Cultural heritage of dissent in socialist and post-socialist Europeprimary
2 projects
COURAGE examined cultural opposition heritage across former socialist countries; INDSOC studied individual agency and social change in socialist Yugoslavia.
Organization
STIFTUNG ZUR ERFORSCHUNG VON OST- UND SUDOSTEUROPA
German research institute specializing in Eastern and Southeastern European history, socialist-era cultural heritage, and genocide memory studies.
Research institutesocietyDENo active H2020 projectsThin data (2/5)
H2020 projects
3
As coordinator
2
Total EC funding
€783K
Unique partners
11
What they do
Their core work
The Institute for East and Southeast European Studies (IOS Regensburg) is a dedicated research center studying the history, politics, and societies of Eastern and Southeastern Europe. Their H2020 work focuses on cultural memory, dissent under socialism, and the legacy of Nazi persecution of Roma communities in post-socialist states. They host individual Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellows and participate in larger collaborative heritage research projects, serving as a key German hub for scholarship on the former socialist bloc.
Core expertise
What they specialise in
Holocaust and genocide memory studies (Roma communities)primary
1 project
ROMPAST investigated memory and representation of the Nazi genocide of Roma in Belarus and Lithuania.
Social history of Yugoslavia and the Western Balkanssecondary
1 project
INDSOC specifically focused on socialist Yugoslavia's periphery, indicating regional depth in Western Balkan history.
Digital and physical cultural heritage preservationsecondary
1 project
COURAGE was a large RIA project focused on understanding and cataloguing cultural heritage of dissent across multiple countries.
Evolution & trajectory
How they've shifted over time
Early focus
Socialist cultural heritage
Recent focus
Genocide memory and representation
With only three projects between 2016 and 2021, evolution is limited but discernible. The earliest involvement (COURAGE, 2016) was as a participant in a large collaborative heritage project, while subsequent projects (INDSOC 2017, ROMPAST 2018) saw IOS take the coordinator role on more focused, individual-researcher MSCA fellowships. This suggests a shift from contributing to broad consortium efforts toward hosting and directing targeted historical research on sensitive topics like Roma genocide memory.
IOS appears to be deepening its focus on difficult memory and transitional justice topics in Eastern Europe, making it a relevant partner for projects addressing historical injustice, minority rights, and post-conflict reconciliation.
Collaboration profile
How they like to work
Role: consortium_leaderReach: European9 countries collaborated
IOS Regensburg acts primarily as a coordinator, leading 2 of its 3 H2020 projects. The coordinated projects are MSCA individual fellowships — small-scale, researcher-driven efforts rather than large consortia. Their one participation as partner (COURAGE) involved a broader consortium of 11 partners across 9 countries, showing they can operate in both modes but prefer focused, expert-driven research.
IOS has collaborated with 11 unique partners across 9 countries through its 3 projects. Their network spans Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe, reflecting their regional research focus rather than a broad pan-European spread.
Why partner with them
What sets them apart
IOS Regensburg occupies a rare niche as a German research institute entirely dedicated to Eastern and Southeastern European studies — bridging Western academic infrastructure with deep regional expertise. For consortium builders, they offer credible German institutional backing combined with genuine knowledge of post-socialist societies, making them an ideal partner for projects that need both EU-15 reliability and Eastern European subject matter depth. Their willingness to host MSCA fellows also makes them attractive for researcher mobility proposals.
Notable projects
Highlights from their portfolio
- COURAGELargest project by far (EUR 451,750 to IOS), a multi-country RIA cataloguing cultural heritage of dissent across the former socialist bloc.
- ROMPASTAddresses the under-researched topic of Roma genocide memory in Belarus and Lithuania — a sensitive and politically significant subject with growing EU policy relevance.
Cross-sector capabilities
Cultural heritage digitization and preservationMigration and minority rights researchEducation and historical literacyPolicy analysis for post-conflict and transitional societies
More in society
See all society organizations →UNIVERSITA CA' FOSCARI VENEZIA
Venice-based research university excelling in digital humanities, cultural heritage, climate adaptation, and nanomaterials risk — a major Marie Curie fellowship host.
Open →
ERASMUS UNIVERSITEIT ROTTERDAM
Leading Dutch research university specializing in health economics, social policy, development studies, and the governance of AI and migration.
Open →
LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE
Europe's premier social science university, producing world-class research in economics, political behaviour, public policy, and the social dimensions of climate, health, and security.
Open →