The ARP programme gives first-year students the opportunity to engage directly with applied, practice-oriented research projects tied to real-world global challenges. Led by Claudia Seymour, the programme creates space for experimentation, reflection, and mentorship at a moment when many students are beginning to define what kind of researchers they want to become.
On 12 May, newly joined CCDP researcher Shona Loong joined Visitng Fellow to the Centre, Arturo de Nieves for an informal fireside-style conversation with students during the programme’s final ARP clinic of the semester.
Rather than a formal presentation, the session opened up candid discussion about the realities of conducting research in partnership with actors across global affairs — from diplomats and think tanks to grassroots organisations and activists working in conflict settings.
Loong shared reflections from her current research on Myanmar, where she examines how changing global aid politics are shaping the country’s ongoing civil war and the strategies of revolutionary groups navigating those shifts. She also spoke about co-developing the Myanmar Conflict Map in partnership with a think tank, and how applied research can unexpectedly open doors into policy spaces. Loong shared how she has prioritises long-term relationships and partnerships with grassroots organisations, who may not have access to the same high-level actors. She wrote about this, previously, in an article about the ethics of combining volunteer work with research on conflict.
Though the clinic took place on the same day as final ARP deadlines and drew a smaller group of students, the exchange was meaningful to all in attendance.
The event also reflected something larger happening across the Institute: growing collaboration between research centres, faculty, and programmes that are intentionally creating bridges between scholarship and practice.
These collaborations matter. They create space for emerging researchers to ask difficult questions, encounter the messy realities of applied work, and see what engaged scholarship can actually look like in practice. And increasingly, they are becoming part of the connective tissue of the Institute itself.
The Call for ARP Partner organisations for the 2026-2027 academic year is open from 15 May – 31 July 2026. Should you have any questions about the ARP please reach out to Claudia Seymour, Head of Applied Research Projects and Practice: claudia.seymour@graduateinstitute.ch.