Facts and Figures

CAS in Facts and Figures

Since its establishment in 2000, CAS has implemented 38 international interdisciplinary research projects, supported 427 Fellows from over 37 countries and 75 universities across the world. Next to its primary website, the Centre maintains 4 academic online portals.

The overall funding secured by the Centre since 2009 is 4 829 716 Еuro, the largest part of it from renowned European and American scholarly foundations and institutions. 3 142 842 Euro were allocated to project-related costs (mostly fellowships), and 1 686 874 Euro for building the institutional capacity of CAS.  The ratio between institutional expenses and project-related costs is thus around 1:3.

The Fellows

• Since 2010, the Centre is hosting an average of 18 Fellows per year.
• Of them 47.6% are Bulgarian and 52.4% international scholars.
• The average age of Fellows is 42.

Below is information on the academic career path of CAS Fellows gathered on the basis of their application documents and surveys conducted within three years after the termination of their CAS fellowship and covers Advanced Academia programme in its Bulgarian and International module from 2011 to 2018.

Programmes and Projects

CAS grants fellowships under two kinds of research programmes:

• The Advanced Academia programme for independent fellowships for junior and senior Bulgarian and international in-residence scholars;
• Collaborative international projects on a predefined thematic field;

The Advanced Academia Programme (2009-2024) has been supported throughout the years by the America for Bulgaria Foundation, Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft, Fritz Thyssen Stiftung, Gerda Henkel Stiftung, Porticus Foundation, Volkswagenstiftung, and the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science.

EC funded international projects

• RE-ENGAGE (Re-Engaging with Neighbours in a State of War and Geopolitical Tensions) (2024-2026), funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme (Grant Agreement No. 101132314)
• PREVEX (Preventing Violent Extremism in the Balkans and the MENA: Strengthening Resilience in Enabling Environments) (2020-2023), funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant Agreement No. 870724): 4 researchers (2 senior and 2 junior).
• EUBORDERSCAPES (Bordering, Political Landscapes and Social Arenas: Potentials and Challenges of Evolving Border Concepts in a post-Cold War World) (2012-2016), funded under the 7th Framework Programme (Grant Agreement No. 290775): 8 Researchers (2 senior, 6 junior).
• RAGE (Hate Speech and Populist Othering in Europe: Through the Racism, Age, Gender Looking Glass) (2013-2015), funded by the EC’s Directorate General Justice, under the Scientific Programme “Fundamental Rights and Citizenship” (Grant Agreement No. JUST/2012/FRAC/AG/2861): 6 Researchers (2 senior, 4 junior).
• Negotiating Modernity: History of Modern Political Thought In East Central Europe (2008 – 2013), funded by the European Research Council, Programme “Ideas: ERC Starting Grants Scheme” (Grant Agreement No. 204477): 6 fellows, 18 associate researchers.
• DIOSCURI. Eastern Enlargement – Western Enlargement. Cultural Encounters in the European Economy and Society (2004-2007), funded by the European Community: 10 Fellows (3 senior, 7 junior).

Other international projects

• Summer Institute for the Study of East Central and Southeastern Europe (2023-2025), funded by a private donation from Carl and Betty Pforzheimer
• The Construction of Knowledge in Archaeology and Art History in Southeastern Europe (2019-2023), funded by the Getty Foundation under the Connecting Art Histories Initiative: 59 associated scholars.
• Challenges Facing the Future of Social Sciences and Humanities (2019-2022), funded by the Centre for Culture and Governance in Europe, University of St. Gallen: 12 researchers.
• Lost in Transition: Social Sciences, Scenarios of Transformation, and Cognitive Dissonances in East Central Europe after 1989 (2019-2022), funded by the Porticus Foundation: 19 fellows.
• How to Teach Europe in the 21st Century (2017-2019), funded by Porticus Foundation and Robert Bosch Foundation: 6 fellows
• Does Monastic Economy Matter? Religious Patterns of Economic Behavior. A Research Network (2016-2019), funded by the Center for Governance and Culture in Europe (GCE) at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences in the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland: 37 associated scholars
• European Regions and Boundaries: A Conceptual History (2012-2013), funded by the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft: 19 senior researchers
• Regimes of Historicity and Discourses of Modernity and Identity, 1900-1945, in East-Central, Southeastern and Northern Europe (2008-2010), funded by the Volkswagen Foundation, Germany, the Fritz Thyssen Foundation, Germany and the Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation, Sweden: 19 Fellows (4 senior, 15 junior)
• Shaken Order: Authority and Social Trust in Post-Communist Societies (2007-2009), funded by the Trust for Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe and Rule of Law Program South East Europe of Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Germany: 13 Fellows (1 senior, 12 junior)
• Modernity and Identity Programme (2008-2010), funded by the Bulgarian National Science Fund: 6 junior Fellows
• SCOPES: Institutionalization of Scientific Networks and Scholarly Activities for the Promotion of Cross-Cultural and Inter-Disciplinary Approaches on Nationalism in the Europe of Small Nations (2006-2009), in collaboration with the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation: 4 junior Fellows
• “We, The People”. Visions of National Peculiarity and Political Modernities in the ‘Europe of Small Nations’ (2004 – 2005), funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe), Germany, Stiftelsen Riksbankens Jubileumsfond, Sweden and VolkswagenStiftung, Germany: 11 Fellows (3 senior, 8 junior)
• “Roles, Identities and Hybrids”: Multiple Institutional Cultures in Southeast Europe within the Context of European Unification (2003-2006), funded by Volkswagen Stiftung, Germany: 28 Fellows (4 senior, 24 junior)
• Visual Seminar (2003-2005), funded by the Federal Cultural Foundation, Germany: Fellows 9 (1 senior, 8 junior)
• “After the Accession”… The Socio-Economic Culture of Eastern Europe in the Enlarged Union: an Asset or a Liability? (2002-2003), in collaboration with the IWM, Vienna, funded by the Austrian Ministry for Foreign Affairs: 10 Fellows (2 senior, 8 junior)
• The Sofia Academic NEXUS Project: “How to think about the Balkans: Culture, Region, Identities” (2000-2003), funded by the Volkswagen Foundation, the European Cultural Foundation and the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study:28 Fellows (6 senior, 22 junior)
• “Regional Identity Discourses in Central and Southeast Europe (1775-1945)” (2001-2003), funded by the Prince Bernhard Cultural Foundation, the Netherlands: 7 core-group junior Fellows

