Our vision is simple: We need strong democratic institutions to protect our rights and liberties. We require responsive and resilient governance structures to navigate the rapid development of powerful technologies like AI.
CORDA brings together researchers, builders, and practitioners to think up, build, and implement the change necessary for a world where AI amplifies rather than undermines democratic self-governance.
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Reach us at hello@cordademocracy.org!
Duration: The fellowship runs for 8 weeks: April 6th – June 1st, 2026.
Agency
We don't care about shiny credentials. We want passionate, proactive, and clever individuals working on making sure everyone can live a self-determined life in a flourishing democracy. You take ownership, show initiative, and bring your own ideas.
Skills
Students, recent graduates, or career professionals with a strong skillset in at least one of the following: research, analysis, software engineering, product, design, policy, law, or communications. You are able to work under constraints — you move, fail, and reiterate fast. Be attached to the problem, not the solution. Strong reasoning and communication skills (written and verbal).
Clear Motivation for Democracy Strengthening and Preservation
You are passionate about making sure humans, communities, and democratic institutions can flourish.
In case you have any questions or feel unsure whether you want to apply, please reach out at hello@cordademocracy.org — we would rather hear from you than not.
We are particularly excited about projects that research, build, scale, or apply solutions in the following areas. These are not exhaustive — compelling projects outside these buckets are welcome.
Assessing the state of democracy and evaluating what interventions actually work.
Strengthening how citizens, institutions, and societies reason together.
Building better institutions, processes, and rules.
Shielding existing democratic structures from erosion, capture, or attack.
For an overview of the field and potential intervention areas, Carnegie's January 2026 report AI and Democracy: Mapping the Intersections is a useful starting point.
Is the 2-month timeline (8–10 hours/week) sufficient for meaningful work?
We recognize that 2 months is a short window for a "complete" scientific or product contribution. We view this first phase as a high-intensity on-ramping period to validate the project and your fit with the mentor. There is a lot of important work to be done and standardized evaluation in the field is lacking. We see this short fellowship as an opportunity to both try out many new approaches and get more hands on board for young and fast-growing existing initiatives. Promising projects can be extended if mentors and mentees agree. All fellows join the CORDA network, with access to future cohorts, events, and collaborators.
Will fellows have access to compute resources?
We understand that technical projects often require significant compute (e.g., A100/H100 GPUs).
How are fellows selected and matched to projects?
We pre-select the most promising applicants based on project requirements and forward top candidates to mentors for review. The application is split into two parts:
Mentors have the final say and are encouraged to interview top choices to ensure a good fit.
What happens after the application deadline?
Once applications close on March 30th, we review all submissions and notify applicants by Friday April 3rd, 2026. Selected fellows begin on Monday April 6th.
Who owns the intellectual property (IP) produced?
IP generally remains with the authors (fellows and mentors), subject to the policies of your home institution. We encourage open-source publishing where safe and appropriate. See our Terms & Conditions for full details.
What is expected of me during the fellowship?
You are expected to commit a minimum of the hours per week agreed with your mentor, engage meaningfully in sessions, communicate proactively if your availability changes, and abide by community standards on all platforms. See our Terms & Conditions for full details.
How is my personal data handled?
We handle all personal data in accordance with our Privacy Notice, which is compliant with GDPR and the Swiss nFADP. Please read it carefully before applying.