About us
The Tony Blair Institute equips leaders to build open, inclusive and prosperous societies in an interconnected world. We seek to achieve change through politics and institutions, and we do this by developing policy and advising governments.
The Institute is a not-for-profit organisation with over 500 staff with a presence in over 20 countries.
Technology and Public Policy at the Tony Blair Institute
At the Tony Blair Institute we develop bold ideas for a brighter future. With world leading technologists and thinkers, we have developed moonshot ideas, while our technology policy work looks to build the radical but practical ideas that will win the future.
We seek to equip leaders to master the technology revolution – accessing its benefits and mitigating its risks. We do this by (a) curating the key debates and generating politically actionable policy and strategy, and (b) convening a structured, productive dialogue between tech and policy/political leaders.
Technology is one of the most important strategic issues for today’s leaders and is therefore a core element of our public policy work.
The Progress Fellows Programme
As part of these efforts we want to find the emerging voices who are thinking about the world in a different way. At a time when a lot of the public discourse is pessimistic and led by low expectations, we want to find optimistic ideas that can have a positive impact globally.
Building off the work of our previous cohorts, we are looking for seven Progress Fellows who will look at solving some of the world’s toughest policy challenges. They will spend 100 days designing actionable ideas that seek to deliver the transformative potential of technology.
We invite anyone with a fresh and original idea to apply. It should be unique and solve a specific problem, but it should also be pragmatic. Ideas without thought to implementation are useless – we need to always think of the hard task of getting things done.
This year, we are looking for people to lend specific expertise in our Tech and Public Policy team, leading projects or work streams on areas new to us. We are looking for experts in:
AI and ML
Space manufacturing, governance, satellites and more
Web3 & Inclusion
Web3 & Future of Work
Biotech
Digital government and citizen engagement
Clean tech
Participants will apply their knowledge and expertise to important policy questions and develop ideas that shape the public debate, contributing to essential research and publications delivered by the Tech and Public Policy team. Fellows will be credited for their contributions on Institute platforms, including the website and social media.
What’s the commitment?
Fellowships will run for 100 days from August 2022, with an expectation that Fellows contribute to our flagship policy prescriptions by co-authoring our publications on the above themes. If time permits, Fellows may be permitted to develop their own blog or a reflective piece.
Fellows are expected to participate in relevant stakeholder engagement and promotional activity by sharing and engaging with existing and new networks.
Where is the Fellowship based?
We expect fellowships to be primarily virtual, with Fellows interacting with the team and developing policy products online. Fellowships are not residential.
There will be regular opportunities to engage in events and other discussions on tech hosted by the Institute. Where people are invited to participate in events in their capacity as a Progress Fellow we will cover reasonable travel costs.
What’s in it for me?
If you’re reading this then you already know that leaders around the world need help to respond to the challenges and opportunities of new technologies. This Fellowship is an opportunity to be part of the change we want to make in the world.
From a professional perspective, this is an opportunity to:
Raise your public profile through published work
Grow your professional network
Gain an official affiliation with the Institute
We are also offering stipend of £1500 (or equivalent in your local currency)
Next steps
If you'd like to participate in this programme, please tell us about yourself and pitch your idea via this application form by 11:59 PM on 7 August 2022.
If we would like to explore your idea further, you will hear from us via email by mid August. Practical arrangements will be confirmed and the projects commenced shortly after.