"I can clearly attest that [the NCEEER] grants have played a bigger role than any other funding I have received in enabling me to realize my ever widening range of goals. They transformed my research..., provided the foundation for almost all of my work on relations between Russia and the states of Northeast Asia, and gave me the confidence to approach the region from a broad perspective... I can confidently affirm that the NCEEER grants to me have made a meaningful difference in the state of knowledge and guidance to policy makers on each of these topics."
--NCEEER grantee
NCEEER was created in 1978 to develop and sustain long-term, high-quality programs for post-doctoral research on the social, political, economic, environmental, and historical development of Eurasia and Central and Eastern Europe. From broad, cross-cultural analyses to more focused studies of particular problems, NCEEER supports research projects that facilitate a mutually beneficial exchange of information between scholars and policy-makers and contribute to a better understanding of current developments and future prospects in the post-communist countries of Europe and Eurasia.
Among national research organizations, NCEEER is the largest provider of resources to U.S. scholars for postdoctoral research in the region. Its support for research on this area has produced direct benefits for U.S. policymakers, the academic community, nonprofit organizations and American business. From broad, cross-cultural analyses to more focused studies of particular problems, NCEEER supports research projects that facilitate a mutually beneficial exchange of information between scholars and policy-makers and that produce readable analysis, reliable information, and lively debate about current economic, political, and international issues.
NCEEER's programs provide insight and a clearer understanding of current trends in this region for U.S. government representatives, while promoting academic growth and opportunity. With these ends in mind, NCEEER encourages projects that involve participation by graduate students; facilitate interaction between the public and private sectors; develop data banks and research aids that can be of use to other scholars or researchers; and advance the exchange of ideas in academic, governmental and public fora. Applicants to NCEEER programs must demonstrate, directly or indirectly, how their research impacts upon current policy debates and research on such issues.
NCEEER is also committed to making the results of the research that it supports accessible to both the U.S. government and the general public. NCEEER publishes a series of working papers, which are distributed to government agencies and which are now available to individuals, upon request. These papers are also collected in NCEEER's Toumanoff Library, which is available to the public.
In addition, NCEEER has editorial responsibility for Problems of Post-Communism. This editorship strengthens and deepens NCEEER's commitment to the support and publication of high-quality, peer-review research for both scholarly and policy-making purposes.
NCEEER has recently established the Edward L. Keenan NCEEER Endowment. The income generated by the Endowment will help NCEEER to maintain its support for high-quality scholarship in the context of rapidly changing conditions.
NCEEER offers American scholars access to field offices in almost every country of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. NCEEER's staff and Board of Directors are committed to doing all that they can to ensure that, notwithstanding the rapid changes taking place in this region, American scholars will continue to be able to generate the knowledge and ideas that can be the basis of a well-informed U.S. policy toward Eurasia and Eastern Europe.