The Institute receives many requests to speak to visiting delegations and to give briefings to university students from overseas and other visitors. We are very happy to accommodate as many of these requests as we possibly can but it is not always possible to do this without a nominal charge for our time and expense. The Institute has therefore developed a policy and set of procedures that help visiting delegations see what the Institute can offer by the way of talks and lectures and whether or not there is a nominal charge.

The purpose of developing a policy and set of procedures for managing the demand for Institute briefings is not profit-making. Charges are nominal and any money earned in this way will be used to help fund postgraduate studentships.

Available Briefing Topics

The following represent typical topics on which the Institute is willing to speak:

• Understanding conflict transformation and peace processes
• The Northern Irish peace process
• The ethics of peace and conflict research
• Religion, conflict and peacebuilding
• Security after conflict
• Community based restorative practices

These topics are under constant review and will change as staffing in the Institute develops.  Visiting delegations with interests outside these areas should contact Dr Wendy Smith on w.smith@qub.ac.uk.

Policy and Payment

Briefing sessions on one of the above topics last for 90 minutes. The topics are offered as stand-alone sessions, but they can be combined to form bespoke short courses, covering a morning, afternoon or all day. Each 90-minute briefing session will be charged at £300; a morning or afternoon at £500. Sessions include tea/coffee/water. Lunch catering for all day sessions will be in addition.

To help visiting delegations understand our charges, there are two principles to determine payment and exemptions:

a) The resources of the groups requesting the briefing
b) The nature of the service we provide

With respect to a): 

• Payment would normally be expected from for-profit bodies, universities and other groups who are themselves in receipt of fees from the participants who would receive our briefing reports.
• Payment would not normally be expected from diplomatic delegations, local civil society and charity groups, global civil society groups that are not-for-profit or are bringing participants pro bono.

With respect to b):  

• Payment would normally be expected where our service forms part of an educational itinerary or an overseas visiting course.
• Payment would normally be expected where our service constitutes a formal lecture on the basis of staff specialist expertise.
• Payment would not normally be expected when the visit is to the Institute as a whole and forms a general briefing on the Institute and its areas of expertise.

Please Note

In advance, we encourage potential delegations to browse our Staff List to view our staff areas of expertise and related activities. If you have any further enquiries about this policy or the availability of briefing topics, please contact the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute via email to: mitchell.institute@qub.ac.uk.

We ask that you not approach individual members of staff directly who you may wish to deliver a briefing.