Projects / Security Academy 2023/2024

Security Academy 2023/2024

The mission of the Security Academies is to strengthen the knowledge, competencies and capacities in the areas of foreign and security policy among various target groups. We identify and support talented young people, preparing them for careers in security organisations, government and the civil sector. Our goal is to increase the number of professionals who can focus on security threats and foreign policy, thus helping to strengthen the Czech Republic's position in the Euro-Atlantic area. Our key activity, the Security Academy, is a year-long training programme for selected Master's and PhD students and recent graduates interested in security. In the academic year 2023/2024, the Security Academy is directly linked to the project of the same name being developed between 2020 and 2023 by the European Values Center for Security Policy. The Security Academy is gradually complemented by other projects aimed at different target groups with an interest in security - this includes parliamentary assistants or young professionals from the Czech Republic and abroad.

A new edition of the Security Academy was launched during October 2023The programe is designed for ten participants who will meet with experts, undertake study trips and visits to institutions, as well as a mentoring programe. We will also help participants find internships according to their thematic focus. 

Registration for the new year of the Security Academy was open until midnight on October 8, 2023. We look forward to possibly seeing you in the 2024/2025 academic year.

The patronage of this year's event was taken over by Vít Rakušan, 1st Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, Martin Dvořák, Minister of European Affairs, Lt. Gen. Karel Rehka, Chief of the General Staff of the Army of the Czech Republic and the National Office for Cyber and Information Security.

The Security Academy runs from October 2023 to May 2024 and consists of the following parts:

Workshops on selected security policy topics led by experienced practitioners and informal meetings with personalities from security institutions

Afternoon workshops presenting specific security policy topics will be held in Prague on Thursday afternoons, in some cases on Friday mornings. Preliminary dates of the workshops:

  • 16. 11. 2023
  • 30. 11. 2023
  • 14. 12. 2023
  • 22. 2. 2024
  • 7. 3. 2024
  • 21. 3. 2024
  • 4. 4. 2024
  • 18. 4. 2024
  • 2. 5. 2024
  • A multi-day programme including workshops from Wednesday afternoon to Friday noon will take place on 25-27 October 2023 and 15-17 May 2024. 

Mentoring Program

During October 2023, each of the Security Academy participants will be assigned a mentor from among experienced practitioners in the field with respect to the topics they are working on. During the Security Academy, participants will write a policy paper on one of the topics related to security policy in collaboration with their mentor. Mentors work, among others, at the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic or the National Cyber and Information Security Agency and will consult with the participants on their possible opportunities.

Studijní cesta do Bruselu a do Estonska, Litvy a Lotyšska

Třídenní cesta do institucí Evropské unie a do centrály NATO spojená se setkáním s českými zástupci v obou organizacích proběhla v únoru 2024. V dubnu 2024 proběhla studijní cesta do Estonska, Litvy a Lotyšska. Součástí intenzivního programu byly návštěvy tamních institucí i setkání se všemi třemi českými velvyslanci v regionu Pobaltí.

Possibility of an internship

In cooperation with our partners, we will help the participants of the Security Academy to arrange an internship according to the thematic focus.

What do you get by participating in the program?

  • Insight into the practical functioning of Czech and foreign security institutions and international organisations through study trips.
  • Valuable experience and up-to-date knowledge of current security challenges in the international context.
  • Significantly increased employability in the international relations and security sector, thanks to practical insight and contacts.
  • You will become part of a community of alumni with access to the Czech security community.
  • The opportunity to develop your career in the field in cooperation with an experienced mentor - a practitioner of Czech security policy.
  • Useful contacts with top experts from the Czech Republic and abroad.
  • The opportunity to complete an internship in a Czech security institution.

Among the speakers and mentors involved in the Security Academy in the past were: 

Věra Jourová (Vice-President of the European Comission); Jan Lipavský (Minister for Foreign Affairs), Ayesha Patricia Rekhi (Ambassador of Canada to the Czech Republic); Anna Azari (Ambassador of the State of Israel to the Czech Republic); Karel Řehka (Chief of the General Staff of the Army of the Czech Republic); Vladimír Posolda (Director ÚZSI); Pavel Fischer (Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee); Tomáš Kopečný (vládni zmocněnec pro rekonstrukci Ukrajiny); Jan Havránek (náměstek sekce obranné politiky a strategie MO); Martin Povejšil (Under-Secretary of State for Security and Multilateral Affairs); Daniel Braun (Deputy Director of the Cabinet of EC Vice-President Věra Jourová); Benedikt Vangeli (CTHH MVČR); Daniel Bagge (Military Intelligence) Michal Thim (NÚKIB); Jan Jireš (Delegation of the Czech Republic to NATO, Ministry of Defense); and others.

První ročník Bezpečnostní akademie (2020/2021) úspěšně absolvovalo 13 účastníků, druhý ročník Bezpečnostní akademie (2021/2022) úspěšně absolvovalo 11 účastníků, ročník třetí (2022/2023) 10 účastníků. Absolventi programu našli i díky svému zapojení v něm z velké části uplatnění v rámci bezpečnostních institucí.

How do the participants themselves evaluate their participation in the Security Academy?

"The program really exceeded all my expectations in several ways. It helped me to open my eyes a bit, to clarify a lot of things within myself and last but not least to meet a lot of great people, whom I hope to continue meeting - both professionally and privately."

"Thank you for the whole Academy, it was a really beneficial experience in every way."

"I really think the Security Academy has a bright future and the potential to bring a lot of benefits to many more people in the future. It was a real privilege to be part of its first year!"

Kontaktní údaje

Pro více informací o Bezpečnostní akademii kontaktujte zástupce ředitelky Centra pro informovanou společnost Michaela Murada.

Partners

Bezpečnostní akademie probíhá díky podpoře Pale Fire Capital, Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung a Zastoupení Evropské komise v České republice. Studijní cesta do Estonska, Lotyšska a Litvy proběhla díky podpoře Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom. V průběhu roku 2024 si v rámci Bezpečnostní akademie připomínáme 25. výročí členství České republiky v NATO.