It’s a topic that preoccupies officials, politicians and citizens across Europe - and arguably one of the biggest challenges facing this continent and the international community. In 2008, applicants for the Fellowship programme are invited to explore the subject of energy. But not only headline issues such as the supply of fuel, climate change and renewables. Entrants are also encouraged to look at human energy such as energy of ideas, energy for change and energy for reconstruction as well as destruction.

Participants are invited to tackle a broad range of themes within a Balkan or European context: from energy security, dependence on distant sources of fuel, health and pollution, the move to replace fossil fuels with green energy, and changes in lifestyle to reduce our carbon footprint, to the efforts of individuals or groups to confront political corruption, ethnic intolerance or prejudices in education and business.

Proposals should include plans for cross-border research, involving at least two countries in the Balkans and one EU member state. They can highlight examples of success as well as barriers to learning from others’ experiences. They should unearth fresh information or adopt original perspectives that will attract a wide readership in the Balkans and in the EU. The completed articles should be 2,000 words in length.