Newsletter no. 8 - July 2004

1. Funding Opportunities

2. Announcements and Upcoming Events

3. Useful Links

ECAS - Scholarship programme at ECAS continues in 2004!


The scholarship programme at ECAS office in Brussels continues into 2004. So far a number of NGO leaders from Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Latvia have already visited ECAS. More visitors from Hungary, Slovenia, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania and Bulgaria are expected later this year. There are still places available for NGO leaders from Slovenia, Romania and Bulgaria, so we would encourage anyone who is interested in spending one month in Brussels at ECAS office to get in touch with us.

During your month long scholarship in Brussels accommodation is provided together with a stipend to cover your living costs. Visitors are responsible for their own travel arrangements. ECAS will also provide technical support and guidance during your time in Brussels.

In order to qualify for the scholarship in Brussels you should be a leader of an NGO community in your country and be able to communicate in English. Other languages are an advantage but not a necessity.

More information
Website: www.ecas.org
Email: kelly-tychtl@ecas.org (Pavel Tychtl), c.liljegren@ecas.org (Cecilia Liljegren)


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Young Diplomats' Centre - International Student Camp, Zabinki, Poland
Application deadline: July 15, 2004


The international student camp has been organised for the third time in row by the Young Diplomats' Centre - association of students and graduates, Institute of International Relations, Warsaw University. The camp is designed for students, graduates, youth workers and young professionals from Europe and Eastern Europe aged 18-28.

There will be approximately 120 students from all over Europe and Eastern Europe in Zabinki for this year's camp. The program of the camp includes different kind of activities and focuses on non-formal education, integration and intercultural learning. The camp strives to create an international community of young people and to give them an opportunity to make new friends, learn new skills and gain better understanding of cultural diversity.

More information
Website: www.zabinki.cmd.org.pl
Email: zabinki@cmd.org.pl


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Bulgarian-Romanian Interuniversity Europe Centre - MA in International Business Informatics and European Studies, Rusi, Bulgaria and Giurgiu, Romania
Application deadline: July 16, 2004 (Candidates from Bulgaria and Romania may apply til September 30)


The 4-semester postgraduate programme (with one semester at German universities or internship in enterprises in Germany) will start in October 2004 at the Bulgarian-Romanian Interuniversity Europe Centre (BRIE) in Ruse (BG) and Giurgiu (RO) for the third time. All courses are offered in English and German by international professors. A limited number of scholarships are provided for students from SEE.

The interdisciplinary content of the programmes is designed according to the up-to-date requirements of the European higher education area to fit the competences of the European Affairs Professional and Business Informatics Professional. The degree holders will have excellent career prospects Europe and Eastern Europe wide both at the public and the private sector.

The programme is sponsored by the German Foreign Office in the framework of the 'Stability Pact for SEE' and private foundations and companies via the German Rectors' Conference (www.hrk.de).

Application requirements minimum:
Bachelor Degree in Social Sciences or Law (for European Studies) or Bachelor Degree in Economics, Informatics or Mathematics (for Business Informatics)
Good knowledge of English as prerequisite and at least intermediate knowledge of German
Letter of recommendation from a university professor
Letter of motivation for studying at BRIE.

More information
Website: www.brie.ru.acad.bg


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University of Arts Belgrade - Postgraduate Studies in Cultural Management and Cultural Policy in the Balkans, Belgrade
Application deadline: July 16, 2004


The postgraduate studies in 'Cultural Management and Cultural Policy in the Balkans' is a programme that is organised by the University of Arts in Belgrade, in partnership with the French universities Lyon II, Institute of Political Studies in Grenoble and Paris IX Dauphine. This programme is additionally supported by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the participation of UNESCO and the Central European Initiative.

This programme is open to graduates with university degree and professionals with proved experience in the field of culture (at least two years) from the Balkan region, who additionally have a strong knowledge of French and/or English.

The postgraduate studies aim to train the future managers of cultural organisations and cultural project leaders by providing necessary theoretical and practical tools for development and implementation of cultural policies and cultural projects.

The programme is delivered over 2 years. The first year is dedicated to the development of projects, case studies, as well as to a study visit. The second year is dedicated to a 3-6 month internship in a cultural organisation from the Balkans or France, as well as towards preparing a dissertation.

The courses will take place in French (with simultaneous translation) or in English.

Conditions for application:
Fluency in French or English
BA degree (at least 4-year studies) or relevant experience in the cultural field.

The fees for study are of 1000 Euro per year.

More information
Website: www.arts.bg.ac.yu, www.ecumest.ro
Email: medjunar@arts.bg.ac.yu


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Innovative Strategies in International Cultural Cooperation, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Application deadline: July 20 (for scholarships), August 2


In association with the Felix Meritis Foundation, and financially supported by the Social Transformation Programme Central and Eastern Europe (Matra) of the The Netherlands.

