about us

Educational Initiative for Central and Eastern Europe

Educational Initiative for Central and Eastern Europe (EICEE) is a non-profit organization with offices in Vienna, Prague, Washington DC and New York.

EICEE’s goal is to foster and strengthen free, just and democratic societies in the nations of Central and Eastern Europe. To this end, EICEE supports the ongoing efforts of the peoples and nations of Central and Eastern Europe to promote liberty and civil society by cooperating with various local educational projects in these regions.

As its name indicates, EICEE’s primary field of activity is education. Each year EICEE grants hundreds of scholarships to highly-qualified students, professionals and academics to participate in events which contribute to their ongoing education and professional competence. These take the form of conferences and seminars, as well as extended courses, at which concepts and principles that have historically proven important to the establishment of free, ethical and just societies are examined. EICEE is also involved in the translation and publication of texts and monographs relevant to its goals which would otherwise not be available in the languages of Central and Eastern Europe.

The work of EICEE is largely carried out by The Neuwaldegg Institute in Vienna and The Civic Institute in Prague, recipient of the Templeton Freedom Award.

The Neuwaldegg Institute

Located in Austria at a traditional meeting point for East and West and housed in the baroque splendor of newly-renovated Castle Neuwaldegg, The Neuwaldegg Institute is EICEE’s primary centre for international conferences and seminars. Here students, academics and professionals gather for intensive discussions of theoretical and practical topics relevant to the development of free, just and ethical societies in Central and Eastern Europe.

The Neuwaldegg Institute’s conferences typically address issues pertaining to politics, ethics, law, history and culture. Questions examined include the role of the state in a free and democratic society, the rights and responsibilities of the individual citizen, the foundations and function of law, the relationships between freedom, morality and economic prosperity, contemporary questions of ethics, as well as regional issues tied to history and culture. Participants at such gatherings come primarily from Central and Eastern Europe, while expert speakers are invited both from across Europe and from further afield. In this way a forum is created for dialogue among the peoples of Central and Eastern Europe and for the strengthening of ties between East and West.