A Personal Note from Razmik Panossian, the Director of the Armenian Communities Department of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation

PRESS RELEASE:
Armenian Communities Department of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Avenida de: 
Berna 45-A, 1067-001 Lisboa, Portugal
Contact: Vera Cunha
Telephone: (351) 21 782 3658
Web: gulbenkian.pt:
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Ten years of activity
 
Summary report of the Armenian Communities Department of the Galust Kulpenkean Foundation 
by director Razmik Panosian 
 
In February 2023, the arrival of the Armenian Kulpenkean Foundation was completed. 
Ten years since taking the helm of the Department of Communities. This occasion, everyday 
next to my work, it gave me the opportunity to look back at the past and 
to think about the future.
 
The year 2023 coincides with the content of the Foundation's new strategic plan 
at the start. In May 2022, Professor Antonio Feijo took over the Foundation 
presidency and immediately embarked on strategic processing and programming 
to the process. After months of consultations and preparations, 
in which the Armenian Department fully participated, in December 
The strategic plan for the period 2023-27 was adopted by the Board of Trustees 
the program. "Stability" and "balance" emerged as two main ones 
principles to become the core of the Foundation's activity.
 
2023 is a transition year for the Department of Armenian Communities 
sums up the previous five-year plan and initiates a new one. Our mission 
reworked naturalist: "To strengthen the language, culture and education of the Armenians in the Diaspora 
in, and to promote scientific research and investigative thought in Armenia". Noted 
there is both continuity and change in the statement. We will continue 
stay focused on language, culture and education, especially Western Armenian 
while introducing new elements that Armenia currently needs, 
such as scientific research, generally better policies 
with a tendency to develop, and development of examination thinking, more than national issues 
to bring good solutions. 
     
The new pillars of the department's activity will reflect the Armenian world 
both: Armenia and Diaspora. Fully appreciating both parts of the nation 
the interrelationship between them, our approach remains diaspora-centered. This 
is based not only on demographic facts, according to which the Armenian people 
two-thirds will live outside of Armenia, but it is also a deeper indicator 
a philosophical perspective. Diaspora is an inseparable part of the nation and Armenian identity. 
and he must grow and develop, and he must stand strong for him.   
  
The new five-year plan will focus on two main issues: to ensure 
the stability of Western Armenian and culture in the Diaspora, and to strengthen Armenia 
scientific based on the examination assignment regarding the existing problems 
researches. In particular, our activity will be focused from now on 
on the following four pillars:
1. To guarantee the vitality of Western Armenian by sponsoring the language 
from acquisition and teacher development programs to language reinforcement 
philological initiatives.
2. Cultural creative support, where emphasis is placed on 
on the transformative role of Western Armenian and the arts in societies and 
in the lives of individuals.
3. Research support and translations that promote 
investigative thinking in the field of social/social sciences and 
are the actual basis for policy development, especially in Armenia 
in 
4. University scholarships with a special focus on Armenian studies 
and modern issues, as well as Armenian progress in developing countries 
on the candidates.
"Stability" and "balance" relate to all four of us 
to the main columns. Unlike our previous strategic plan, 2023-27 
We should not be guided by geography in our approaches to the year 
divisions, but we will focus on pan-Armenian issues, reflecting on them 
of the interconnectedness of Armenian communities around the world.
 
We will soon share the details of our new strategic plan 
on the updated website and through social networks, as well as Diaspora and 
During a series of events planned in Armenia. Current: 
We will complete the programs supported by us since 2014 
and lists of scholarships provided. for the sake of transparency, all of these will 
to be posted on our website. You will also find our last ten years there 
comprehensive performance reporting.
 
Up to this point, my writing referred to the future. As I mentioned, the milestone is ten years 
it will also provide an opportunity to make a retrospective evaluation. to me 
It is often asked what the Department's greatest achievements are. 
Since joining the Kulpenkean Foundation. The request is complex. In short, I would like to 
mention three clear and clear directions that the Department is heading, or which 
significantly contributed to the development. 
 
First, we put Western Armenian "on the map". Although many people speak the language 
about the dangers faced, we have really put significant resources into it 
to make it viable, sponsoring pedagogical tools, teachers 
development programs, spellers, literature expansion, school 
aids, publications, cultural programs, adult language 
courses etc. All this aggressively strengthened the language and him 
has brought forth new enthusiasm, especially among young people. 
Western Armenian is an "endangered" language, not a dead language. The current generation 
opportunity has the process to turn around and we are happy to be in this movement 
one of the leaders.
 
Second, through our research and translation grants, we are pivotal 
we have a role in the "modernization" of Armenology, on the one hand, it is more modern 
sponsoring material researches, on the other hand, new thinking and 
bringing approaches to Armenia, social science/social science important 
through translations of materials. Much more is expected in this field, and 
therefore, our clear focus will be on the next five years 
on the above two directions. Armenian Diaspora Survey, Armenia 
in current issues, as well as Armenian-Turkish relations and in a broader sense 
scholarships provided for Armenian studies and 
research grants, as well as a series of translations 
Sponsorships are vivid examples of this activity.
 