This course examines models, preconditions and parameters for developing productive forms of international cooperation, taking into account the roles of public authorities, private foundations, and commercial sponsors. The first day will be spent taking an intensive look at the participants' individual situations, the challenges that each one faces, and the common problems and possible solutions that confront the collective group.
An inventory will be made of the key issues and these issues will be questioned and analysed in addition to some common trends which have been observed by the two course leaders. The second day will be spent looking at the subjects of policy, funding, entrepreneurship, and networking, taking advantage of the experience of professionals in the field. Opportunity will be given to ask questions and make comments. On the third day, the concepts and experiences of the previous two days will be applied to three case studies taken from the group. During the morning session, the groups will be asked to analyse and develop the case studies, and in the afternoon these will be presented. Participants will leave with access to the latest information on trends and working methods, and insights that can be directly applied own situations.

Each participant will be asked to complete a questionnaire about their own project or organisation, including the problems, advantages, and goals of the individual and organisation.
This questionnaire will be mailed in before the course will begin and will ensure that the course leaders also have a chance to analyse the needs of the group. The participants will also each give a 8- minute presentation about their project or organisation on the first day. Full participation is expected in all of the sessions. In addition, a reader will be distributed at the registration.

The course is designed for cultural operators, civil servants, artists, and foundation staff members. The course is limited to a maximum of 25 participants.

Course fee: 650 Euro - includes registration, reader, access to all the sessions, lunches and coffee, as well access to the cultural programme of The Amsterdam- Maastricht Summer University.

A limited number of scholarships are available for students from most Central and Eastern European Countries and Turkey and are financially supported by the Social Transformation Programme Cental and Eastern Europe (MATRA) of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These scholarships cover course fee and accommodation but do not cover any travel expenses to the Netherlands.

More information:
Website: http://www.amsu.edu/courses/cultural/artm12004.htm
Email: alanahenry@fastmail.fm (Alana Henry), office@amsu.edu (Office Manager)


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Rufford Small Grants (for Nature Conservation)
Application deadline: July 31, 2004 (twice a year with deadlines at the end of January and July)


Rufford Small Grants (RSGs) are awards of up to Ł5,000 offered in association with the Whitley Laing Foundation. They were launched in 1999 and already in excess of 200 have been given. They are aimed at small conservation programmes and pilot projects and are not designed to be a small part of a large undertaking.

RSGs are available to individuals and small groups.
We generally look for projects of about a year's duration although each application is assessed on its own merit and the project length can be flexible. Applications from non first world areas are strongly encouraged; grants are not normally offered in response to applications for funding for attending conferences and seminars, nor for academic research projects or purely data gathering expeditions. It is hoped that many recipients of Rufford Small Grants will progress in their field and go on to apply for a main Whitley Award. Rufford Small Grant winners may also apply for a Continuation Grant of up to Ł5,000 once they have submitted a formal report on their RSG funded work.

More information
Website: www.rufford.org


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Fulbright Scholar Program Lecturing and Research Awards
Application deadline: August 1, 2004


The Fulbright Scholar Program for Faculty and Professionals is currently offering research, lecturing, and lecturing / research awards to the Baltic States, Eurasia, and Central and Eastern Europe for the 2005-06 academic year.

Participants may conduct research independently or in collaboration with host country colleagues. Applications are welcome from scholars in a broad range of disciplines in the arts, humanities, social sciences and sciences. Opportunities also exist for professionals in such fields as law, public administration, conflict resolution, journalism, library science, and education. While many awards specify a project and host institution, there are a number of open 'All Discipline' awards that allow candidates to propose their own projects and determine their host institution affiliation.

More information
Website: www.cies.org
Email: apprequest@cies.iie.org


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PHARE CBC 2003 Cross-Border Economic Development - VATI Hungarian Public Non-profit Company for Regional Development and Town Planning
Application deadline: August 2, 2004


Nature of activities, geographical area and project duration
(a) Nature of activities:
Under the present Grant Scheme the following fields of activities are eligible related to cross-border economic development:

Sector 1: Training and innovation
1a) Organising training sessions, conferences and seminars with special regard to cross-border business activity
1b) Support of cluster building, networking for common research and development of new, competitive products, services and technologies and the development of the added value based corporate-management systems
1c) Providing suitable conditions for meetings, conferences, seminars and R&D activities in relation with the above-mentioned issues.

