The Open Society Institute today launched a fellowship program to enable outstanding individuals from around the world to pursue projects that will inspire meaningful debate and shape public policy.

The Open Society Fellowship will award $2 million in 2008 to scholars, journalists, activists and others working on national security; citizenship, membership and marginalization; authoritarianism; and new strategies and tools for advocacy.

"The Open Society Fellows will be idea entrepreneurs", said George Soros, founder and chairman of OSI. "The fellowship will generate new thinking to tackle some of the most pressing questions of our day."

Fellows' projects may include books, articles, documentary films, online media, and efforts to seed new campaigns and organizations. OSI seeks fellows who will engage with its staff and inform its thinking.

OSI will provide fellows with competitive stipends and communications assistance, and will integrate them into its networks of partners and grantees. Most fellowships will be awarded for one year.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. For more information, please see the Open Society Fellowship guidelines.