Profile of the Istitute for the Central-Eastern and Balkan Europe

In December 1995, scholars from different European and American Universities - connected through the "Europe and the Balkans International Network" - founded the Istituto per l'Europa Centro-Orientale e Balcanica (IECOB, or Institute for Central Eastern, and Balkan Europe) in a notary house in Bologna.

Since its foundation, the Institute got strong support from the Alma Mater-University of Bologna, the European Commission, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Region Emilia-Romagna, the City Councils of Forlì, Cervia and Bologna, as well as the financial contribution of the main banking foundations of Emilia-Romagna.

The Institute is situated in Forlì, in headquarters provided by the Alma Mater-University of Bologna at Forlì Campus. The relations with the University have become stronger with the passing of years, because of the ties with the Scientific-Didactic Pole of the Forlì Campus and of the cooperation in promoting Master's Degree Programmes. As a consequence, the strategic cooperation has been increased, especially since the Institute merged with the Alma Mater-University of Bologna and a Consortium with legal responsibilities was created in April 2002.

The name of the Consortium is Centro per l'Europa Centro-Orientale e Balcanica (CECOB, or Centre for Central Eastern and Balkan Europe).

The peculiarity of the Institute lies, however, in the active cooperation with the "Europe and the Balkans International Network", a thick network of experts and scholars (over 150 from 25 European countries, the United States and Canada), who act as the International Academic Board of the Institute, thanks to which the Institute has an international dimension in all its initiatives.

In addition to that Network of experts and scholars, the Institute has established relations with other institutions, such as the Italian Foreign Trade Institute, the Italian Diplomatic Institute, the Central European Initiative (CEI), UniAdrion (The Virtual University of the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative), CRE (the Conference of European Rectors) and also worldwide international organizations, such as UNESCO and the World Bank.

Furthermore, since 1995 the Institute – by promoting a yearly Summer School, MA Programmes and vocational courses organised on its own or in cooperation with the Alma Mater-University of Bologna – has contributed to the training of more than 900 graduate students. Most of these Alumni are successful in their careers at home or in international institutions, and represent a wealth for the networking system of relations promoted and supported by the Institute.

As a result, the Institute can rely on a unique economic, social and political network of individuals and institutes that provide it with high quality politico-diplomatic, legal-economic and linguistic-cultural information, research and training on Central Eastern and Balkan Europe.