Sector 2: Tourism
2a) Utilization of cultural heritage and natural values (e.g. renovation of mansion houses, museums and other tourist sites, construction of cycle-paths and extending additional services in relation with these attractions)
2b) Harmonized development of tourism on cross-border territories, co-operation in the field of culture, ecological- and medicinal tourism (e.g. horse-, hunting-, bicycle-, wine- gastronomic-, water tourism, etc.).
Each project proposal in the field of tourism should have a compulsory marketing element.
(b) Geographical area:
The border regions eligible under the present programme are the following:
- Csongrád, Békés, Hajdú-Bihar and Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg counties on the Hungarian side,
- Timis, Arad, Bihor and Satu-Mare counties on the Romanian side.
(c) Maximum project duration: 18 months, minimum project duration: 3 months.
For details, see the "Guidelines for grant applicants responding to the call for prorposals for 2003" referred to in item 12.

Minimum and maximum grant amounts
a) Minimum grant for a project: EUR 70,000.
b) Maximum grant for a project: EUR 300,000.
c) Moreover, a grant may not exceed 90 % of the total eligible project costs. Only the beneficiary's or the beneficiary's eligible partners' own resources may be taken as part of the co-financing/own contribution, no external contribution is allowed.
d) The exchange rate shall be determined according to the "Euro info rate" at the time the call for proposals is launched.

Maximum number of grants to be awarded:
Maximum number of grants to be awarded is 39.
Minimum number of grants to be awarded is 9.

Eligibility: Who may apply
In order to be eligible for a grant, applicants must:
Be non-profit making legal persons local governments, public institutions, county labour centres, chambers of industry and commerce, industrial parks, incubator houses, associations of counties, organisations of enterprise promotion, county development agencies, foundations, research and training institutions.
Have their headquarters within the specified border region, or be a regional branch of an organisation with a distinct role in the border region (the eligible border region consists of Csongrád, Békés, Hajdú-Bihar and Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg counties). The existence and role of the local organisational unit must be justified by the Annexes attached to the project Application Form. If this is not evident from the compulsory annexes (the Statutes and/or Articles of Association), than other official documents (e.g. Rules of Organisation and Operation) must be attached to prove these. If the applicant is a regional branch of a national organisation, it must be a legal entity. In such cases, the regional branch shall apply for assistance, it shall be the beneficiary.
Be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action, not acting as an intermediary.
Have stable and sufficient sources of finance to ensure the continuity of their organisation throughout the project and, to play a part in financing it.
Be experienced and able to demonstrate their capacity to manage larger scale activity corresponding with the size of the project for which a grant is requested.

Profit-making organisations and national organisations without a distinct role in the border region will not be eligible. Political parties are not eligible. Organisations without any partners from the other side of the border will also not be eligible.

More information
Website: www.pharereg.hu
Email: kalapati@pharereg.hu, szecsi@pharereg.hu, apribojszki@pharereg.hu


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Woodrow Wilson Center - International Policy Fellowships - Eastern Europe
Application deadline: August 7, 2004


Each year, the Woodrow Wilson Center's East European Studies Program (EES), Central European University Center for Policy Studies (CPS), and the Open Society Institute - Budapest (OSI), sponsor and host one or two outstanding young International Junior Public Policy Scholar Fellows from Eastern Europe to carry out a proposed three-month research project in residence at the Woodrow Wilson Center.

The Woodrow Wilson Center is especially interested in sponsoring participants who focus on the following issues: international governance (regionalisation, decentralisation); the rule of law; public administration; civil society and institution building and the role of NGO's; media; minority rights; economic reform and management; Southeast Europe Stability Pact projects and organised crime.

More information
Website: http://www.osi.hu/ipf/apply.html
Email: fellows@osi.hu


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Young Broadcasters Workshop, October 17 - 24, 2004, Budapest, Hungary
Application deadline: September 3, 2004


A six-day training workshop in Budapest, Hungary, is currently being planned for young journalists from public television stations in Central and Eastern Europe. This introductory course will offer skills and principles associated with video journalism.

Journalists from member stations of Circom Regional, a European association of public TV broadcasters, can apply for one of eight spots in the workshop. Circom Regional members include public TV stations from Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Georgia, Hungary, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Ukraine, and Serbia and Montenegro.

More information
Website: http://www.circom-regional.org/training/index.asp


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Curriculum Resource Center - Fall 2004 Sessions
September/ October


Organized in cooperation with the Departments and Programs of the Central European University.
In the Fall 2004 semester CRC is offering the following sessions:

1.Open House Sessions in broad discipline areas
The Open House sessions are organized in broad discipline areas covered by one or more CEU departments. These sessions are intended to introduce participants to CEU's approach to a relevant discipline and new techniques for designing courses in that field. To this end the sessions will provide participants access to the facilities and resources of the CEU and the appropriate department, as well as general training workshops on course design and teaching methodology. Participants are invited to use the CEU library, visit relevant classes and meet faculty. The primary target groups of the Open House sessions are junior academics who are at the beginning of their teaching career, or mid-career and senior academics who would benefit from the above offerings.

