Research focus and example topics

Projects in this Division address societal challenges where evidence, constraints, and stakeholder realities matter more than ideology. Typical directions include:

• Public policy, governance, and regulation (policy design, implementation constraints, evaluation logic)

• International relations and diplomacy (scenario analysis, negotiation options, risk and stability assessment)

• Political economy and comparative governance (structured comparisons, institutional analysis)

• Science, technology, and innovation policy (emerging tech impacts, governance models, responsible deployment)

• Education policy and systems change (access, quality, incentives, measurable outcomes)

• Ethics, risk, and societal impacts of technology (safety, privacy, fairness, accountability)

Mentorship model

Accepted Remote Fellows join from around the world and work on milestone-driven projects aligned with their background, readiness, and topic fit. When supervisors are available, Fellows are matched to a supervisor and contribute to professional outputs such as policy briefs, options papers, scenario analyses, stakeholder maps, regulatory mappings, impact assessments, and implementation roadmaps.

Evidence standards, balanced analysis, TRIZ, and ethical AI use

We emphasize evidence over advocacy. Fellows learn to distinguish facts from interpretations, document sources, state uncertainty, and communicate limitations clearly. Projects may use quantitative approaches (datasets, indicators, structured comparisons, basic statistical reasoning) and qualitative approaches (case studies, document analysis, process tracing, stakeholder analysis), always with explicit assumptions. AI tools may be used ethically to accelerate policy-document mapping, evidence extraction, and structured drafting — but the Fellow remains responsible for verification, balanced interpretation, and proper attribution. Where useful, TRIZ-style contradiction thinking can structure policy tensions (for example: security vs. openness, innovation speed vs. safety, efficiency vs. equity, sovereignty vs. interdependence) and generate coherent solution options.

What success looks like

The objective is not partisan positioning. The objective is the ability to produce rigorous, defensible, decision-ready analysis that can withstand expert scrutiny and support responsible policy choices.

Pathways to join the Society & Policy Division

Option A — Pre-Fellowship Preparation (recommended if you are not yet ready)

Choose this route if you want to build a strong foundation before applying to the Fellowship. The preparation track helps you:

• define a precise policy question, scope, and decision context

• build a basic portfolio (policy memo, evidence map, stakeholder analysis)

• learn disciplined research workflows (sourcing, transparency, uncertainty handling)

• produce a “readiness package” for merit-based selection

Suggested Pre-Fellowship starting tasks (examples):

• Write a 1–2 page policy problem brief: who decides, what constraints, what success means, what would falsify a claim.

• Create an evidence map from 15–25 credible sources with a claim–evidence table and uncertainty notes.

• Build a stakeholder and incentives map (actors, interests, constraints, risks, feasible levers).

• Draft an options paper with 3–5 policy choices, trade-offs, implementation barriers, and monitoring metrics.

Outcome: you finish with verifiable artifacts that make your Fellowship application strong and merit-based.

Option B — Apply directly to the NanoTRIZ Innovation Fellowship

Choose this route if you already have evidence of readiness (policy writing, research outputs, strong IR/governance background) and you are ready to deliver measurable outputs within 6–12 months.

Strong signals for direct Fellowship entry:

• public artifacts (policy briefs, reports, publications, structured analyses)

• evidence of rigor (credible sourcing, explicit assumptions, clear limitations, uncertainty handling)

• a realistic plan with milestones, risks, and evaluation criteria

• ability to commit to milestone-driven work and professional documentation

What to include in your application (Society & Policy Division)

To be evaluated on merit, submit:

• Output links: reports / publications / OSF / portfolio pages (required where available)

• Top 5 skills + evidence: each with a proof link (required)

• Project proposal (1 page): question, decision context, stakeholders, constraints, method, milestones, risks, validation/monitoring plan

• Resources: datasets, institutional access, language skills (if relevant)

Example project proposals that fit this Division:

• regulatory mapping + options memo for an emerging technology with implementation plan

• scenario analysis for a geopolitical or climate-security issue with decision pathways

• comparative governance study with structured evidence, limitations, and policy implications

• impact assessment of a policy intervention with monitoring metrics and risk controls

• TRIZ-structured policy contradiction analysis generating feasible options and trade-offs