The Invisible University for Ukraine, (IUFU) implemented by the Central European University (CEU) Democracy Institute in Budapest, was launched in the spring of 2022, one month after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The program's objective is to help sustain intellectual growth in the midst of incredible hardships, with coursework designed to mitigate the effects of the war on students' academic development and provide a framework to push back against autocracy. It offers continuing academics for BA, MA and PhD students from Ukraine whose studies were affected by the war. Almost 1,000 Ukrainian students have taken online and in-person courses taught by faculty from across Europe and beyond since the invasion of Ukraine began.
The prize was presented in Vienna, Austria to IUFU Director Ostap Sereda, Associate Professor at the Ukrainian Catholic University, and Guest Professor of Bard College Berlin, and IUFU founder Balazs Trencsenyi, Director of CEU’s Institute for Advanced Study at an award luncheon in Vienna, Austria, on November 24, 2024. Epping was joined by the advisor to the board of the foundation, Professor Stephan Messman, the first recipient of the Elemér Hantos Prize.
“I am thrilled that the IUFU has received such an outstanding award, and that its essential and flagship work has received recognition,” said Shalini Randeria, President and Rector of Central European University. “This prize is a tribute to the resilience of Ukrainian students and academics, and it reaffirms our commitment to supporting them as they face unimaginable challenges. We are now in a new era, facing new global challenges, and seeking to develop fresh models to defend democracy in a global authoritarian storm. This Hantos prize reflects the shared vision we hold with the Central Europe Foundation: a vision of a Europe strengthened by academic cooperation and a deep commitment to democratic values,” Randeria added.
“Central Europe Foundation promotes global economic cooperation, particularly supporting students from Central Europe and Latin America through partnerships with selected universities in these regions and North America. With this award we plan to further support scholarships for Ukrainian students at CEU, and to expand IUFU’s mission in bridging connections between scholars and communities dedicated to democratic principles and intellectual freedom,” said Randy Charles Epping, President of the CEF.
The funding from the CEF now makes it possible for the IUFU to extend into an Invisible Graduate School, for the advanced students of the IUFU community to get access to global academia.
“The Invisible Graduate School will be a pioneering initiative of research training and academic socialization, pursuing the aims of the IUFU. We hope to create an intellectual and emotional atmosphere where Ukrainian students can focus on their academic interests wherever they are, engaging in a transnational dialogue with global scholarship, while also contributing to the resilience of their country in this horrible situation,” said Professor Balazs Trencsenyi at CEU’s Department of History.
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