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The Diplomacy Lab underscores the government’s commitment to engaging the American people in its work, and helps broaden its research base and more effectively respond to a myriad of global challenges.

Students participating in the Diplomacy Lab explore real-world challenges identified by the government and work under the guidance of faculty members with expertise in a field related to the project. Students also discuss these issues with government officials several times throughout the semester. The Diplomacy Lab allows students to contribute directly to the policymaking process, while helping tap into an underutilized reservoir of intellectual capital.

The Diplomacy Lab operated in a pilot phase from Fall 2013 through the Spring 2015 semester. An open application period was held in March 2015, selecting additional universities to participate in the Diplomacy Lab starting in Fall 2015.

In a nutshell, each semester a list of proposed projects is shared with universities that are participating in Diplomacy. Then the coordinator solicits interest from faculty members to lead teams of students in Diplomacy Lab projects. Over the course of a semester, professors guide students in developing a final work product that accomplishes the goals outlined by the government. Students have opportunities throughout the semester to discuss their research with government officials.

Diplomacy Lab member institutions may bid on project proposals developed by the Department 6 months prior to each semester during the bidding window. Each university is encouraged to submit bids for its top four priority projects. It is also highly recommended that each university choose four alternate projects with an individual proposal in the event a particular project is over-subscribed.

The government is responsible for responding to a wide array of international issues and challenges, including climate change, weapons nonproliferation, democracy and human rights, counter-terrorism, global health, energy security, gender equality, economic policy, trafficking in persons, food security, and conflict and stabilization. Diplomacy Lab projects come from offices across the Department. The Department makes an effort to provide projects matching the strengths and interests of universities participating in Diplomacy Lab.

A standard Diplomacy Lab team is generally a group of at least four or more students led by a faculty member. Students may be undergraduate or graduate students in any discipline or academic field. Interdisciplinary teams are also welcome and encouraged!

In short, a lot! Each Diplomacy Lab team is supervised by a faculty member with expertise in a field related to the project. The faculty member also serves as the Project Point of Contact for government officials who have proposed the project. In exchange, faculty members reserve intellectual property rights of their work (see below for more details).

Upon completion of individual research projects, universities and faculty reserve intellectual property of all work and reserve the right to submit for publication following submission to their government liaison/director. Specific details related to intellectual property may be included in your project description and/or worked out with government liaisons and Â鶹´«Ã½ÉçÇø; this would be your responsibility as a project leader to address before work on the project begins.

Students engage directly with officials throughout the semester in a series of video- or teleconferences. Although each project’s trajectory is different, typically the first conference takes place at the beginning of the semester, so that students can meet Department officials, who provide students with additional context and direction not included in the initial project request. The second conference takes place later in the semester, to give students the chance to ask questions and officials a chance to give mid-course guidance on the students’ work. There may be a possibility of a final conference after students submit their final projects. During this last conference, students present their results to their Department colleagues and other relevant officials. Government officials will have the opportunity to provide feedback on the students’ work.

While the format of the final product depends heavily on the nature of the project, most Diplomacy Lab products are short policy memos with data and supporting research attached in appendices, longer research papers, statistical analyses, or even data sets, and creative work such as video production. The expected form of the final project is made clear in the project announcement and in communication with government officials.

Each university is encouraged to bid on up to four projects per cycle or semester, in addition to four alternate project proposals in the event that a certain topic is over-subscribed.