FUNDATIA NOUA EUROPA

Their core work

Fundatia Noua Europa (New Europe Foundation) is a Romanian research foundation specializing in humanities scholarship on Central and South Eastern Europe. They conduct advanced research on cultural history, art historiography, and social practices from the medieval period through early modernity, with a strong track record of winning competitive European Research Council grants. More recently, they have expanded into citizen science and environmental humanities, bridging historical inquiry with contemporary civic engagement.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their early H2020 work (2015–2018) was rooted in deep historical research — medieval fiscal systems, early modern luxury culture, and social hierarchies in South Eastern Europe. From 2018 onward, they broadened into art historiography with a transnational CEE lens and then pivoted toward citizen science and environmental humanities by 2020. This signals a deliberate expansion from purely historical scholarship toward interdisciplinary research connecting cultural inquiry with environmental and civic themes.

NEC is evolving from a purely historical research foundation toward interdisciplinary work that connects cultural heritage, civic participation, and environmental awareness — making them increasingly relevant for Horizon Europe missions on climate and democracy.

How they like to work

NEC operates as both a project leader and a contributing partner in equal measure (2 coordinator roles, 2 participant roles). Their consortia are small and focused — 7 unique partners across 7 countries — suggesting they work in tight, purpose-built research teams rather than large multi-partner projects. This makes them a reliable, hands-on collaborator rather than a passive consortium filler.

NEC has collaborated with 7 distinct partners spread across 7 different countries, indicating broad European reach without concentration in any single region. Their network is diverse but compact, built around specific research questions rather than institutional alliances.

What sets them apart

NEC stands out as one of very few Romanian organizations to secure multiple ERC grants in the humanities — a highly competitive achievement that signals exceptional research quality. Their specific expertise in South Eastern and Central European cultural history fills a gap that Western European institutions rarely cover with the same depth. For consortium builders, they offer both scholarly credibility and authentic regional knowledge of the CEE space.

Highlights from their portfolio

• LuxFaSS
  Their largest project (EUR 1.4M ERC Consolidator Grant) as coordinator, investigating luxury and social status in Early Modern South Eastern Europe — a rare topic in EU-funded research.
• EnviroCitizen
  Marks a strategic pivot into citizen science and environmental humanities, connecting ornithology with environmental citizenship — their most interdisciplinary project.
• ArtHistCEE
  ERC-funded project led by NEC that challenges Western-centric art history narratives by centering Central and Eastern European perspectives.