ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ IDEAS is pleased to announce the start of a co-operation with the Ratiu Family Charitable Foundation (London) and the Ratiu Centre for Democracy (RCD - Turda, Romania). The Foundation will sponsor the establishment of a Ratiu Forum within the Central and South-East Europe Programme (CSEEP) at ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ IDEAS. Through this Forum, the Ratiu Foundation and CSEEP will work to strengthen co-operation in the region, support academic research and freedom, develop projects that promote civic engagement and have democratic values at their core.
The Ratiu Forum within the CSEEP at ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ IDEAS will support researchers who focus their study on Romania and the wider region of Central and South-East Europe. Scholars will be offered funding in order to conduct their research and will spend time in London at ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ IDEAS, the RCD in Turda and at the University of Cluj-Napoca in Transylvania while on this project. The Forum will also organise conferences, workshops, student trips to and from the region, and other events that would further co-operation and a better understanding of Romania and Central and South-East Europe.
The Ratiu Family Charitable Foundation was established in London in 1979 by Ion and Elisabeth Ratiu to promote projects on education and research in Romania and the UK. The Ratiu Foundation offers annual funding for innovative projects which foster arts, heritage, civil society, democracy, and environmental protection. The projects sponsored by the Foundation are numerous and they range from democracy awareness and civic participation to support for artists and researchers that focus on Romania and the wider region.
“I am delighted that ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ IDEAS will be partnering with the Ratiu Family Charitable Foundation and the Ratiu Centre for Democracy. We expect that the Ratiu Forum will be a key part of our new Central and South-East Europe Programme and that it will foster greater knowledge of Romania and its neighbours in the U.K. and put key Romanian opinion makers in touch with informed opinion at ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ and other British institutions.” – Professor Christopher Coker, Director of ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ IDEAS
“It is an exciting development and great honour for the Ratiu Foundations to be selected to work in Romania and London with the internationally acclaimed ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ IDEAS. We will together establish the Ratiu Forum in Cluj/Turda as the regional catalyst for analysis and debate on political, economic and social issues facing Romania and central and eastern Europe. Our aim is to inform and assist in strategic decision-making.” – Nicolae Ratiu, Chairman RFCF and RCD
The image above shows statues of Ion Ratiu and Augustin Ratiu at the Ratiu Centre for Democracy.