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The International Visegrad Fund (IVF) was founded on 9 June 2000 by the four member states of the Visegrad
Group: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia (V4 countries). The IVF is based
in Bratislava (the Slovak Republic) and its official
language is English. The four member states contribute annually equal shares to the IVF budget.
The IVF mission is to promote the development of closer co-operation between the member states in the area of
culture, science and research, education, youth exchanges, tourism and cross-border co-operation, through its
grant and scholarship programmes.
IVF Programmes
Small Grants:
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are intended to support the implementation of projects involving co-operation between various entities (e.g. NGOs, local governments, universities, individuals etc.) from the V4 countries in the areas of the IVF activity (see above);
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closing dates for applications are 1 March, 1 June, 1 September and 1 December each year;
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the maximum IVF allocation per project is EUR 4000, whereas the IVF contribution shall not exceed 50 % of the total cost of project implementation, and the grant is extended for the period of up to 6 months (even if the project implementation is expected to last longer).
Standard Grants:
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are designed to support the implementation of projects involving co-operation between various entities (e.g. NGOs, local governments, universities, individuals etc.) from the V4 countries in the areas of the IVF activity (see above);
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closing dates for applications are 15 March and 15 September each year;
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the IVF allocation per project is higher than EUR 4000, whereas the IVF contribution shall not exceed 50 % of the total cost of project implementation, and the grant is extended for the period of up to 12 months.
Visegrad University Studies Grant:
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is intended to promote the development of courses of study or study programmes (in the area of humanities and social sciences) focusing upon issues closely related to the V4 countries;
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higher education institutions may apply for its award.
Visegrad Strategic Programme:
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strategic grants support important, long-term strategic projects implemented by institutions from all the four Visegrad Group countries working in liaison;
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projects must focus upon priorities set out for the given year;
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closing dates for applications are 15 February and 15 May each year;
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grants are extended for the period of up to 3 years (approx. EUR 50 000 is usually allocated per project), whereas the IVF contribution shall not exceed 50 % of the total cost of project implementation.
Visegrad Scholarship Programme
Visegrad scholarships are intended for study in Master’s degree courses or postgraduate (post-Master) studies or research for the period of 1 to 4 semesters at any accredited public or private universities in the V4 countries, or other countries (see below).
The Visegrad Scholarship Programme encompasses:
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”in-coming scholarships“ that are offered to applicants from Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Georgia, Macedonia/FYROM, Moldavia, Monte Negro, Russian Federation and Serbia, enabling them to study in one of the V4 countries (two special scholarship projects have been launched for applicants from Belarus and the Ukraine);
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“intra-visegrad scholarships“ that are offered to applicants from the V4 countries who wish to study/pursue research in another V4 country;
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“out-going scholarships“ that are offered to applicants from the V4 countries who wish to study/pursue research in any of the following countries: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Georgia, Macedonia/FYROM, Moldavia, Monte Negro, Serbia and the Ukraine.
Scholarship applications may be filed once a year; the nearest closing date for applications is 31 January 2009.
Visegrad Artist Residency Programme
Artists who are citizens of the V4 countries may receive a grant for the implementation of artistic projects in a V4 country (other than the country of the artist’s residence). The grant is awarded for the period of 3 months. The closing date for applications for 2009 is 10 September 2008 (each applicant is required to find a host organisation in the V4 country, where the project should be implemented, and obtain a letter of acceptance).
Detailed information on the above-mentioned grants and scholarships including scholarship application forms is available on the IVF website at: www.visegradfund.org, information on the Visegrad group at www.visegradgroup.eu.
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