FCO Fellowship - Caitriona McLeish
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Sussex
Department Name: University of Sussex Business School
Abstract
This call is limited to the FCO and designed to meet the distinct needs of the Diplomatic Service, which differ from many parts of the Home Civil Service. The FCO requires security vetting, the highest levels of discretion and confidentiality and agile, subject-specific advice. The FCO has an almost limitless demand for expert specialist knowledge of foreign countries, international institutions and global policy challenges.
This call will provide the opportunity for each intake of fellows to be seconded into the FCO to work alongside, advise and influence policymakers. Fellows will bring fresh thinking, depth and breadth of expert knowledge and apply their learning to policy challenges. This is not a call to support research projects about the FCO. It will build new capacity in the FCO and across the UK research base.
Fellows will report to a line manager either from the RA Cadre (or Arms Control & Disarmament Unit) or the generalist body of the FCO. Additional support and mentoring will be provided by both senior Generalists (Directors; Ambassadors; Heads of Department; Deputy Heads) and by senior Research Analysts. Work-planning, as for permanent Research Analysts, will be a mixture of demand and self-tasking based on evolving FCO needs. An indicative list of tasks include: writing papers and shorter notes, oral briefings for senior officials and ministers, meeting external and cross-Whitehall partners, research visits
overseas as well as organising and running masterclasses.
The individual fellows will acquire:
a) A deep, broad and practical understanding of foreign policy-making and Government work which will underpin their own research, research supervision and teaching over their careers;
b) Networks of trusted connections across Government and internationally on which they can draw throughout their career;
c) Opportunities for career development.
This call will provide the opportunity for each intake of fellows to be seconded into the FCO to work alongside, advise and influence policymakers. Fellows will bring fresh thinking, depth and breadth of expert knowledge and apply their learning to policy challenges. This is not a call to support research projects about the FCO. It will build new capacity in the FCO and across the UK research base.
Fellows will report to a line manager either from the RA Cadre (or Arms Control & Disarmament Unit) or the generalist body of the FCO. Additional support and mentoring will be provided by both senior Generalists (Directors; Ambassadors; Heads of Department; Deputy Heads) and by senior Research Analysts. Work-planning, as for permanent Research Analysts, will be a mixture of demand and self-tasking based on evolving FCO needs. An indicative list of tasks include: writing papers and shorter notes, oral briefings for senior officials and ministers, meeting external and cross-Whitehall partners, research visits
overseas as well as organising and running masterclasses.
The individual fellows will acquire:
a) A deep, broad and practical understanding of foreign policy-making and Government work which will underpin their own research, research supervision and teaching over their careers;
b) Networks of trusted connections across Government and internationally on which they can draw throughout their career;
c) Opportunities for career development.
Planned Impact
The main benefit anticipated from this call for the FCO will be more robust and better informed foreign policy. The Fellowship call will over time create a small group of highly trained, specialised and policy-aware academics that will act as a resource on which policymakers can continue to draw long after the formal Fellowship is completed. They will also, in the normal course of events, download their understanding of the FCO policymaking environment to students, cascading knowledge to others who may themselves in due course be channels for knowledge exchange.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Caitriona McLeish (Principal Investigator / Fellow) |
| Description | This award relates to a part-time secondment to the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office. The fellowship has allowed a better understanding of how the FCDO works; ways in which academics can feed into the policymaking process; a better understanding of effective communication techniques for inputting academic research into the policy making process; and the critical role of Research Analysts in the FCDO. These understandings have been and will continue to be fed back into academic networks. |
| Exploitation Route | The Knowledge Exchange Fellows have organised a number of outreach events to speak with other academics about working with the FCDO and across Whitehall. These activities will continue. |
| Sectors | Government, Democracy and Justice,Security and Diplomacy |
| Description | The main purpose of this project was to work alongside FCDO colleagues and gain a deep broad and practical understanding of policy-making and Government work. The scheme also sought to build new capacity. To that end, my work has fed into policy making discussions on a range of topics. I have also assisted in deepening and widening links into academic networks. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2020 |
| Sector | Government, Democracy and Justice,Security and Diplomacy |
| Impact Types | Policy & public services |