(deadline for submission is 5 April)
The thematic module, Perspectives on Multi-level Governance, Decentralisation & Human Rights, focuses on decentralisation within public administration and how human rights can be implemented on a regional and local level. The module combines theory with a high level of practice, including lectures, seminars/workshops with experts from Lund University and study visits to relevant organisations. This combination enables the participants to get a deeper insight in public administration, as well as exchange experiences and establish new contacts and networks between all participating countries in the Baltic region/EU Eastern Partnership.

Södertörn university, Cooperation Beyond Borders – Transnational Public Administration and Organizing (TPAO)
(deadline for submission is 5 April)
Transnational public administration and organizing (TPAO) takes place at the level of state, regional or local public agencies, and must reckon with jurisdiction and practices from international bodies and other countries. It is not limited to issues that transcend national borders, e.g. environment, communication, trade, conflict resolution, but may include policy areas traditionally addressed nationally/locally, e.g. poverty, employment, education, healthcare. The transnational dimension requires public servants to examine, reflect upon and address differences between countries in relation to socioeconomic development, legal idiosyncrasies and political processes, as well as differences between specific organizations, when it comes to different problem pictures, resources, organizational routines, and collaborative capacities. This module invites young professionals already working transnationally or planning to introduce the transnational dimension into their daily work. It introduces participants to research and various practices of TPAO from the EU, Baltic Sea region and the Eastern Partnership countries, and trains them in using this knowledge to examine their organizations in the transnational dimension of a relevant policy field and initiating or developing their own transnational activities.

Lund university, Green Transition for Low-Carbon and Resilient Societies
(deadline for submission is 5 April)
The programme “Green Transition for Low-carbon and Resilient Societies” is a comprehensive programme designed to address the pressing challenges of climate change, energy security, and promote sustainable development. This multidisciplinary initiative centers on empowering early- and mid-level career professionals in the public and private sector to drive the change towards a low carbon and sustainable future. Transitioning to renewable energy, sustainable mobility and energy-efficient housing will reduce greenhouse gas emissions thereby mitigating climate change, mitigate air pollution, enhance energy security by reducing fuel imports from Russia, and stimulate economic growth.

Stiftelsen Fryshuset, Inclusive leadership and youth work in the Eastern Partnership
(deadline for submission is 5 April)
The programme is designed to strengthen the capacity of CSOs to develop and implement innovative solutions to youth inclusion. It provides them with tools to facilitate youth participation in diverse settings and practices. In a rapidly changing world, it is important to recognize changing forms of youth engagement and reasons that drive youth to participate. The programme hence strengthens the ability of young professionals and organizations, working with and for youth, to facilitate processes that support youth by a) identifying and reducing obstacles to their participation; b) developing their skills and competences to participate; and c) creating synergies to ensure that youth have access to resources and diverse arenas of participation. Working with inclusive and diversity sensitive methods further enable organizations to attend to a diversity of activities and interests driven by different people working together to achieve common goals in society.

Halmstad university, Policy Integration and Transparency Practices in a Digital Era
(deadline for submission is 12 April)
The Policy Integration and Transparency Practices in a Digital Era module provides early and mid-career professionals with a comprehensive understanding of strategic and inclusive policy integration in contemporary governance. The emphasis of the programme is on challenges related to cross-sectoral policy coordination and the sharing of data in a rapidly changing technological environment. It responds to the needs of public and civil society organizations to implement horizontal governance models that require monitoring and promoting strategic topics such as sustainability, human rights, and gender equality while adhering to high standards of information/data sharing. Leading specialists in policy integration and transparency practice share experiences from the Scandinavian context and facilitate the exchange of experience among participants drawn on their different organizational and national settings. Through a well-structured blend of online and on-site learning experiences, participants engage in interactive seminars, study visits, and group work, immersing themselves in crucial topics.

Templates for your application:
CV europass
Motivation letter
Reference letter
English language certificate

The evaluation and selection process is carried out by the universities, arranging SAYP modules.

Please note that SAYP alumni/alumnae, willing to participate in the programme again, will not be given priority in the selection process.

The universities will contact the successful candidates by e-mail to offer them a place in the programme and ask them to confirm their participation. The candidates, placed on the reserve list, will also be notified by e-mail.