Humanitarians attended a meeting with representatives of the International Visegrad Foundation

On April 26 the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine hosted a meeting with representatives of the International Visegrad Foundation - a donor organization founded in 2000 by the governments of the Visegrad Group (V4) countries – the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.

The purpose of this fund is to support regional cooperation between civil society organizations to develop their relations, exchange ideas and promote mutual understanding; to promote regional cooperation both between the V4 countries and other regions, in particular the countries of the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership (EAP).
Every year, 8 million euros are allocated for projects, scholarships for students and long – term stays for artists, and each country contributes the same part to the Fund – 2 million euros. Since 2012, other countries (Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States) have contributed additional 10 million euros to the Visegrad fund's projects.
The fund was presented by the executive director Petro Maresh and project managers Elyzaveta Synytska and Martin Marcina.

  Elyzaveta Synytska spoke about the main programs of the Visegrad foundation for Ukrainian citizens and organizations, namely:
1) Visegrad Grants+
These grants are intended to develop partnerships between the V4 region and EaP. Support can be provided to projects involving entities from at least 3 V4 countries and 1 EaP country (for example, entities from the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, and Ukraine). Projects can last a maximum of 18 months and cover one of the priority areas defined by the Foundation. Applicants can be non-governmental non-profit organizations, local governments, schools, universities, research institutes or companies, if we are talking about a non-profit project. Applications are accepted three times a year – on February 1, June 1 and October 1.

2) Visegrad scholarship program
Scholarships are intended for students and researchers of Master's and higher educational levels. A citizen of Ukraine can receive a scholarship to study in V4 countries if the relevant institution is located more than 150 km from his place of residence or study. Support is paid for 1-4 semesters for Master's students, 1-2 months for graduate students and researchers. The amount of the scholarship can reach 2300 euros / semester for a student or researcher and 1500 euros / semester for the institution that accepts it. Applications to the Visegrad Foundation are accepted every year until March 15.

3) Study at Open Society Archives
The program offers research fellowships at the Open Society Archivum (OSA) in Budapest for researchers, artists and journalists who wish to conduct research at OSA. The participant can receive up to 2000 euros to cover travel, accommodation and other expenses for a maximum of 2 months of research work.

The meeting was attended by students of various specialties, but the most active were students of the humanities. Future journalists, philologists, and diplomats were interested in the prospects that the foundation opens up, asked questions, and received detailed answers. International Visegrad Foundation I invited university students to a webinar that will be held on May 9, where they will tell you how to correctly apply for a grant.

Such meetings help students see real horizons and prospects for mobile learning, youth exchange, and cultural cooperation. We are thankful to the management of the University and the faculty for the event, which opens up new ways, new opportunities for the curious, energetic, and zealous.

Alina Voitenko, Lilia Kuzmenko,

3rd year students of the specialty "Journalism"