Open House CRC sessions offered in Fall 2004 will be hosted by the following CEU departments on the dates indicated:
Medieval Studies 11-16 October 2004 (deadline for applications: 3 September 2004)
Political Sciences 18-23 October 2004 (deadline for applications: 3 September 2004)
History: Art and Music 15-20 November 2004 applicants should be professors who teach or develop courses in art or music history, or courses in history that use art and music as part of their study materials (deadline for applications: 1 October 2004)
Environmental Sciences 22-27 November 2004 (deadline for applications: 1 October 2004)
Sociology 29 November - 4 December 2004 (deadline for applications: 1 October 2004)

Applicants to Open House sessions should consult the relevant CEU department's homepage to see the description of regular MA courses offered during the week of the CRC session. Preference will be given to applicants whose courses match with the hosting department's profile and interest.

2. Course Innovation Sessions
These sessions intend to explore the cutting edge developments in a particular discipline. The sessions are meant primarily for senior faculty with significant teaching and research experience or for outstanding, research-oriented junior faculty. By discussing recent developments and exploring contemporary debates with CEU's host departments and faculty, participants are expected to revise or update their courses or offer new courses in their particular area of interest. Additional training on course development is also offered by the CRC. These sessions are organised with a strong involvement of CEU departments and often will be combined with a workshop or a conference on the topic of the session.

In Fall 2004 we offer the following Course Innovation Sessions:
Gender and International Relations 25-30 October 2004 (deadline for applications: 3 September 2004)
Gender Studies scholars are increasingly interested in developing a trans-national perspective in recent years. Innovative scholarship has emerged around themes such as the tensions between citizenship and international migration, gender as an important marker in international politics in war and peace, the global repercussions of engendering Human Rights policies, the feminization and unequal division of labor between women within the global labor force, mainstreaming gender policy in the transnational space of the European Union and beyond, etc. Yet, how does scholarship in these and related fields impact the theoretical perspectives and empirical research in International Relations?
The joint CRC session of the Department of International Relations and European Studies and the Department of Gender Studies is intended to explore recent shared developments in these two fields and to critically examine points of juncture in order to devise joint creative perspectives.

Economics and Evolution 8-13 November 2004 (deadline for applications: 25 September 2004)
The focus of this CRC session will be on evolutionary concepts in contemporary economics. We will look at the particular mechanisms that generate novelty, imitation and selection and we will consider the complementarities that can limit the speed and the qualitative direction of technological and institutional change. Discussions will be held around recent innovative scholarship on the complexity of the evolutionary approach, its relation to evolutionary biology and its methodological difficulties.

All CRC Applicants must:
Be university teachers and/ or professionals (who teach part-time) in the Social Sciences and Humanities from the region who are preparing to revise or develop their courses
Have sufficient English language ability, both written and spoken, to participate in discussions and use resource materials
Submit an application with all accompanying required documents as stated on the CRC application form.

All costs related to transportation and accommodation during the sessions will be covered by the CRC.

More information
Website: http://www.ceu.hu/crc/
Email: crc@ceu.hu


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Joint Small Projects Fund Romania / Serbia & Montenegro 2003, issued by the Ministry of European Integration, Cross Border Cooperation Directorate
Application deadline: September 3, 2004


Nature of activities, geographical area and project duration
(a) Nature of activities:
The overall purpose of the Joint Small Projects Fund is to support small scale, "people-to- people" and "soft" local development activities of a cross-border nature. Activities eligible under the JSPF are services and supplies. The ultimate objective will be to enhance the capability of the local and regional authorities to develop and implement joint projects within the border region.
(b) Geographical area:
The border regions eligible under the Joint Small Projects Fund in Serbia & Montenegro and in Romania are the following:
- Timis, Caras Severin and Mehedinti counties on the Romanian side
- Vojvodina (Borski, Branicevski, Banat) counties on the Serbian side,
(c) Maximum project duration: 12 months, minimum project duration: 3 months.
For details, see the "Guidelines for grant applicants responding to the call for proposals for 2003".

Overall amount available for this Call for Proposals
The global indicative amount available under the present Call for Proposals is 465,000 EUR for each country.

Minimum and maximum grant amounts
a) Minimum grant for a project: EUR 10,000.
b) Maximum grant for a project: EUR 50,000.
c) Moreover, a grant may not exceed 90 % of the total eligible project costs. Only the beneficiary's or the beneficiary's eligible partners' own resources may be taken as part of the co-financing/own contribution, no external contribution is allowed.

Maximum number of grants to be awarded
Maximum number of grants to be awarded per country is 46.

