Harvard Undergraduate Foreign Policy Initiative

It is our mission to inspire, train, and prepare future generations of leaders in foreign policy, national security, intelligence, diplomacy, and defense.

What we do

At our core, the Harvard Undergraduate Foreign Policy Initiative is a think tank that trains the best and brightest Harvard students in Foreign Policy and Defence Consulting. We have a highly selective process that picks out future leaders in the field and then equips them with the skills to help some of the most important institutions in the world make foreign policy and defence decisions. We frequently hold conferences with other univiersities and institutions around the world, bringing together changemakers to discuss pressing issues, as well as hosting our pioneering Harvard University International Relations Scholars Program which gives up-and-coming high schoolers from across the globe the opportunity to engage with some of the most influential thinkers and leaders in foreign policy.

Policy Projects

Each semester, HUFPI provides comprehensive foreign policy analysis for 20-30 domestic and foreign government agencies, non-profits, international organizations, and think tanks. In the past, we have worked on several projects with the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Defense, the White House’s National Security Council, the U.S. Department of the Interior, USAID, the Senate and House of Representatives, as well as the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, United Nations, Facebook, Citigroup and the foreign governments of Ukraine, Egypt, Pakistan, Sweden, Peru, South Korea, Afghanistan, Sudan, Kazakhstan, Czechia and Tunisia.

If you are interested in commissioning a policy project from us or discussing this further you can find out more here.

HUFPI frequently partners with univsersities and other institutions to host summits and conferences around the world dedicated to discussing foreign policy and defense issues. In the past, we have hosted such conferences in London, Paris, Seoul, Costa Rica, and Rome. These conferences leverage our ability to attract leaders in the field to create truly exceptional events for all parties, and are great opportunities for collaboration and learning.

If you are interested in working with us to put together a conference or summit, you can find out more here.

We also host each May and January the Harvard University International Relations Scholars Program for high school students who are preparing to take the next step in their foreign policy journey, bringing together some of the most impactful leaders in the field to help prepare them for a career in foreign policy. Some of our past speakers have included Henry Kissinger, Graham Allison, Eric Schmidt, Stephen Schwartzman, Tamir Pardo, Leon Panetta, John Brennan, and Jason Furman. It is a competitve program designed to select the most able future leaders and help nuture their talent.

If you are interested in learning more about the HUIRSP program, you can find out more here.