Major publications resulting from research projects

• Monastic Economy Across Time: Wealth Management, Patterns, and Trends (Sofia: Riva Publ., 2021)
• A History of Modern Political Thought in East Central Europe. Volumes I-II: Negotiating Modernity in the ‘Long Nineteenth Century’ (Oxford Univesity Press, 2016-2018)
• European Regions and Boundaries. A Conceptual History (Berghahn Publ., 2017)
• “East”-“West Cultural Encounters. Enterpreneurship, Governance, Economic Knowledge (Sofia: “East-West” Publ., 2004)
• Discourses of Collective Identity in Central and Eastern Europe (1770 – 1945) Vol. I: Late Enlightenment – Emergence of the Modern ‘National Idea’ (2006); Vol. II: National Romanticism – The Formation of National Movements (2007); Vol.III/1: Modernism – The Creation of Nation-States, Vol.III/2: Modernism – Representations of National Culture (2010); Vol. IV: Anti-Modernism – Radical Revisions of Collective Identity (2014) (Budapest-New York: CEU Press).
• We, the People. Politics of National Peculiarity in Southeastern Europe (Budapest-New York: CEU Press, 2009).
• “Rules” and “Roles”. Fluid Institutions and Hybrid Identities in East European Transformation Processes (1989-2005) (Berlin: Lit Verlag, 2009)
• The Shifting Balkans: Researches of the NEXUS Project (2000-2003) (Sofia: Prosveta, 2009, in Bulgarian)
• “Regimes of Historicity” in Southeastern and Northern Europe, 1890-1945. Discourses of Identity and Temporality (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014)
• European Regions and Boundaries: A Conceptual History (Berghahn Books, 2017)
• A History of Modern Political Thought in East Central Europe. Vol I: Negotiating Modernity in the ‘Long Nineteenth Century’ (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016); Vol II: Negotiating Modernity in the ‘Short Twentieth Century’ and Beyond, Part I: 1918-1968, Part II: 1968-2018 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018)

Another 13 volumes, published in Bulgarian under the book series title “CAS Research Forums” have resulted from the CAS Discussion Series.

Other academic activities:

• CAS organizes on a regular basis international workshops, conferences and guest-lectures
• The CAS Discussion Series are monthly seminars on a given topic bringing together former and present Bulgarian CAS Fellows and a broader circle of local academics
• The Advanced Academia Public Lecture Series, taking place each year in March and April, presents the work of the CAS Fellows to a broader public

CAS Electronic Resources, Research Information Databases, and Library

• In addition to the publications mentioned above, CAS provides for the electronic publication of its Fellows’ research results in the CAS Working Paper Series publishable at the Centre’s webpage and the Central European Online Library (www.ceeol.com)

• The Centre maintains four portals for doctoral and post-doctoral students and academics in Bulgaria and the Bulgarian academic diaspora aimed at providing them with virtual access to specialized information, participation in newsgroups, publications and information exchange.

• “How to Teach Europe?” – http://research-to-teach.eu
• CAS Academic Gateway – http://gate.cas.bg
• PhD Student Database – http://phdgate.net
• Bulgarian Communism: Critical Readings – http://red.cas.bg

• The Library of the Centre for Advanced Study Sofia is developing collections of printed and electronic resources in the Humanities and Social Sciences. It is an open-stack, lending facility providing library and reference services based on traditional and electronic information sources. Made up primarily by book orders of the Centre’s Fellows, it holds ca. 1900 volumes, many of them are unavailable in the other national libraries. The library is open to the general reading public.

CAS International Media Visibility

Through the annual CAS Newsletter, presenting its main events and the research projects of its Fellows, the Centre reaches out to more than a 500 strong domestic and international audience. Articles featuring the role and activities of CAS as well as interviews with its Director had been published in a number of prestigious local and international media, among the Neue Zuricher Zeitung, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Public Republic, etc. CAS can also be found on Facebook.