Eligibility: Who may apply
Applicants must comply with all the following conditions in order to be eligible for a grant:
- Be non-profit-making
- Be local and regional authorities; associations of local and regional authorities; Euroregions; chambers of commerce; professional associations; trade union associations; non-governmental organisations; schools, colleges, universities etc
- Be located within an eligible border region of Romania. For Romania this includes the areas of the following counties: Timis, Caras Severin and Mehedinti.
National organisations with a branch office and a clear role in the region, can be eligible. In this case a document of foundation is required, proving that the local branch has been registered.
- Be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the project, not acting as an intermediary
- Have stable and sufficient sources of finance to ensure the continuity of their organisation throughout the project and, if necessary, to play a part in financing it
- Be experienced and able to demonstrate their capacity to manage activity corresponding with the size of the project for which a grant is requested.
Profit-making organisations and political parties are not eligible.
Organisations without any partners from the other side of the border will also not be eligible.

More information
Website: http://www.mie.ro
Email: office@adr5vest.ro


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University of Bologna, Faculty of Law and Johns Hopkins University, Bologna Center - Youth Organizing Institute (YOI): Community Leadership and Training of Trainers, October 8 - 13, 2004, Vukovar, Croatia
Application deadline: September 6, 2004


Now entering its third year, the one-week intensive will attract 25 young professionals from across South Eastern Europe. The curriculum will focus on community organizing and conflict resolution techniques.

Under the leadership of experienced local and international community organizers, participants will spend one week developing the personal knowledge and skills necessary for them to become effective leaders in their communities through a conflict management and community-organizing curriculum. Imbedded in the format of the Institute is a strategy by which students design projects to address one particular issue of need in their home community. Following the Institute, the participants will then implement the project in their home communities and be required to follow procedures for reporting and evaluation of the projects' progress.

More information
Website: http://www.ccsdd.org/yoi
Email: jjossen@jhubc.it (Jade Jossen, CCSDD project coordinator)


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NIZW International Centre - Training course for youth workers to address discrimination through sport and outdoor activities, in the framework of the European YOUTH programme, October 11 - 17, 2004, Dordrecht, The Netherlands
Application deadline: September 6, 2004


Countries eligible: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Romania, United Kingdom

The All(B)right concept offers a range of learning opportunities for youth workers to address discrimination in European Youth Work. All(B)right consists of three complementary phases:
A 5 day international training course in 2004, aiming at the development of competencies to address discrimination in youth work. Participants will gain knowledge of Human Rights Education with special focus on origins, consequences and spread of discrimination.
Support to develop projects addressing anti-discrimination within the YOUTH Program of the European Commission in 2004/2005. Participants will be asked to develop projects (Action 1,2, 3 or 5 of the YOUTH Program) in which they use sport/outdoor activities to address discrimination. National Agencies of all participants involved will be strongly stimulated to support these projects.
An evaluation seminar in 2005, aiming at the evaluation of the projects, the development of relevant competencies and the examination of opportunities for further co-operation. Date and place of this seminar are not known at this stage.

Aims of the training course:
To develop youth workers' competencies in addressing discrimination through the use of sport and outdoor activities in the YOUTH Program.

Objectives of the training course:
To raise awareness about different forms of discrimination
To exchange knowledge and experience of participants in the different fields of discrimination
To provide participants with tools, methods and other resources to promote equality and eliminate discrimination
To increase knowledge of participants about Human Rights Education
To familiarize participants with the use of sport and outdoor activities as a tool for addressing discrimination and promoting equality
To provide participants with opportunities to create their own projects within the YOUTH Program.

Methods: Group work, discussion, workshops, sport and outdoor activities, exchange of experiences.
Working language: English
Number of participants: 25 participants of YOUTH Program countries

Profile of participants:
Actively involved in activities for and with young people
Knowledge about and experience with the YOUTH Program of the European Commission
(Interested to be) working in the field of sport/outdoor activities and/or the field of anti-discrimination
Able to communicate in English
Willing to develop a project within the YOUTH Program as an outcome of the training course Intending to participate throughout the full duration of the course
Have full support from their organization to participate in all three phases of All(B)right.

Costs
Program costs and costs for board and lodging will be paid by NIZW - the Dutch National Agency of the YOUTH Program. Sending NA's are requested to be the travel costs of participants and a contribution to the costs of 75 Euro/ pax.

More information
Website: www.agentschapjeugd.nl
http://europa.eu.int/comm/youth/program/natage_en.html
Email: europa@nizw.nl


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Balkan Youth Partnership Programme
Application deadline: September 30, 2004


What is the Balkan Youth Partnership Programme?
The Balkan Youth Partnership Programme is a small grant scheme for study visits in the region designed for representatives from child- and youth-serving NGOs to share information and technical expertise.

