Researching the Human Dimension of CIMIC
What Makes Someone Effective in CIMIC?
Civil-Military Cooperation takes place at the intersection of people, military operations, civilian systems, relationships, decision-making, and uncertainty. But which human capabilities enable CIMIC personnel to perform effectively across tactical, operational, and strategic environments?
The NATO CCOE is developing an emerging CIMIC Human Capability and Competency Model. Building on NATO CIMIC doctrine and policy, current work explores four interconnected capability areas: Relational, Cognitive, Ethical, and Adaptive.
The next step is to move from a doctrine-informed working model towards an academically grounded and empirically testable research framework. For this next phase, we are looking for a motivated intern for a six-month research placement.
The Research Challenge
How can an emerging CIMIC human-capability and competency model be academically grounded, aligned with NATO requirements, and translated into instruments suitable for empirical validation?
The internship will not start from zero. A preliminary CIMIC-specific framework already exists. Your role will be to challenge, cross-check, and strengthen it through systematic research and help prepare the project for its subsequent empirical phase.
Your Research Journey
01 | Academic Evidence (Months 1–2: Validate Conceptual Foundation)
Conduct a structured review of relevant academic models and research, including areas such as competency modelling, human performance, character strengths, behavioural competencies, leadership, adaptability, and professional effectiveness. The aim is to identify where existing academic evidence supports, challenges, or complements the emerging CIMIC framework.
02 | Doctrine & NATO Cross-Check (Months 2–3)
Analyse relevant NATO doctrine, policy, and professional requirements against the emerging model. Explore how other NATO branches, functions, and professional communities approach human competencies, role requirements, and professional development, identifying transferable approaches as well as CIMIC-specific requirements. This is particularly important because CIMIC requirements vary according to the level of command, type of influence required, and complexity of the civil environment.
03 | Research Model Refinement (Months 3–4: Consolidate Research Model)
Support the consolidation of the emerging framework into an academically testable model. This includes examining definitions, constructs, and relationships between underlying human capabilities and observable professional competencies—a distinction already incorporated into the current working model. The objective is not simply to create another list of desirable skills, but to establish a defensible foundation for subsequent research.
04 | Quantitative Research Design (Months 4–6: Build Instruments)
Translate the refined framework into a potential questionnaire for a future multinational quantitative study. This may include developing measurable variables, survey items, appropriate scales, demographic/contextual variables, and recommendations for pre-pilot and pilot testing.
05 | Qualitative Research Design (Months 4–6: Build Instruments)
Develop a complementary semi-structured interview framework for a subsequent qualitative study. The interviews should enable deeper exploration of how competencies manifest across different CIMIC roles, levels, experiences, and operational contexts. This follows the project's intended mixed-method approach, combining quantitative competency mapping with contextual qualitative exploration.
Expected Outcomes
The internship is intended to bring the project to a research-ready stage rather than complete the entire empirical study. At the end of six months, the work should contribute to:
| Deliverable Area | Expected Output |
|---|---|
| 01 Literature & Policy Review | A structured academic and literature review & NATO doctrine and policy cross-check. |
| 02 Institutional Comparison | A comparative review of relevant NATO competency approaches. |
| 03 Framework Refinement | Recommendations for refinement of the emerging CIMIC capability and competency model & a research-ready conceptual framework. |
| 04 Quantitative Tool | A draft quantitative questionnaire. |
| 05 Qualitative Tool | A draft qualitative interview protocol. |
| 06 Empirical Roadmap | Recommendations for pre-pilot, pilot, and subsequent multinational empirical validation. |
Who Are We Looking For?
This opportunity may be particularly relevant for Master's-level students, recent graduates, or early-career researchers from disciplines such as:
- Psychology & Behavioural Sciences
- Organisational Studies
- Social Sciences | Leadership
- Security & Defence Studies | Military Studies
- Political Science | Human Performance
Experience with research methodology, questionnaire development, qualitative interviews, competency modelling or quantitative/qualitative research methods would be particularly valuable.
Previous CIMIC experience is welcome, but not essential. More important are academic curiosity, methodological thinking, analytical rigour, and the ability to connect research with real-world operational requirements.
What We Bring
The intern will not work on the research challenge in isolation. CCOE provides the CIMIC expertise, doctrinal context, emerging conceptual framework, and access to an international professional network.
The internship provides the opportunity to work at the interface between academic research and NATO operational requirements, while contributing to a developing field of CIMIC research.
The broader research ambition is to understand how individual capabilities and competencies contribute to CIMIC effectiveness and, ultimately, how evidence can inform areas such as professional development, Training & Education, and role preparation.