About CEELBAS

Objectives of the Centre

The Centre for East European Language-Based Area Studies (CEELBAS) is a major innovative collaboration between three of the leading research-oriented universities involved in the field. UCL, through the School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES), acts as lead university; the University of Oxford is represented by Russian and East European Studies (REES); the University of Birmingham is represented by the Centre for Russian and East European Studies (CREES). Staff of these institutions work closely with other partners at the Universities of Bath, Cambridge, Kent, Manchester, Sheffield, Warwick and the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and together they constitute the CEELBAS Research Network.

The main objective of the Centre is to realise the UK's strategic commitment to the study of Central and Eastern Europe and Russia by developing multi-disciplinary, language-based research capacity around key research themes to generate a sustainable flow of highly trained area expertise. The CEELBAS programme is supported by postgraduate scholarships, postdoctoral fellowships, mid-career training, workshops and conferences. The Centre integrates the scholarly capacities of the CEELBAS Research Network and actively engages with user communities and international networks. Its vision is to set the research agenda for the study of the region and to inform policy making, nationally and internationally. The Centre gives the UK a leading global presence in the study of Central and Eastern Europe.

Funding and Timescale

The Centre is primarily funded through an award from the Higher Education Funding Council for England, the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Economic and Social Research Council with an award of £5.6m. Funding is currently available for the five year period 1 October 2006 to 30 September 2011.

Programme of Activity

(i) Master’s Programmes

The M.Res. in East European Studies (UCL SSEES) and M.Phil. in Russian and East European Studies (Oxford) are innovative two-year multi- and interdisciplinary programmes build on established Master’s programmes and training. They provide generic and area methods training alongside language-for-research purposes and area-based specialist courses. A total of 26 2-year studentships are attached to UCL SSEES and 12 to the University of Oxford REES.

(ii) Doctoral Programmes

A total of 33 Ph.D./D.Phil. studentships are attached to UCL SSEES, University of Oxford REES and University of Birmingham CREES (respectively 14, 7 and 12). The Doctoral Training programmes provide advanced research-specific generic training. CEELBAS students actively engage in the multidisciplinary collaborative work of the Centre and its Research Network, thereby enhancing the doctoral research experience and drawing on the new approaches and understandings generated by the Centre.

(iii) Postdoctoral Research Fellowships

A total of 7 Postdoctoral research fellowships (4 x 2 years and 3 x 3 years at UCL, University of Oxford and University of Birmingham) further the Centre’s objectives by conducting research on strategically prioritised research themes, with a view also to synergies across themes. The fellows are expected to develop the research agenda and reflect upon new approaches across and between disciplines, thereby advancing not just the Centre’s own academic mission but also contributing to area studies in general. In this way, they play an important role in Centre activities, as well as by contributing also to the methodology training programme and organising research workshops and seminars.

(iv) Language Training

The Centre is developing and deliveringt the syllabus, modes of delivery and materials for advanced skills in languages for research. This is being developed through:

• extension of the teaching provision in all languages covered by the Centre in a programme of up to 2 years of language training according to needs
• close collaboration of the Centre with the SOAS-UCL Centre of Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL)  Languages of the Wider World
• delivery and dissemination of projects in syllabus design, use of VLE, and materials production commissioned through the CEELBAS Network

The Centre is devoting additional HEFCE funding to devise progression pathways in its postgraduate language training.

(v) Networking Activities

The Centre is furthering its objectives through the work of the CEELBAS Research Network (comprising all the CEELBAS universities: UCL, Oxford, Birmingham, together with the Universities of Bath, Cambridge, Kent, Manchester, Sheffield, Warwick and the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London), and through involvement of international affiliate partners. It will hold:

• two major international conferences, one during the first year to set agendas, one in the fifth year to disseminate outcomes
• regular thematic and/or (inter-)disciplinary workshops and conferences including participation by international scholars and non-area specialists to take forward the research agenda
• a coordinated approach to area methods training/research agenda development
• dissemination (e.g. through workshps, conferences and partnerships) aimed at targeted constituencies of the broader audience (Whitehall, business, NGOs, HE)
• language workshops and projects (aimed to promote development and sharing of best practice and innovation in teaching methods)

(vi) User Community engagement and Mid-career Training

The Centre aims to provide mid-career training for those who need to acquire field skills to complement those they hold.

The Centre is strengthening its extensive links with the academic and non-academic user communities through:

• academic seminars and workshops
• jointly organised public policy and knowledge exchange events
• student participation in user initiatives
• briefings and consultations
• the presence of national and international users on the Centre’s Advisory Committee.
• Expertise Database

(vii) Expertise Database

A searchable database has been set-up and will be maintained by CEELBAS as a free resource for those wishing to locate an expert on Central and Eastern Europe and Russia, for collaborative and/or consultative purposes. It contains details of experts from the CEELBAS Research Network and will, over time, also include the details of newly trained CEELBAS scholars (Postdoctoral, Doctoral, Master scholars) as well as the Centre’s affiliate international scholars. The database enables users to produce a list of experts according to search criteria (research interests, country, language). The detailed profiles of selected experts can then be viewed and e-mail contact established through a convenient link.

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