Deadline: June 26, 2026
Applications are open for the European Student Think Tank (EST) Academy 2026. The EST Academy 2026 is an international, interdisciplinary, and impact-oriented programme bringing together young researchers, students, and professionals from across Europe and beyond.
The Academy responds to one of the defining challenges of our time: understanding and communicating policy complexity in an increasingly multipolar and fragmented world. As global governance becomes challenged by competing centres of power, fragmented information ecosystems, geopolitical rivalry, and diverging narratives, the ability not only to analyse policy but also to communicate it effectively has become essential.
EST Academy 2026 combines policy analysis, institutional understanding, public communication, and applied learning through a coherent and highly interactive learning pathway. Rather than functioning as a traditional lecture-based programme, the Academy places participants at the centre of the learning experience through debates, policy simulations, policy labs, media analyses, stakeholder mapping exercises, collaborative group work, and hands-on communication activities.
Participants will engage directly with world-class experts coming from policymaking institutions, think tanks, academia, international organisations, journalism, and civil society. The programme is specifically designed to expose participants to a plurality of professional perspectives, governance traditions, and regional experiences.
Benefits
Selected participants will:
- Engage directly with internationally recognised experts from policymaking institutions, think tanks, academia, international organisations, journalism, and civil society;
- Gain exposure to a broad range of professional experiences, governance systems, and policy approaches from different world regions;
- Develop practical skills in policy analysis, institutional analysis, strategic communication, public speaking, and policy proposal development;
- Strengthen competencies in teamwork, leadership, collaborative problem-solving, and interdisciplinary cooperation;
- Explore how competing narratives, misinformation, and fragmented media ecosystems shape policymaking and public understanding;
- Participate in simulations, debates, policy labs, and hands-on applied exercises;
- Join a pan-European and international network of highly motivated students, researchers, and young professionals;
- Deliver a TED-style public presentation within the framework of the final Science Slams organised in partnership with universities across Europe
Eligibility
- Applications are open to:
- Bachelor’s students
- Master’s students
- PhD candidates
- Young professionals
- Early-career researchers
- from across Europe and neighbouring regions with a strong interest in policymaking, governance, international affairs, communication, and public engagement.
Application
Applicants must upload the following supplementary documents:
- Curriculum Vitae (CV);
- Motivation Letter specifying:
- their motivation for participating in the Academy;
- their relevant experience and credentials.
For more information, visit EST Academy.
