Security Academy 2021/2022

In October 2020, the European Values ​​Centre for Security Policy launched a practically oriented two-semester educational program of the Security Academy. The program for selected master’s and doctoral students and recent graduates interested in security and safety policy will continue in the academic year 2021/2022.

An important part of the program is a personalized long-term mentoring program led by experienced practitioners in the field. In the event of a favourable epidemiological situation, study trips to Brussels, Berlin, Bratislava and Brno will be carried out in connection with a visit to the institutions. If interested, we will help participants find an internship according to their thematic focus.

Part of the program will be common with a parallel program implemented since the autumn of 2021 in Slovakia by our partners from STRATPOL – Strategic Policy Institute and Slovak Security Policy Institute.

The patronage of the program was granted by: PhDr. Martin Povejšil, Deputy Minister for Security and Multilateral Section, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic; brig. gen. Miroslav Feix, M.S., Commander of the Command of Cyber Forces and Information Operations and the National Office for Cyber and Information Security.

The main topics of the current year of the program are:

• functioning of national and international security institutions,
• functioning of the army, police and intelligence services,
• practical aspects of political decision-making on security policy,
• protection of democratic institutions from the illegitimate influence of authoritarian regimes,
• energy security,
• Eastern Partnership policy,
• cyber security.

The Security Academy will run from October 2021 to May 2022 and consists of the following parts:

The program may change due to current measures against the spread of coronavirus.

• Workshops on selected security policy topics led by experienced practitioners and informal meetings with personalities from security institutions

  • Two-hour workshops presenting specific security policy topics.

• Mentoring program

  • During October 2021, each of the participants in the Security Academy will be assigned a mentor from among experienced practitioners in the field with regard to the topics he or she is working on. During the Security Academy, participants, in cooperation with a mentor, will write an analytical essay on one of the topics related to security policy. Mentors work, among others, at the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, the Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic or the National Office for Cyber ​​and Information Security, and will consult participants on their application.

• Study trip to Brno and Bratislava

  • During the two-day excursion, the participants will visit NÚKIB and the Command of Cyber Forces and Information Operations of the Czech Armed Forces and visit security and non-governmental institutions in Bratislava.

• Study trip to Brussels

  • A three-day trip to the institutions of the European Union and to NATO headquarters connected with a meeting with Czech representatives in both organizations.

• Study trip to Berlin

  • A two-day study trip to Berlin, during which participants will visit the Bundestag and German institutions and think tanks dedicated to international security.

• Internship opportunity

  • In cooperation with our partners, we will help the participants of the Security Academy to arrange an internship according to the thematic focus.

What can you get out of the Security Academy?

• Insight into the practical functioning of Czech security institutions.
• Valuable experience and current knowledge about current security challenges in an international context.
• Thanks to practical insight and contacts, you will significantly increase your chances of finding a job in the field of international relations and security
• You will become part of a community of graduates with access to the Czech security community.
• You will have the opportunity to develop your career in the field in cooperation with an experienced mentor – a Czech security policy practitioner.
• Useful connections to top experts from the Czech Republic and abroad.
• Possibility to complete an internship in one of the Czech security institutions.
• Insight into the functioning of international organizations and foreign institutions through study trips.

Among the lecturers you will meet during the program are, for example:

• Jan Lipavský, Deputy Chairman of the Defense Committee of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic
• Martin Povejšil, Deputy Minister for Security and Multilateral Section, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic
• Jan Havránek, Deputy Head of the Defense Policy and Strategy Section, Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic
• Miroslav Feix, Commander of Cyber ​​Forces and Information Operations of the Army of the Czech Republic
• Jan Jireš, Head of Defense Advisers at the Permanent Delegation of the Czech Republic to NATO
• Ludvík Cimburek, Advisor to the Chief of the General Staff of the Army of the Czech Republic for Active Reserves
• Ota Šimák, Director of the Department of Trade Policy and International Economic Organizations, Ministry of Industry and Trade
• Václav Bartuška, Special Representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Energy Security
• Jan Kamínek, Contact Point for Election Observation Missions, Department of Human Rights and Transformation Policy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic
• Tomáš Petříček, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic
• Jan Paďourek, former Deputy Director for Analytics and International Relations of the Office for Foreign Relations and Information
• Daniel Bagge, former cyber attaché at the Czech Embassy in Washington
• Didi Kirsten Tatlow, senior analyst at Sinopsis and DGAP think tanks

The first year of the Security Academy (2020/2021) was successfully completed by 13 participants, many of whom found their employment within security institutions thanks to the program.

What do the participants themselves say about their time in the Security Academy in 2020/2021?

“The program really exceeded all my expectations in several ways. It opened my eyes a little, clarified many things, and last but not least, I got to meet many great people with whom I hope I will continue to keep in touch – whether for work or privately. “

“I really think that the Security Academy has a bright future and the potential to benefit many people. It was a real honor to be a part of its first year!”

Applications take place via the application form. The application includes a structured CV and a brief motivation for participation in the program. The program is intended for citizens of the Czech Republic.

Applications can be submitted by October 7, 2021.

The program is supported by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung e.V. The partner of the Security Academy is the Representation of the European Commission in the Czech Republic.