User:DeDanubio/Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe

The Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe (IDM) is a non-university research institute and regional think tank dealing with current issues in the Danube Region, Central and Southeast Europe. Since 1993, IDM has been the successor institution to the Research Institute for Danube Region Issues (FID), founded on 5 December 1953. The co-founder and first chairman of the FID was Theodor Hornbostel. The Institute was deliberately founded outside the Soviet zone in Salzburg to avoid undesirable influence; in 1957 the association moved to Vienna.

The Institute's primary focus includes the future of the European Union as well as relations with its eastern neighbouring states. Through research, publications and events, the goal is to improve cross-border understanding, cooperation and the development of good neighbourly relations.

History
Similarly to the Pan-European Movement, Hornbostel sought to unite the Danube countries after the Second World War, but with the exclusion of Germany. The focus was to be on closer economic and cultural cooperation between Central European countries to overcome nationalist antagonisms; the realisation of an idea of a "United States of Europe" was sought as a long-term goal, as proposed by Winston Churchill in September 1946.

After the Second World War, Hornbostel founded the "Danube Alliance for Austria" and Carl Karwinsky founded the "Austrian Working Group for Danube Issues". The FID was founded with the help of Rudolf Lodgman von Auen, the representative of the Sudeten Germans, and other institutions. The Institute had set itself the goal of research and fulfilled this goal through a series of book publications; however, it was also a rallying point for so-called Legitimists (monarchists) who, after 1945, placed their hopes in a Habsburg-ruled federation consisting of Bavaria, Austria and Hungary.

This foundation was financially supported by the Ministry of Education and the Federation of Austrian Industries. In 1958, however, the Ministry of Education decided to found the "Austrian Institute for Eastern and South-East European Studies (AIESES)" and thus no longer carried out significant activities through the FID. An offer to merge with the Danube European Institute, which was founded in 1926 and renewed in 1947 and today operates as the "Organization for International Economic Relations (OIER"), was unsuccessful. Under the influence of the invasion of Czechoslovakia by Soviet troops on 21 August 1969, the idea of peaceful coexistence with the Soviet Union's sphere of influence was called into question. However, the Austrian ministries withdrew their support for the FID due to real political considerations after the constitution of a single communist government in Prague. This led to a motion to dissolve the institute at a board meeting in the autumn of 1970. Hornbostel resigned as chairman at the end of 1970 and was succeeded by Felix Ermacora and Norbert Leser. However, not all activities were discontinued, but the journal "Der Donauraum" (The Danube Region), which has been published since 1956, was to be maintained. Since 1993, it has been edited by the newly structured "Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe".

From 1995 until his passing, Erhard Busek was Chairman of the Institute. Friedrich Faulhammer has been interim chairman since March 2022. The Institute deals with current issues in the Danube Region as well as Central and South-Eastern Europe. It aims to contribute to the development of good neighbourly relations by disseminating knowledge (book publications, conferences, excursions) about the region.

Structure and Mission
As a non-profit and politically independent association, IDM deals with current issues in the Danube Region, Central and South-Eastern Europe. According to IDM slogan "European perspectives - Regional actions. Cooperation and expertise since 1953", IDM experts take a pro-European approach to the implementation of regional measures. The structure of IDM comprises the Managing Board, which has been chaired by Friedrich Faulhammer since Mars 2022 and the academic and administrative team. At the 2019 General Assembly, the former Scientific Advisory Board was replaced by an International Council. The members of this committee provide advice to the team.

Areas of Focus and Expertise
The aim is to improve cross-border cooperation, dialogue and knowledge sharing in the region and beyond. All activities are based on the principles of liberal democracy. The Institute's main areas of focus include:


 * The Future of the European Union and its Relations with its Eastern Neighbours
 * The promotion of neighbourly relations in the region
 * EU integration and enlargement
 * Regional specificities and cultural diversity
 * Historical Heritage and future prospects
 * Democracy, participation and inclusion

Activities and Network
IDM sees itself as a regional platform for fundamental work, research, communication and awareness-raising. The activities include publications, events, offers for adult education as well as measures to promote young researchers, for example through scholarships and awards. IDM has an international network of contacts in the neighbouring countries of Austria, the Western Balkans and the Eastern neighbouring countries of the European Union.

The Working Group of the Danube Countries of Europe, initiated in 1982 by the state of Lower Austria and finally founded in 1989, is a cooperation platform that acts as an internationally recognized representative of the regions, initiator of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR), a think tank for Danube Region activities and a network for numerous stakeholders. Since 2020, the ARGE Donauländer Info Point has been located at IDM.

IDM is also a long-standing partner of the Danube Rectors' Conference (DRC), a network of universities in the Danube Region. In addition, the Permanent Secretariat of the DRC is managed by IDM, which coordinates various initiatives, including the annual DRC Summer School.

Promotion of Young Talent
The Young Scholars Forum (YSF) is an important measure for the promotion of young academics. During the three-day conference, up to 30 young researchers from all over Europe will have the opportunity to present their research, and discuss and network with participants and experts. The results of the conference will be published in IDM's scientific publication Der Donauraum (The Danube Region). Excursions and cultural activities are also part of the YSF programme.