Areas for exchange of learning
The key programmatic areas for information exchange and learning covered by the Partnership Programme are: employment, technology, non-formal education, health, civic education and democracy building. The areas of community service, culture and the environment are also eligible. In addition, technical areas such as fundraising, sustainability, grantmaking, monitoring and evaluation, and project planning are eligible areas for exchange.

Eligibility
The Partnership Programme is open to applicants from child- and youth-serving NGOs in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania and Serbia. The visits are eligible in those countries.
Applicants should be possess a certain level of experience in programme development and be in a position to influence programming in their own organisation based on what they learn during the exchange. The applicant organisation should send no more than two participants.

Available funding
The Partnership Programme will provide successful applicants with funding for the following up to a maximum of USD1500:
Accommodation
Meals
Travel between the countries
Travel within the countries
Purchase of relevant publications
In addition, the Programme will fund the administrative costs of the host organisation up to a maximum of USD300, according to the length of the visit and the level of organisation required.

Visit Guidelines
Prior to applying, applicants should contact the organisation with which they wish to work and ensure that there is mutual interest in the exchange. In addition, they should agree on the purpose of the exchange, identify objectives, determine an appropriate length of time and jointly develop a visit schedule. Exchanges need not be reciprocal.
Visits should last for up to 7 days, excluding travel time.

Assessment of Applications
Applications will be assessed according to the following criteria:
Clearly articulated outcomes showing how the exchange will strengthen the programmatic and/or technical capacity of the applicant organisation.
Possibility that the exchange outcomes will positively influence the children and youth sector as a whole in the applicant's country.
A well thought out, appropriate visit schedule.
A clearly presented, reasonable budget.
Appropriateness of the background and position of the individual applicants.
Please note that incomplete applications cannot be accepted.

More information
Website: http://www.balkanyouth.org/partnership.html
Email: asha@balkanyouth.org (Aleksandra Vidanovic, Program Assistant)


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Culture 2000 - Call for proposals 2005
Application deadline: October 15, 2004 (for annual and translation projects), October 29, 2004 (for multi-annual projects)


Objective:
The Culture 2000 programme contributes to the promotion of a cultural area common to the European peoples. Each year the Community supports annual and multiannual cultural events and projects carried out in partnership or in the forms of networks. The annual projects must involve cultural operators from at least three States and respectively the multiannual projects must involve cultural operators from at least five States participating in the Culture 2000 programme.

Specific objectives
- Promotion of cultural dialogue and of mutual knowledge of the culture and history of the European peoples
- Promotion of creativity and the transnational dissemination of culture and the movement of artists, creators and other cultural operators and professionals and their works, with a strong emphasis on young and socially disadvantaged people and on cultural diversity
- Highlighting of cultural diversity and the development of new forms of cultural expression
- Sharing and highlighting, at the European level, the common cultural heritage of European significance; disseminating know-how and promoting good practices concerning its conservation and safeguarding
- Recognition of the role of culture in socio-economic development
- Fostering of intercultural dialogue and mutual exchange between European and non-European cultures
- Explicit recognition of culture as an economic factor and as a factor in social integration and citizenship
- Improved access to and participation in culture in the European Union for as many citizens as possible.

Eligible actions
'Culture 2000' aims to provide funding for quality projects, which encourage innovation and creativity, provide real European added value and which reflect the current concerns and areas of interest of operators in the cultural field.

To this end three broad themes for project activity which reflect the spirit of these objectives will be given prominence in this call for proposals as in all previous calls.
1. Addressing the Citizen
2. New technology/media addressing creativity (the applied and creative use of new technology)
3. Tradition and innovation; linking the past and the future.
Particular attention will be given to projects bringing together cultural operators from the EU/EEA, the 10 new Members States and candidate countries.

A) ACTION 1
Annual cooperation projects
For 2005 funding will be given to:
- Approximately fifty (50) one-year specific, innovative and/or experimental actions in the field of Cultural Heritage
- Approximately twenty (20) one-year specific, innovative and/or experimental actions in the field of Visual Arts
- Approximately fifty (50) one-year specific, innovative and/or experimental actions in the field of Performing Arts
- Approximately ten (10) one-year specific, innovative and/or experimental actions in the field of Books and Reading. Amongst other things these actions could involve the promotion of reading throughout Europe and improving the skills of professionals in the field of translation of literary works.
For all sectors the organisation of congresses, conferences or seminars and the production of CD-ROMs are not considered priority actions.

Translations
All projects must include at least four and not more than ten works to be translated.
For 2005, funding will be given to approximately fifty (50) projects for the translation of literary works (fiction) written by European authors after 1950; priority will be given to works written in the less widely-used European languages - including regional languages and candidate countries languages - or translated into these languages.
In addition, support will also be provided for approximately twenty (20) projects for the translation of works on the European Humanities.
All translations should be done by native speakers of the target language (i.e. the language that they will be translating into).

