Special Projects Office

Special Projects Office (SPO) supports higher education activities in Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, Central Asia, Mongolia, and South-Eastern Europe.

The programs provide:

Administrative support to Soros network institutions such as CEU, Higher Education Support Program (HESP), and the Open Society Institute (OSI)
Expertise on project development and implementation
Advice on higher education development and reform
Evaluation and quality control
A contact point for external inquiries
Research opportunities
Seminars, workshops, and roundtables related to specific topics

SPO also initiates new programs and projects that are related to higher education in the target regions, closely working with the Soros network and with the other two SEP offices, the Curriculum Resource Center (CRC) and the CEU Summer University (SUN).

CEU Professorial and CEU Visiting Research Fellowships

The CEU Research Fellowship is aimed at teachers and researchers holding a PhD or equivalent, working in Central and Eastern Europe (outside the EU), former Soviet Union, Mongolia and Palestine.

The research period spans one to six months, depending upon the type of research being undertaken.
The program supports the CEU Visiting Research Fellows and CEU Professorial Research Fellows (for academics holding a full professorship).
Travel costs to/from Budapest, accommodation in CEU's Residence Center for the duration of the Fellowship, insurance and a monthly stipend are offered.
The program is publication-oriented and promotes original research.

More information about the relevant fields of research and the application requirements.

The deadline for application is: Dec. 15, 2007

CEU Lecturer’s Mobility Program

The “Hosting a CEU Lecturer” Program enables higher education institutions in the region to receive CEU professors for short lecture visits.

This program:

aims to create or strengthen ties between CEU and the host institution
responds to specific regional needs in terms of academic expertise
allows both academics and students to experience CEU's approach to teaching
aims to form the beginnings of further collaboration - from joint research projects to curriculum development.

More information about the program requirements and application procedures.

Regional Mobility Program

The Regional Mobility Program, launched in 2001, aims to enable and provide financial support for university professors from Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union and Palestine to participate in CEU events such as workshops, roundtables and seminars.

This program aims to:

maintain and strengthen CEU's network in the region
promote and strengthen departmental/professorial collaboration with regional universities
facilitate cooperation between CEU and the HESP supported institutions in the Soros region
support the development or revision of social science faculties
provide aid to CEU's and regional professors' understanding of various issues in higher education

For more information, visit: Regional Mobility Program

The Human Rights Students' Initiative (HRSI)

The Human Rights Students' Initiative is an awareness raising and capacity building organization bringing together CEU students and alumni.

HRSI's mission is to promote social activism and raise human rights awareness.

The Initiative’s goals are to:

provide CEU students, local activists and junior NGO workers with training and practical experience in human rights and NGO work
raise awareness of human rights
promote social responsibility among the CEU and local communities
provide the local and regional community of human rights and NGO professionals with an opportunity for networking and cooperation.

HRSI offers opportunities for skills training, volunteering, education, community service and networking.

For more information, visit: HRSI

Modular Doctoral Program

The program is designed for the junior faculty of institutions supported by the International Higher Education Support Program of the Open Society Institute (HESP) and its Academic Fellowship Program (AFP).

The program:

consists of a taught component that can be completed in modules, and a field work and writing up component
allows students to work on their dissertation while continuing teaching at their home departments.
is flexible program with an individualized approach that does not require continuous residence on the university premises.

Tuition fees for this program are covered by CEU, and the stipend and travel expenses are covered by HESP for up to six years of doctoral study.

For more information, visit: Modular Doctoral Program

Gender Studies Program Development

This is a three year project aiming to develop Gender Studies MA or PhD programs at selected institutions, focusing on the promotion of faculty and curriculum development through enhancing academic and teaching qualifications of the programs’ junior faculty, improving the programs’ curriculum at the level of structure, content, and resources.

The partner institutions in the project are:

Center for Social Sciences at Tbilisi State University
Center for Interdisciplinary Post-Graduate Studies at the University of Sarajevo
Center for Gender Studies at the European Humanities University
CEU Department of Gender Studies

For more information, visit: Gender Studies Program Development

Comparative History Project

The project aims to develop Comparative History as a specialization, or a track within a set of target departments in Central Europe, Southeast Europe, and Eastern Europe - with CEU acting as the core and the coordinator of the group.

The Project aims to:

place the teaching of and research in Comparative History firmly on the agenda and into the curriculum of our region
create a well-connected network of researchers/teachers capable of advanced course design and having strong teaching skills, for the advancement of teaching Comparative History now and in the future.

For more information, click here. [link TBA]

Cross-Border PhD Consortium in Political Science

Through a number of academic activities, this project aims to develop a diverse international network of junior academics at doctoral level interested in a range of political science research agendas.

Activities include:

doctoral student exchange
annual doctoral conferences
short courses taught at partner institutions in the region
a summer school course on Quality of Democracy in Central and Eastern Europe
a summer school in Political Economy of Institutions and Development
building a network for the study of theories and methods in public opinion and voting behavior research.