Applications open for scholarships for Belarusian students from "The Invisible University for Belarus"
"The Invisible University for Belarus" (IUBEL) announces the call for applications for the autumn semester 2026. Belarusian students and recent graduates located in EU countries or countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are invited. Participation in the program is free.
Research scholarships of up to 800 euros per semester are available on a competitive basis for students who wish to undertake a special empirical or theoretical project in addition to their main studies at IUBEL. A brief project description (400-800 words) must be attached to the application.
The main language of instruction is English. Belarusian is used for consultations.
What is "The Invisible University for Belarus"?
"The Invisible University for Belarus" (IUBEL) is a certification program (with ECTS credits) launched in 2026 by the Central European University for undergraduate (BA) and graduate (MA and PhD) students from Belarus residing in the EU and other countries.
IUBEL is a regional branch of the Global Invisible University (GIU), an educational program that supports students and scholars living under conditions of war, authoritarianism, political repression, and displacement.
The program offers Belarusian students an intensive learning experience on topics concerning Eastern and Central Europe, addressing issues relevant to Belarusians from a transnational comparative perspective. The program is not intended to replace or duplicate existing educational opportunities in European universities but to support them, filling gaps that have temporarily arisen due to turbulent events in the region. The program aims to provide Belarusian students with access to educational infrastructure and academic knowledge, and to foster the emergence of a community of Belarusian students and scholars who could positively influence the resilience of Belarusian civil society and the future of Belarus as a whole.
Who can participate in the program?
Belarusians meeting the following criteria are invited to participate:
- support for democratic values and human rights values.
- studying or having recently completed undergraduate, master's, or doctoral (PhD) programs in EU or OECD countries.
- applications are also considered from Belarusians whose higher education was interrupted for objective reasons, provided that the applicant demonstrates a consistent interest in academic activity.
- applications from Belarusians living in countries outside the EU or OECD are considered on an individual basis.
Application Deadline
September 17, 2026, 23:59 (Budapest time).
Course participants will be notified of the results by September 21, 2026. Candidates selected for a research scholarship will be informed by October 9, 2026.
You can apply via the link.
What is the format of the training and what is in the program?
The program is designed in a hybrid format (online learning supplemented by an on-site winter school).
In autumn 2026, The Invisible University for Belarus (IUBEL) offers a foundational interdisciplinary course on Belarus: "Belarus in Question: Reimagining Politics, Society, and Culture in Regional and Global Contexts". Course co-directors: Tatjana Shchyttsova (European Humanities University, Vilnius) and Andrei Kazakevich (Political Sphere Research Institute).
This course will bring together an interdisciplinary team of renowned international and Belarusian scholars, including Anne Applebaum, Nelly Bekus, David Marples, Almira Usmanova, Iryna Ramanava, and others.
In addition, IUBEL students can attend two courses offered by regional branches within the broader "Global Invisible University" (GIU) initiative, which focus on topics related to Ukraine, Georgia, and Southeast Europe.
Each course consists of 12 classes (100 minutes each), corresponding to 4 ECTS credits. Students are expected to choose a minimum of one and a maximum of three courses. Additionally, IUBEL offers several short-term transdisciplinary intensive online seminars.
Classes are held online in English in the afternoon (once a week for each course). Sessions are recorded, so registered students who cannot attend online meetings have the opportunity to watch the recordings later.
Read more about the study program via the link.
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Comments
Не хотелось бы попасть на заметку КГБ и получить проблемы при посещении Беларуси
Мне недавно прислал предупреждение один западный фонд, стипендиатом которого я являлся, что фонд объявлен an 'undesirable organization' in Russia и посоветовали пересмотреть свой профиль бывшего стипендиата и возможно скрыть некоторые данные