- Mission [1]
- The purpose of the committee is to make funding and policy recommendations to the Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence
and Research, which sustains a balanced program of research and training in the U.S. on the countries of Eastern Europe and
the independent states of the former Soviet Union. In 2011, the committee met this goal by reviewing 19 grant applications
submitted under the FY 2011 Request for Grant Proposal (RFGP) for the Program for Study of Eastern Europe and the Independent
States of the Former Soviet Union (Title VIII). After careful review and public deliberation, the committee recommended to
the Deputy Secretary of State that eight (9) national organizations and universities in the Russian, Eurasian and East and
Central European fields receive grants for advanced graduate and language training and postdoctoral research on the countries
of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. In August 2011, the Assistant Secretary accepted those recommendations without
revision. Active Title VIII grants are currently supporting over 1,000 graduate students and scholars throughout the U.S.,
expanding the body of knowledge about those countries and strengthening the pool of expertise available for service to the
USG. The advisory committee's recommendations enable the U.S. to have a direct impact on and first-hand knowledge of the processes
of political, economic, and social change in these countries. As a direct result of Title VIII funding, U.S. scholars are
able to conduct field research and in-country language training. These scholars regularly brief government analysts and policy
makers on their research products and in-country experiences. Since Title VIII scholars frequently travel to the countries
of Eastern Europe and Eurasia, they often cultivate and establish foreign contacts different from those of Embassy officials.
The Departmentof State benefits quickly and directly from this access and the on-the-ground perspectives these scholars offer.
Analytical reports prepared by Title VIII grant recipients are distributed throughout the Department to aid in dealings with
these countries. In FY 2011, Title VIII scholars presented Research Forums held at the State Department on policy-relevant
issues concerning Eurasia and Central and Eastern Europe, and their completed research was disseminated throughout the federal
interagency network.
|
