International Visegrad Fund
The International Visegrad Fund (IVF) is based on the statute signed by the Prime Ministers of the V4 countries in 2000 and is the only institutionalized form of Visegrad cooperation. It is recognized as an international organization with its secretariat in Bratislava, Slovakia. The Fund’s operations are managed by the Executive Director, who serves a three-years term (order of rotation CZ, SK, PL, HU), as well as by the Deputy Executive Director (order of rotation PL, HU, CZ, SK). The IVF member states are responsible for the supervision of the Fund’s activities and hold rotating, one-year presidencies, (separate from the Visegrad Group presidencies). Slovakia holds the IVF presidency from 1 January to 31 December 2017. The IVF Conference of Ministers and the Council of Ambassadors (composed of the ambassadors of the Visegrad countries accredited to the state which currently holds the IVF presidency) are the principal statutory bodies of the Fund. In the IVF Secretariat there is also a special position devoted to public relations.
Main tasks of the IVF include building the common identity of Visegrad nations and intensifying contacts between V4 societies, as well as enhancing cooperation in the fields of culture, science, education, art, tourism and youth. The IVF provides grant programmes, mobility/scholarship programmes, university grants, and various types of artistic residency programmes.
Purpose
The purpose of the fund is to facilitate and promote the development of closer cooperation among citizens and institutions in the region as well as between the V4 region and other countries, especially in the Western Balkan and Eastern Partnership regions. The fund operates several grant programs, and also awards individual scholarships, fellowships and artist residencies. Grant support is given to original projects namely in the areas of culture, science and research, youth exchanges, crossborder cooperation and tourism promotion, as well as in other priority areas defined in calls for proposals published on the fund’s website.
For further information on the International Visegrad Fund please visit the IVF’s official website: