ICANN Fellowship: Process and Terms

ICANN Fellowship Program

Last Updated: 15 October 2018

Previous Fellowship Process and Terms

1. Application Process

   The only way to apply for an ICANN fellowship is through the online application system. The online application form must be written in English. If English is not your first language, you are encouraged to translate your responses into English for the application.

   Once you start the online application, you will have until the application round closes to complete the entire form.

   Please take careful note of the application closing dates listed at http://icann.org/en/fellowships/. Active but incomplete applications will NOT be considered once the system is closed.

   The Fellowship Program supports approximately 45 participants per ICANN Public Meeting, inclusive of newcomers, returning alumni, and mentors. The ICANN Policy Forum is open only to Fellowship Program alumni who are actively engaged in ICANN's multistakeholder community. An individual can receive a fellowship up to three times.

   A selection committee reviews all eligible applications. The committee is formed of representatives nominated by their Supporting Organization (SO) or Advisory Committee (AC). The committee assesses each application according to the ICANN Fellowship Applicant Selection Criteria. The selection committee will take into account comments from ICANN organization members on individual applications and the overall needs for each region and community group in ICANN's multistakeholder model.

   All successful candidates are announced on the ICANN website, within approximately 8 weeks after the online application closes; actual dates are posted on the Fellowship web page. This posting is the only communication that all applicants will see; successful candidates only receive a follow-up email and confirmation letter at the time of posting. This confirmation must be returned within a week of receipt declaring that the individual accepts the fellowship. If a candidate does not accept the fellowship within that time period, an already established list of alternates will be used to fill the vacated position.

2. Travel and Other Support Once Selected

   Travel will be booked by ICANN via its travel service provider. ICANN will not purchase any travel tickets for a fellow unless and until the fellow has all the necessary travel documents, including visas and in some cases transit visas, in their possession and has provided ICANN with pdf copies of such documents.

   Fellows are not entitled to create their own travel itinerary, nor are they entitled to reroute or extend the itinerary created by ICANN's travel service provider unless agreed upon by the ICANN Constituency Travel team and executed by the ICANN travel service provider.

   ICANN shall not be liable for any loss or expenses (including airfares) of the applicant for travel delays incurred by the applicant as a result of inaccurate information provided by the applicant, delays in submitting the appropriate forms to the relevant authorities or refusals of host or transit country authorities to grant a visa to the applicant.

   For ICANN meetings, a stipend not to exceed USD 500.00 will be provided to offset reasonable individual expenses (such as meals, transport to/from the airport and incidentals). One half of the allotted stipend will be provided to each participating fellow prior to the meeting; the second half of the stipend will be provided via wire transfer by ICANN upon successful completion of the ICANN Fellowship Program and submission of the post-meeting survey two weeks after the ICANN Meeting.

   ICANN will defer costs incurred by fellows to obtain a visa, up to the USD 200.00 allowed in the ICANN Constituency Travel Support Guidelines.

   ICANN will only cover the cost of a hotel room directly using an ICANN meeting partner hotel as established by ICANN's Constituency Travel Support Guidelines and implemented by ICANN's travel service provider. Any and all hotel surcharges (e.g. telephone calls, room service, laundry, movies) are the responsibility of the fellow. The hotel may request a credit card or cash deposit from the fellow to guarantee these expenses.

3. National Laws and Legislation

   During the travel period covered under the ICANN Fellowship Program, it is the fellow's responsibility to comply with all local laws and legislation of the country or countries to which he or she will travel (including but not limited to laws pertaining to immigration, taxation, customs, employment and foreign exchange control).

   It is the fellow's responsibility to comply with all regulations (including those dealing with visas and required vaccinations) of any country visited.

   ICANN is not responsible for obtaining visas for fellows but MAY assist with communications regarding the visas, including a form invitation letter to the ICANN meeting for which the fellow has been granted a fellowship.

   ICANN will not entertain any claim for work permits or any other costs relating to compliance with the national legislation of any country in the world from a fellow or any third party.

   ICANN is a California non-profit public benefit corporation incorporated in the United States and must therefore comply with all of the laws and regulations of California and the United States.

4. Required Travel Documents

   Each selected fellow must be holding a valid passport prior to ICANN booking any travel (airfare and hotel).

   Travel documents as required by the fellow's country of origin or the country hosting the meeting. Visa may be required. It is very important that the fellow check with his or her local consulate agency.

   Transit visas may be required to connect in certain cities or countries. Fellows should check with their local consulate agency.

   Fellows should always carry proof of health insurance. Insurance is NOT supplied by ICANN.

   All travel documents must be consistent with the name on the fellow's valid passport.

5. Personal Safety and Health

   Acquiring and paying for any and all insurance, including but not limited to travel insurance, is the sole and exclusive responsibility of the fellow.

   Claim processing (including any costs involved) is the responsibility of the fellow.

   ICANN is not responsible for the personal health, safety or belongings of the fellow.

   Each fellow is exclusively responsible for maintaining his or her personal health and safety during the period of the fellowship.

   ICANN strongly suggests that fellows consult and comply with the views of the diplomatic and consular authorities of the country of their nationality in respect of travel conditions and safety of travelers applicable in the countries to be visited under this fellowship. It is not ICANN's responsibility to inform or provide advice to applicants or fellows about travel conditions or safety of travelers.

   Should travel to the selected destinations not be advised by the relevant authorities, the fellow must immediately upon making a determination not to travel advise the ICANN Fellowship Program administrator. ICANN will then make a determination whether to terminate the fellowship for that meeting.

   ICANN also strongly suggests that fellows seek guidance from qualified health personnel concerning potential health risks in the areas to be visited. In preparing for a trip, fellows should receive, at their own expense, all required and recommended immunizations and take malaria prophylaxis if traveling to an area where malaria is endemic.

   BE AWARE THAT SOME TRANSIT REGIONS MAY ALSO REQUIRE CERTAIN VACCINATIONS OR LAPSE TIME IN TRAVEL DUE TO YOUR REGION OF ORIGIN.

6. Required Post Meeting Reporting

   Each fellow is required to complete a post-meeting survey within two weeks of the end of the ICANN Meeting. The survey will gather details about the fellow's experiences in the Fellowship Program as well as his or her thoughts on future contributions to the ICANN community and processes.

7. Deferment

   Fellowship applications cannot be deferred to another meeting. Applicants must re-apply for each fellowship round.

8. Failure to Comply with Terms

   Please note that if a fellow chooses to not comply with any one of the above mentioned terms of the ICANN Fellowship Program, ICANN reserves the right to determine the appropriate course of action including, but not limited to: (i) terminating the fellowship prior to the end of a meeting; (ii) causing the fellow's early departure from the program and ICANN Meeting; (iii) and/or asking the fellow to cover costs for expenditures.

9. Privacy Policy

   ICANN respects the protection and privacy of personal information. See ICANN's privacy policy here.