International Visegrad Fund
The International Visegrad Fund (IVF) is based on the statute signed by the Prime Ministers of the V4 countries in 2000 and is the only institutionalized form of Visegrad cooperation. It is recognized as an international organization with its secretariat in Bratislava, Slovakia. The Fund’s operations are managed by the Executive Director, who serves a three-years term (order of rotation CZ, SK, PL, HU), as well as by the Deputy Executive Director (order of rotation PL, HU, CZ, SK). The IVF member states are responsible for the supervision of the Fund’s activities and hold rotating, one-year presidencies, (separate from the Visegrad Group presidencies). Slovakia holds the IVF presidency from 1 January to 31 December 2017. The IVF Conference of Ministers and the Council of Ambassadors (composed of the ambassadors of the Visegrad countries accredited to the state which currently holds the IVF presidency) are the principal statutory bodies of the Fund. In the IVF Secretariat there is also a special position devoted to public relations.
Main tasks of the IVF include building the common identity of Visegrad nations and intensifying contacts between V4 societies, as well as enhancing cooperation in the fields of culture, science, education, art, tourism and youth. The IVF provides grant programmes, mobility/scholarship programmes, university grants, and various types of artistic residency programmes.
Purpose
The purpose of the fund is to facilitate and promote the development of closer cooperation among citizens and institutions in the region as well as between the V4 region and other countries, especially in the Western Balkan and Eastern Partnership regions. The fund operates several grant programs, and also awards individual scholarships, fellowships and artist residencies. Grant support is given to original projects namely in the areas of culture, science and research, youth exchanges, crossborder cooperation and tourism promotion, as well as in other priority areas defined in calls for proposals published on the fund’s website.
Budget
The fund’s annual budget (€8 million as of 2014) consists of equal contributions of V4 governments. The fund also utilizes (in the form of subgranting or co-financing) contributions from other governments/governmental organizations from the following countries: Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, the United States.
Target groups
All legal entities are eligible to apply for grant support with the exception of organizations of (central) state administration. Preference is generally given to those projects submitted by not-for-profit entities (NGOs/CSOs, foundations) and public institutions (schools and universities, research institutes, etc.). Applicants from outside of the V4 region can win support provided that their proposed projects deal with the V4 region and meet all formal requirements, such as having V4 project partners. Natural persons (private citizens) cannot apply for grant funding, nor can they formally participate as project partners.
Governing bodies
The governing bodies of the fund are the Council of Ambassadors and the Conference of Ministers of Foreign Affairs (see further). The executive body of the fund is composed of the Executive Director and the Deputy Executive Director. The administrative body of the fund is the secretariat.
Conference of Ministers
The Conference of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, which consists of the Ministers of the Foreign Affairs of the Visegrad Group countries, is the supreme body of the fund. The conference determines the amounts of annual contributions and their due dates for every V4 member state, approves the rules of procedure of the fund’s secretariat, and approves the fund’s budget, i.e., annual statements and clearance of the budget presented by the Council of Ambassadors. The Conference of Ministers of Foreign Affairs designates from among its members its president. This presidency is rotating in the English alphabetical order of the names of the member states. The Conference of Ministers of Foreign Affairs adopts resolutions unanimously and meets at least once a year in order to estimate the implementation of the tasks set forth in the present statute of the fund.
Council of Ambassadors
The Council of Ambassadors consists of Ambassadors or Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the V4 member states accredited to the head of the state whose plenipotentiary currently holds the post of the president of the Conference of Ministers of Foreign Affairs. The Council prepares programs for the session of the Conference of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and reports on implementation of the fund’s operations in the preceding year. The council drafts programs and documents for the sessions of the Conference of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, meets at least once every six months to discuss whatever is necessary for the implementation of the objectives. The council formally approves projects selected for financing and implementation.
Visegrad University Studies Grants
University Studies Grants were merged with Visegrad Grants. Project proposals for university courses or degree programs can apply for Visegrad Grants by October 1.
University departments, schools or faculties seeking support for the development and launching of university courses or degree programs that deal with specific phenomena explicitly related to the Visegrad Group (V4) countries can apply for Visegrad Grants by October 1.
Any accredited public or private university worldwide is eligible for the grant. There are no limits as to the language of instruction of the given course or degree program; each course/program must, however, secure for each semester of its enrollment at least two/three relevant guest lecturers from two different V4 countries.
For further information on the International Visegrad Fund please visit the IVF’s official website:
For further information on the IVF grants please visit:
http://visegradfund.org/grants/ , http://visegradfund.org/v4eap/ , http://live.visegradfund.org/ and http://map.visegradfund.org/.
