Who we are
An opportunity to reimagine leadership
Since 2021, the Fellowship Programme has provided the opportunity to reimagine complex leadership in Northern Ireland through innovation and capacity building to address the challenges of today for the prosperity of tomorrow.
Programme outline
28 leaders
from political, business, public sector, and civic society
Duration
7 months
(September – March)
Undertake a Design Thinking project
Symposium days
across Northern Ireland
Residentials
in Oxford and Dublin
Graduation
at Hillsborough Castle
Time for self-refection and self-development
Access to the Good Friday Agreement Online Course
Fees
The Fellowship Programme is a heavily subsidised initiative, made possible through the support of our partners and funders. The fees reflect a commitment to making the programme accessible across all sectors while maintaining the highest quality experience for all participants.
Business sector Fellows: £3,000
Public sector, NGOs, and political Fellows: £1,500
The programme fee includes:
- Accommodation and meals during the residentials in Oxford and Dublin.
- Programme materials and resources.
- Full access to the Good Friday Agreement Online Course.
Please note: Fellows are responsible for covering the cost of their travel to and from Oxford and Dublin. For more information about possible payment plans, please contact fellowship@democracyandpeace.org.
Financial support
We are committed to ensuring the Fellowship Programme is accessible to all, regardless of financial circumstances. Financial support options include:
Fees scholarship (full)
Fees scholarship (partial)
For more information and to discuss other available support, please contact fellowship@democracyandpeace.org.
Please note that, if your application and request for financial support are successful, you will still be responsible for arranging and covering your own travel costs for all Fellowship sessions, including the residentials in Oxford and Dublin.
What to expect
The Fellowship is designed to be an immersive yet manageable experience alongside professional and personal commitments.
Fellows will meet one full day per month from September to March for in-person workshops and seminars. In addition, the programme includes two residential sessions (one in Oxford and one in Dublin), providing space for deeper learning, reflection, and connection. Between sessions, Fellows commit four to eight hours per month to group projects, reflective practice, and optional readings. There will also be an opportunity to engage in online alumni events once a month and in-person events once a quarter.
Programme outcomes
Our vision is a society where capable, credible leaders who embody integrity, creativity, and effectiveness work together to build thriving communities rooted in a shared commitment to a better future. Our mission is to develop a vibrant network of 1,000 political, business, public sector, and civic leaders across Northern Ireland over the next decade, instrumental in driving change and shaping the policy agenda for years to come.
Lead with agility and purpose
Fellows will strengthen their adaptive leadership skills to inspire change, respond to uncertainty, and mobilise others across sectors.
Navigate through complexity
Fellows will develop the ability to understand and respond to complex challenges using systems thinking and a strategic, whole-systems approach.
Communicate and collaborate across sectors
Fellows will build advanced communication and collaboration skills to influence stakeholders, build trust, and co-create solutions in cross-sector environments.
Deliver better outcomes for the public good
Fellows will enhance their governance, financial literacy, and ethical leadership to drive improved outcomes, steward resources responsibly, and build a culture of integrity.
Build enduring relationships and networks
Fellows will join a unique network of over one hundred and twenty leaders from across politics, business, the public sector, and civic society.
Programme residentials
Who we are
The Oxford experience
Fellows will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the history of Oxford, the oldest university in the English-speaking world. Here in the ‘city of dreaming spires,’ Fellows will enter an oasis of learning, where the world’s greatest leaders and thinkers have studied for over nine hundred years and where research breakthroughs continue to be made today.
Who we are
Through immersive sessions and conversations with colleagues from the Department of Foreign Affairs and the British Embassy, Fellows will explore diplomacy and innovation. As the Fellowship journey nears its conclusion, Fellows will engage with North–South and East–West relationships while taking time to reflect on their experience and deepen the connections they have built.
Fellow Testimonies
For me, the Fellowship goes beyond what you could even begin to imagine. It embeds a culture of curiosity in you, and it challenges your thinking in a way that stretches your capabilities further than you expect. The content, the connection, and the clarity it brought me has been life changing. I’ve come away from it feeling much more fulfilled, with a clearer sense of myself, how I want to move forward and understanding what my part to play is. The impact this will have in Northern Ireland as it evolves beyond five years will be invaluable.
The Fellowship Programme has been a unique opportunity to learn from leaders across NI. I have been inspired by the energy and commitment of Fellows to making NI a better place. It has also allowed time for personal and professional reflection and a renewed focus on my own next steps in leadership. The increasing strength of the alumni network will allow the relationships and networks created this year to continue to influence my development and I am proud to be part of it.
The CDP Fellowship Programme was a great opportunity to be immersed in problem solving methods and networking. The 2026 cohort was an excellent mix of public, political, civic and private sector individuals who each brought and shared their own unique perspectives. Having the space to debate and discuss important and dynamic issues and work collectively on a chosen challenge provided a great foundation for further personal development.
The wide range of experience from both the public and private sector across our cohort really challenged my thinking on how the Health sector gets its business done. The Fellowship has created pathways for me to explore how Health can benefit from working across all sectors.
The CDP team, along with its supporters and sponsors, demonstrate unwavering dedication to the programme and its Fellows. I leave with a renewed sense of hope, a strong network of conscientious leaders, and a clearer path for my own growth and development, with a curiosity for what comes next.
Being part of the Fellowship Programme has been a really meaningful experience. It has given me time to step back, think differently, and learn from people with a wide range of views and backgrounds. Having finished the programme, I feel more hopeful, more focused, and very grateful to have been part of this journey.
The Fellowship Programme has been a transformative experience. I have built lasting relationships with remarkable leaders across Northern Ireland. The diverse learning environment, guided by world-class experts, broadened my horizons and significantly supported my leadership development.
I’ve learned so much in a very short time. Getting outside perspective has been enlightening and a great education for me. It is also surprisingly encouraging about how people outside the arts value what we do and how much will there is to help.
I have gained branches of Fellow leaders, that I can lean on, that I can encourage and that I can work with and who I cannot wait to work with.
A pivotal experience and space for rethinking, learning and transformative exchanges. It has re-ignited my passion and commitment to do better and to be better, as well as enhanced my skills and capacity. I am better equipped to continue to contribute more effectively to a peaceful, progressive and prosperous Northern Ireland.
