Winter Academy, Summer Academy, and more

Winter Academy 2019 courses are as follows:

WTO Law on Border Measures and Trade Facilitation
21 – 24 January
Lecturers: Davide Rovetta and Roy Santana

WTO Law on Internal Taxation and Regulation versus National Policy Space
28 – 31 January
Lecturers: Arthur Appleton and Gabrielle Marceau

WTO Law on Anti-Dumping and Safeguards Measures
4 – 7 February
Lecturers: Fernando Piérola and Edwin Vermulst

WTO Law on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures
11 – 14 February
Lecturers: James Flett and Luca Rubini

Visit our CAS / DAS Programmes page to learn how you can earn a certificate or diploma.

Summer Academy 2019 courses are as follows:

Innovation and Intellectual Property Protection
3 – 6 June
Lecturers: Felix Addor and Thomas Cottier

Trade, Agriculture and Food Security
11 – 14 June
Lecturers: Lee Ann Jackson and Christian Häberli

International Investment Law and Economic Development
17 – 20 June
Lecturers: Roberto Echandi, Georgios Petrochilos, Rodrigo Polanco

Visit our CAS / DAS Programmes page to learn how you can earn a certificate or diploma.

Requirements
We accept individuals who have completed an undergraduate degree in law, economics or political science, or in an unrelated field supplemented by relevant working experience. Participants are expected to have a strong command of English and should be ready to read a large amount of material in English both prior to and during both the Winter Academy and Summer Academy.

How to apply
Applying to the Winter or Summer Academy is straightforward:

1. Consult the course offerings above and choose the courses you wish to follow.
2. Fill out the application form (found on the right side of this page) and send it, together with a copy of your CV, a short biography and portrait photo (head and shoulders) of yourself to us by email.

We charge a non-refundable registration fee of 50 Swiss francs which will be offset against the tuition fee, and is due at the time of application. See the application form for payment details.

Deadline
Applications are accepted until the maximum number of participants per week is reached. 

Cancellation policy
The following deadlines and penalties apply for persons who apply and have been accepted to the programme, but who subsequently withdraw:

• Cancellations 8 weeks before the course: the WTI refunds the tuition fee but deducts a 100 Swiss franc administration fee
• Cancellations 4 weeks before the course: the WTI refunds 70% of tuition fee
• Cancellations 2 weeks before the course: the WTI refunds 50% of tuition fee
• No show = no refund

The tuition fee is due upon acceptance to the programme and must be made in Swiss francs. Information on courses will not be provided until the tuition fee has been paid.

The Winter and Summer Academy tuition fees do not cover costs such as meals, housing or local transportation.

Winter Academy and Summer Academy
Tuition for one week is 1,200 Swiss francs, for two weeks it is 2,200 Swiss francs, and for three weeks it is 3,200 Swiss francs.

Participants receive a Certificate of Attendance upon completion of each course.

Financial aid
Special rates apply to students registered at the University of Bern.

A 50% tuition waiver is applicable to participants affiliated with the UNCTAD Virtual Institute (staff and students of university and think tank members, with proof of institutional affiliation and/or registration). For detailed information, please visit the UNCTAD VI website.

The WTI does not offer tuition waivers for the Winter and Summer Academies. Financial aid, if needed, should be requested from other organisations or institutions.

Accommodation

Due to the high prices of hotel accommodation in Bern, it is highly recommended that you rent a room (double or single) in one of the student residences run by the Bernese Student Lodging Association. Please note that the WTI is not in a position to guarantee accommodation in Bern and cannot rent an apartment or other accommodation for you.

Important IT information
Participants registered for the Winter and/or Summer Academy will have login information for the University of Bern/World Trade Institute online course management system sent to them via email in December and June respectively. With this login information, participants will have access to the course syllabi and readings.

Visas
Students need to apply for a visa at the Swiss embassy or consulate in their home country. The visa application process should be started as early as possible, as it can take several weeks for the Swiss immigration office to correspond with its Swiss embassies abroad. Citizens from EU and EEA countries do not require a visa.