On 30th January, the University of Warsaw hosted a meeting devoted to the establishment of the Eastern Europe Research Lab as part of the UW’s Centre for French Culture and Francophone Studies.

On 30th January, the UW autorithies met with Matthieu Peyraud, the Director of the Department of Cultural, Educational, Academic and Scientific Diplomacy at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Étienne de Poncins, the Ambassador of the French Republic to Poland, and representatives of French scientific institutions.

The main topic of the discussion was the establishment of the Eastern Europe Research Lab (Fr. Institut français de recherche sur l’Europe orientale, le Caucase et l’Asie du Nord) at the UW, which will operate as an autonomous unit within the Centre for French Culture and Francophone Studies, the University of Warsaw.

“This project is particularly important with the war taking place across our eastern border. We are looking forward to implementing it together with our French partners. I believe that the new initiative will contribute to the further development of joint research and scientific collaboration between the University of Warsaw and the French community,” Prof. Zygmunt Lalak, the UW Vice-Rector for Research, said.

The letter of intent concerning the establishment of IRECA was signed by Prof. Zygmunt Lalak, the UW Vice-Rector for Research, and Étienne de Poncins, the Ambassador of the French Republic to Poland. The acitivity of the new lab will focus on research in social sciences and humanities in the geographical context of Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Baltic states.

“The document signed today is part of the rich Polish-French cooperation. The University of Warsaw is our main scientific and academic partner in Poland. The establishment of the Institute for Research on Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and North Asia will allow us to further develop this cooperation,” Étienne de Poncins emphasised.