Since 2004, IDM has been organizing the annual DRC Summer School together with the Danube Rectors' Conference (DRC). During this one-week event, participants and numerous experts from the Danube Region present their research results. In the workshops, participants discuss their research questions. The DRC Summer School is hosted alternately at universities in the Danube Region.

Between 2018 and 2020, IDM awarded scholarships to four young researchers from the region. With the support of Violeta Toleva, who offered the scholarships in memory of her late daughter Teodora Toleva, the scholarships enabled four scholars from the fields of history and political science to spend six months in the National Archives of Austria in Vienna. The research results of the young scientists, which focus on the foreign policy challenges in the Danube Monarchy, are published in the academic IDM journal Der Donauraum (The Danube Region).

Adult Education and Events
Together with its cooperation partners, IDM organises around 60 events a year. The programme includes lectures, discussion sessions, digital formats as well as seminars and other educational offers. IDM consistently prepares written briefings to provide expertise for upcoming parliamentary elections in the countries of the target region, making discussions and briefings on parliamentary elections a recurring event in the calendar. These short, condensed assessments and analyses enable readers to understand the complex contexts and backgrounds of local political development. The briefings are linked to panel discussions in which selected experts from the target countries as well as from the Institute to analyse political systems, party landscapes and developments.

In 2020, the elections in Slovakia, Serbia, Croatia, Northern Macedonia and Montenegro were monitored in this way. The format is long-standing cooperation of IDM with the Karl-Renner-Institut and the Political Academy of the Austrian People's Party. The focus of adult education is the teacher's seminar conducted in collaboration with the Institute for Geography and Regional Research of the University of Vienna and the University College of Teacher Education of Christian Churches Vienna/Krems.

Every year, primary and secondary school teachers are offered a two-day seminar programme, which includes a variety of lectures and discussions with experts. In cooperation with the Diplomatic Academy Vienna for many years, IDM regularly organizes lectures by ambassadors from the region.

Publications
The Institute publishes numerous publications whose content is aligned with its research priorities and target countries and is aimed at a diverse audience. In addition to the academic series published since 1956, these also include formats for policy advice and science communication. The aim of the publication activity is to impart in-depth knowledge about the region and to promote scientific and social dialogue.

Current periodicals and other publications of IDM:


 * Der Donauraum (The Danube Region): The scientific journal has been published quarterly since 1956 by Böhlau Verlag. The editorial team is supported by an editorial advisory board consisting of scientific experts.
 * Info Europe: Launched in 2000, the thematic booklet series is published three times a year as a supplement to the Austrian daily newspaper "Die Presse" with a total circulation of around 50,000 copies. In the 24-page publication, guest authors from the region deal with various current developments. The German-language publication focuses on science communication and the knowledge transfer to the region. Since 2020, the publication has also been available online as an ePaper. Once a year, the publication is published as "Cultural Guide Central Europe" with a cultural focus, these are also available as ePaper since 2020.
 * IDM Policy Paper Series (IDM PPS): At irregular intervals, IDM PPS offer analyses and policy solutions for decision-makers, experts, journalists and the interested public on current policy issues with a focus on the Danube region, Central and South-Eastern Europe.
 * IDM Info: The newsletter of the Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe, was published four times a year, and offered direct insights into the Institute's work and the diverse activities and events.

Danubius Award
The Danubius Award was launched in 2011 by IDM and the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF) to honour individuals who have made a special contribution to the Danube Region in their scientific work or in their creative work. The Danubius Award is intended as a recognition of a profound scientific engagement with the Danube Region.

The prize is divided into three categories:


 * Danubius Award

This prize is independent of formal age limits or the number of years since the last formal scientific degree or the respective status in the scientific enterprise - and is awarded exclusively with reference to the overall scientific achievements in and around the Danube Region. The prize is awarded annually on a rotating basis for achievements in the humanities, cultural and social sciences or in life sciences.


 * Danubius Mid-Career Award

The Danubius Mid-Career Award was initiated in 2017 and awarded to researchers who are 5 to a maximum of 15 years after their last formal academic degree or who have the equivalent scientific experience.


 * Danubius Young Scientist Award

Open to all disciplines since 2014, awards highlight the scientific work and talent of 14 young scientists from each country that is part of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region and increase the visibility of the excellence of the research community in the Danube Region.

Anton-Gindely-Preis
The Anton Gindely Prize for Culture and History of Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe was awarded from 1997 to 2012 to honour scholars whose work has made a special contribution to cross-border cultural and historical understanding in the linguistic, national and religious diversity of the area and thus to understanding the roots of the "new Europe".

Mitteleuropa-Preis
The Mitteleuropa-Preis (Central Europe Prize) was awarded annually from 1994 to 2010 by IDM and the Federal Ministry of Science and Research (now: BMBWF) to individuals who have made a special contribution to the idea of Central Europe.

Literature

 * Christian Dörner, Barbara Dörner-Fazeny: Theodor von Hornbostel (1889–1973). Vienna: Böhlau, 2006.

Web links

 * Official Website