Asia Pacific Policy Observatory @NetMission is inviting youth across the Asia-Pacific region to take part in a youth-led, community-informed research project on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), bringing together local experiences, regional perspectives, and global policy spaces such as YIGF, APrIGF, and the wider Internet governance ecosystem.
This is not just a call for participants!
It is an invitation to co-create knowledge, shape regional research, and ensure that youth voices directly inform how DPI is understood and discussed.
Contents on This Page
- Start with the Questionnaire Click here!
- About the Project
- Who Should Apply
- What You’ll Gain
- Time Commitment & Working Style
- Authorship & Recognition (Very Important!😊)
- Who We Look for
- FAQ
- Information Session
Start with the Questionnaire Click here!
All applicants will first be invited to complete a short questionnaire. You can also share with us your knowledge about DPI without applying to the project.
This questionnaire is an important part of the research itself. It will help us:
- Map how youth currently understand DPI
- Identify which sources, tools, and platforms are most used
- Surface country-specific issues and emerging themes
- Inform how we select the two main case study countries
After completing the questionnaire, you can indicate whether you would also like to join the research group and continue working on the project. The questionnaire will close at 23:59 UTC on February 28.
You are welcome to:
- Answer only the questionnaire, or
- Answer the questionnaire and apply to join the project as a researcher/contributor.
About the Project
This nine-month project (March-November 2026) combines:
- A regional DPI mapping across APAC, and
- An in-depth comparative case study of two countries, selected collectively based on patterns and insights from the questionnaire and early contributions.
Alongside the two main case countries, participants can also develop a collection of comparative country-based essays. Each essay will explore:
- A DPI issue relevant to your own country, and
- How it connects to or contrasts with the two main case study countries.
Who Should Apply
This opportunity is open to all individuals aged 18–35, including those who are new to NetMission and the Internet governance space. No prior DPI expertise is required.
What matters most to us is commitment.
This is a long-term, collaborative research project that relies on trust, consistency, and shared responsibility. We are looking for people who are willing to:
- Show up regularly
- Stay engaged over time
- Take the work seriously, even while learning
- Grow with the team rather than participate briefly
Time Commitment & Working Style
This is a collaborative, long-term research project.
| March – May | More intensive coordination and alignment | Regular (often weekly) online check-ins during this period Capacity building will be integrated into regular research meetings (which will include:research design, data analysis, evidence-based writing, policy advocacy) |
| June – August | More independent research and writing | Structured check-ins to support progress, with meetings to facilitate discussion when necessary |
| September – November | Collective review and synthesis | Building the final comparative report and publications, with meetings to facilitate discussion when necessary |
Estimated commitment for members: ~10 hours per month on average, with higher intensity during key phases. Regular meetings are scheduled at 12:30 UTC on Thursdays, starting from March 5.
What You’ll Gain
By joining this project, you will gain:
- Practical experience in policy-relevant research
- Stronger analytical and writing skills
- Experience in comparative country research
- Exposure to regional and global digital policy discussions
- A network across NetMission, YIGF, APrIGF, and partner organizations
- Travel support for on-site event participation and policy discussion (for contributors with significant contribution)
This project is especially valuable for:
- Aspiring policy researchers, or/and
- Youth interested in policy, governance, and technology, or/and
- Youth impacted by policy, governance, and technology
Authorship & Recognition (Very Important!😊)
We place high value on authorship and formal recognition.
- Participants who make substantial contributions will be listed as named authors or co-authors on essays, briefs, and the final comparative report.
- Authorship will reflect research contributions, writing, and intellectual input.
- These publications can be used in:
- CVs and resumes
- Graduate school or scholarship applications
- Early academic or policy portfolios
Who We Look for
We are looking for youth who are:
- Curious about digital public infrastructure and governance
- Motivated to research issues relevant to the APAC region
- Willing to commit time, collaborate, and learn
- Eager to contribute to regional and global policy spaces
Apply now to join a collaborative, youth-led research journey shaping how DPI is understood in the Asia-Pacific. Click here!
FAQ
1. Why are we carrying out this project?
We want to achieve:
- Upskill and empower youth digital policy research fellows
- Drive community input into research design and analysis
- Deepen mutual understanding of DPI among youth research fellows and community participants
- Amplify youth voices in policy spaces
2. What are the research questions?
Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), systems like digital identity, government payment platforms, and data-sharing frameworks, is being built across Asia-Pacific right now. But different countries are taking very different approaches.
We aim at investigating:
1. Governance, accountability, and regional coordination: How do countries decide how DPI is built? What mechanisms exist for public input, oversight, and accountability? Who has power, and how is that power checked? And critically, are countries building systems that can work together across borders, or are they creating isolated national silos?
2. Values and priorities in governance: Are considerations like privacy, security, inclusion, or efficiency part of how DPI is governed? If so, how are these priorities weighed against each other? Do public accountability mechanisms reflect these values, or are they absent from governance processes?
3. Harms and gaps: Where are the failures? Who’s excluded, surveilled, or harmed? What problems aren’t being addressed?
Why comparative research matters:
Studying two countries side-by-side reveals:
- The choices behind each system (what seems inevitable in one place was a deliberate decision)
- The results of different approaches (what trade-offs produce better outcomes? And what is considered “better”?)
- Regional patterns and possibilities (how do national systems enable or block cross-border cooperation?)
You’ll gain insight into your own country’s digital landscape by understanding how others navigate similar challenges differently. This research isn’t just about the case study countries. It’s about building regional knowledge that applies across APAC.
3. More about the Travel Opportunities
We actively aim to bring youth contributors to regional and global policy spaces when our outputs are selected or invited by an external platform (e.g. YIGF, APrIGF, or related events).
Please note:
- Travel support will be given to selected members based on a number of criteria
- Participants from any NetMission working group may be considered if their contribution is relevant
Travel depends on:
- Their ability to present or facilitate a relevant workshop
- Whether a proposal or output is selected or invited
- The relevance of your contribution to that session
- Available funding and event requirements
Final decisions on travel support will be made by the project coordinators based on:
- Contribution to the project
- Their ability to present or facilitate a relevant workshop
Information Session
Join one of the information sessions to talk with us, and know more about the project. Register here.
(1) February 13 (Friday), 12:00 PM UTC
(2) February 28 (Saturday), 6:00 AM UTC