Cultural cooperation projects in third countries not participating in the programme.
For 2005 funding will be given to up to ten (10) projects, across all cultural sectors, which take place in a third country. These projects must involve the co-operation of EU national institutions competent in the field and similar organisations in the third country.

B) ACTION 2
Multi-annual cooperation agreement projects
Multi-annual cooperation agreements aim to strengthen cooperation between cultural operators in a structured and long-lasting way. To this end, projects undertaken in this category of activity must have an ongoing multiplier effect at the European level.
In 2005, funding will be given to:
- Approximately seven (7) multi-annual cooperation agreements in the field of Cultural Heritage
- Approximately three (3) multi-annual cooperation agreements in the field of Visual Arts
- Approximately seven (7) multi-annual cooperation agreements in the field of Performing Arts
- Approximately two (2) multi-annual cooperation agreements in the field of books, reading and translation.

Who can apply:
Eligible candidates are public and private organisations with legal status, whose main activity lies in the cultural sphere.
These organisations have to be based in one of the following countries participating in the programme:
- The 25 Member states of the European Union as of 1 May 2004
- The three EEA/EFTA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway)
- The candidate countries for whom the necessary arrangements for participation are in place.

Funding conditions and budget limits:
For annual projects the funding requested by each project must range from EUR 50000 to 150000 and may not exceed 50 % of the project's total eligible budget. Applications with funding requests outside of this range will be excluded as non-eligible.
For translation projects, Community funding will cover translator(s)' fees for all books within the application (minimum four, maximum 10 eligible books) provided these do not exceed a total of EUR 50 000 or 60 % of the total operation costs.
For multi-annual cooperation agreement projects funding requested by each project must be above EUR 50 000 but not more than EUR 300000 per year and may not exceed 60 % of the total eligible budget.

More information
Website: http://europa.eu.int/comm/culture/eac/index_en.html
http://www.cultura2000.ro
Email: info_c2k@eurocult.ro


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Foundation for Polish Science - Research Fellowships for Scholars from Central and East European Countries
Application deadline: October 31, 2004


These fellowships for foreign scholars, mainly from Central and East European countries, willing to conduct research in Poland, are awarded on a basis of an agreement executed in 1993 between the Foundation and the Józef Mianowski Fund. The fellowships, sponsored by the Foundation for Polish Science, are granted on a competitive basis.

The scholarship grants can cover periods of time ranging from one to twelve months. The total grant will be approximately equivalent to an average monthly salary offered for a person employed in a corresponding post in Poland plus the costs of accommodation at a level not exceeding those normally paid in hostels in which the university tutors are lodged.

As the above research is to be conducted in Polish institutions it is required that candidates contact the relevant institutions prior to application. Only in exceptional cases the fare to Poland and back may be paid to the scholar. Applications submitted by those concerned should be accompanied by documents as follows:
Personal questionnaire
Curriculum vitae
List of publications in the last five years
Information about knowledge of foreign languages
Characteristics of intended research project
Letters of recommendation:
a) Letter of recommendation from an institution or organisation wishing to receive the candidate
b) Letters of two persons of renowned scientific/academic authority
Information about any possible sources financially supporting the candidate's stay in Poland.
It is desirable that the documents named above are written in Polish or English. If, however, on any justifiable grounds it proves absolutely impossible to present them in either of these two languages they will be accepted in Russian.

More information
Email: kasa@mianowski.waw.pl


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Alliance of Universities for Democracy - 15th Annual Conference, November 7 - 10, 2004, Pécs, Hungary


Founded in 1990, the Alliance of Universities for Democracy (AUDEM) is a consortium of American and Central European, East European, and South-East European universities united for the common purpose of supporting institutions of higher learning in North Central/Baltic, Central, South-East and Eastern Europe in the transition to their democratic roles in building civil societies and in market-driven economies. (For more information about the Alliance and its Members, please go to www.audem.org or to Svetlana Shmelova depwr@a-teleport.com)

The conference theme this year will be 'Educating for Democratic Citizenship'. The organisers hope that the conference will be the occasion for participating universities to engage in a major new AUDEM initiative, to develop what AUDEM are calling the European Democracy Project (EDP). The European Democracy Project will be an effort by AUDEM member universities and conference participants to enrich democratic citizenship and civic engagement among university students.

The Conference will be held in English.

More information
Email: Lazarina@aubg.bg (Lazarina Topuzova), ryderjo@sysadm.suny.edu (John Ryder), steckh@cortland.edu (Prof. Henry Steck)


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Yellowhouse, Bucuresti, Romania
Application deadline: July 15, 2004


Multi-interdisciplinary project
Open house
Dreamlike, fairy tale, childhood
Experimental
ALIVE

A mysterious multistructured house with garden and courtyard. Space (walls, rooms, garden) can be rebuilt, redecorated, repainted. Artists are invited to create and maintain a dreamlike, fairy tale, childhood space and atmosphere.

