MIA CAS and the University of Erfurt conclude a memorandum of strategic partnership

In October 2024, the Masaryk Institute and Archives of the CAS concluded a memorandum of strategic partnership with the University of Erfurt. This was done by director Rudolf Kučera, on behalf of the MÚA, and Bernhard Kleeberg, head of the Political Epistemologies of Central and Eastern Europe Research Centre (PECEE), on behalf of the University of Erfurt.

The partnership involves mainly scientific research and education, with a focus on the history of science and political epistemology in Central and Eastern Europe – a dynamically developing field that investigates the nature and sources of political knowledge and its influence on political processes and decision-making. The institutions have committed to jointly submitting relevant grant applications, co-organizing conferences, workshops or international symposia, and giving regular guest lectures.

The first joint event, organised by Jan Surman on behalf of the Czech side, will take place as early as February 2025 and will focus on different definitions of the concept of political epistemology and discussions about them.

The Masaryk Institute and Archives of the CAS has a wide network of international partners in Germany, Austria, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and the USA. However, all these collaborations are tied to specific activities and usually also supported by project funding. The long-term partnership agreement with the University of Erfurt is thus the first of its kind concluded by the Masaryk Institute and the Archives of the CAS.

"The University of Erfurt has a strong research profile in the field of the history of science, an area in which we have recently carried out some of our Institute's key projects, and is therefore a natural partner for us. The signing of the agreement is the result of cooperation on partial projects in the past, thanks to which we have verified that this partnership is important for us," says Rudolf Kučera, explaining the reasons why the Masaryk Institute and the Archives of the CAS have established cooperation with this German university. "The agreement will make it easier for us to advance joint research in the field of historical-political epistemology in the future and to continue the intensive cooperation between the MIA CAS and the chair for the History of Science in Erfurt at a new level," adds Bernhard Kleeberg on behalf of the University of Erfurt.