Artist Innana took the place and decorated and painted it inside in basic colours creating different basic spaces: La Chambre Rouge, the Yellow Room, the Jamaican Kitchen, etc. They are all open to art.

Artists from all media are invited here to spend time together and work on an interdisciplinary approach, by getting into the atmosphere of the place, use/contradict/take into account/ continue the space, the atmosphere already created.

Preexisting themes can be accepted if they are recreated in the environment, by the accent is put on artists who take the challenge to travel to the place and create original new works in situ, together, as a collaborative project. Individuals or groups. Open spontaneous encounters are encouraged.

Working individually or together, combining music, fine arts, theatre, photography, film, dancing etc., as a result of being here. It is about exchanging ideas and experiencing new individual creative experiences: musicians doing music for a short film, visual artists taking part in a theatre or performance concept, recreating the space as a set or a happening, dancers working with new music and other possible and wanted experimental approaches.

Works encouraged: mixed media, performance, installation, film, video, happening, dance, theatre, music, musical experiments, photography, poetry (all kinds), land art, fine arts etc. Open to all propositions and projects.
Special interest: dreamlike, fairy tale, fantasies, fantastic, people and space, body, body language, stories, colours, experimental theatre, music, dance, film, video, photography, fine arts.
Artists invited: all kinds: music, theatre, dance, film, fine arts, photography, multimedia, etc.

Spaces and facilities provided: painting workshop, clay, theatre space, possibilities of photo/media lab, projections, open garden (concerts, performance, projections), kitchen, bathroom, etc.
Artists will work there and live with Romanian artists (if they choose). Contacts with Romanian artists, travels across the country, contacts for exhibitions, concerts, projections in Romania can be organized. Artists 'works will be presented by organizing concerts, theatre shows, projections. The works created will be exhibited in the end in the house, galleries in Romania and abroad.

The project is considered as a happening. The artists selected as a final group will take part in an artistic documentary about the event.

Those who are interested are invited to submit their works, a short presentation and a description of an idea, project on line on the site.
Participation fee: 200 Euro

More information
Website: www.galbenacasa.go.ro
Email: galbenacasa@yahoo.com


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Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam - PhD Summer School on European Parties and Party Systems, Democracy in Europe: European Politics and Multi-level Governance', September, 2004, Netherlands
Application deadline: July 15, 2004


From 1999 until 2993, Keele was the home for a highly successful series of summer schools on European Parties and Party Systems. The series, which began in 1992, had previously been held at the Universität Lüneburg and the Vrije Universiteit Brussels. All the Summer Schools were jointly organised by Kurt Richard Luther (from Keele) and Ferdinand Müller-Rommel (from Lüneburg). Financial support was received from the Commission of the European Communities (within the framework of the SOCRATES programme), Keele European Parties Research Unit (KEPRU), the School of Politics, International Relations and the Environment, Keele Univerrsity, and the Editors of the journal Party Politics. The 13th Summer School will be held in September 2004 in the Netherlands, and is organised by the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

The main objectives of this series of Summer Schools have been:
To promote the Europeanisation of political science teaching and research skills
To disseminate best practice in these areas
To enhance future European opinion-formers' understanding of the important processes of European political development
To help shape the awareness of European issues amongst participating student cohorts that will no doubt include future European university teachers.

The main aims of this series of Summer Schools have been:
To assemble a multinational team of university teachers and appropriately qualified postgraduate
(MPhil/PhD) research students with a common research interest in European governance and legitimacy
To undertake an intensive programme on the extent to which changes pursuant to the 'remaking' of Europe have confronted European political elites with new and in part profound challenges to the manner in which they have traditionally operated
To offer participating students insights into a wider range of theoretical and methodological approaches than is normally available at a single institution
To provide a forum for them to discuss with other students and with specialist staff drawn from a range of European universities their own research interests and how they might themselves contribute to the development of the discipline.

More information
Website: http://www.politicalscience.nl/summerschool
http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/spire/Research/KEPRU/kepru/epps_summer-school/


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Youth of JAZAS - 8th International Summer School STOP AIDS (ISSSA) "The time is now!", August 8 - 16, 2004, Belgrad, Mt. Kopaonik, Serbia and Montenegro
Application deadline: July 15, 2004


Learn something about our model of peer education and implement that in your environment. This is the 8th time that Youth of JAZAS is organising the International Summer School STOP AIDS - ISSSA. Young people from various countries come to our School every year because they want to learn something more