Thirdly, I can't help but mention our university scholarship program 
has supported thousands of students from all over the world. This one is definitely a reason to be proud 
is Many of the current new talents in the field of Armenology are from the past 
received scholarships provided by Külpenkean. Every year 8-15 
we provide master's, doctoral and postdoctoral scholarships only 
students of the field of Armenian studies (outside of Armenia), along with many others 
scholarships. We also allocate benefits to researchers in scientific fields 
Armenian students pursuing different professions, including the conference 
travel grants for young researchers based in Armenia.
 
I am sure that the Department of Armenian Communities in the last ten years 
has played a transformative role in these three areas. Next five 
The four pillars of our program will be guided by the above 
directions, always keeping in mind the environment in which we operate, and 
focusing on the challenges faced by the Diaspora and Armenia. Resilience (especially during crises) of beneficiary organizations 
is the key to success. We showed flexibility to the epidemic and the 44-day period 
during the war, providing humanitarian aid or fundamentally 
changing our projects while not deviating from our work path.
 
And at the internal level, last year we reworked our website completely 
turning it into a bilingual page, English and Western Armenian. Even "cookies". 
politics" is in Armenian. We increased our manpower by appointing a new Assistant 
Director: Shogher Markosian. We launched our department's own on Facebook 
page to engage directly in social networks. Please follow us 
to the page.
 
In the coming months, while we begin to implement the new five-year plan, at most 
My challenge will be to ensure the continuity of the program and at the same time 
the change process. Change implies finding a new balance 
between old and new beneficiaries. It will be difficult for some programs 
stop the assistance, especially after years of cooperation. However 
we are ready to face new challenges, develop new projects, and 
to develop new partnerships. Coming to the current initiatives, it is necessary to always keep the following in mind 
the question: "Where is the positive impact on this project?" In this survey 
we should always be able to give the answer to the Board of Trustees of the Foundation, and 
more to our community. We will accept that showing a positive influence, as 
a tangible indicator is difficult, especially when the material deals with language, culture and 
education. It is necessary to work in that direction, cooperating with the rest of the Foundation 
with colleagues working in the supporting departments. We are excited for the next five years. We will continue to sponsor 
programs, develop new projects, learn from challenges and continue our 
the procession Our great generation after the Genocide has always served as an example for me 
life, culture, language and created vibrant communities in the Diaspora. Advent 
Kulpenkean personally had his own role in the 1920s and 1930s. 
in the process of reconstruction. We can do the same. in fact, this is ours 
the philosophy of the Advent Kulpenkean Foundation of the Armenian Communities 
Inside the department.
 
Razmik Panosyan
 
For more information, please visit 
  page, subscribe to the Department's newsletter and follow us on Facebook 
page: 
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A 10 Year Milestone
 
A Personal Note from Razmik Panossian, the Director of the Armenian Communities 
Department of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
 
February 2023 marked the 10th anniversary of my arrival at the Calouste 
Gulbenkian Foundation to head the Armenian Communities Department. It's been an 
incredible decade at the helm of one of the most important funding entities in: 
the Armenian world. It is also an opportunity to take a step back from my daily life 
routine, to reflect on the past and to think about the future. 2023 coincides with the start of a new strategic plan for the entire Foundation. In May 2022, Professor António Feijó assumed the Presidency of the Foundation, 
and soon after embarked on a process of strategic redevelopment and planning. After months of consultations and preparation, in which the Armenian Department 
participated fully, the 2023-27 Strategic Plan was adopted by the Board of 
Trustees in December. “Sustainability” and “Equity” emerged as the two core 
principles around which Foundation activities will pivot. It will be a year of transition for the Armenian Communities Department. We will 
wrap up the previous Five-Year Plan, and embark on the new one. Our revised 
mission statement is “To Strengthen Armenian language, culture and education in 
the Diaspora, and foster research and critical thinking in Armenia.” There is 
both continuity and change in this statement. We remain focussed on language, 
culture and education, especially Western Armenian, while we bring in new 
elements that are crucial for Armenians currently: sound research for better 
policy development, and critical thinking to better engage with national 
problems. The programming of the Department reflects the duality of the Armenian world: 
Diaspora and Armenia. While we fully appreciate the interconnections between the 
two parts of the nation, we do, nonetheless, remain diaspora-centric in our 
approach. This is not only based on demographic facts – two-thirds of Armenians 
live outside of Armenia – but reflects a deeper philosophical perspective that 
the Diaspora is an inherent part of the nation, and that it must be nourished 
and supported in its own right. It is not a mere appendix to Armenia or just a 
source of resources for state building, rather the Diaspora is in itself a 
unique identity to be cherished. The new Five-Year Plan addresses two fundamental problems: the sustainability of 
Western Armenian language and culture in Diaspora, and the lack of good research 
on current issues, based on critical engagement, in Armenia. More specifically, 
our programming henceforth will be based on the following four pillars:
1. Ensuring the vitality of Western Armenian, from language acquisition and 
teacher development programmes to IT-based initiatives that reinforce the 
language. 2. Cultural creativity support, whereby the emphasis is both on Western 
Armenian and on the transformative role of the arts in society and in the lives 
of individuals. 3. Research support and translations which augment critical thinking in the 
social sciences and provide factual basis for policy development, particularly 
in Armenia. 4. University scholarships, with a particular focus on Armenian Studies and 
contemporary issues, as well as on Armenian undergraduate students in developing 
countries. Sustainability and equity are woven into all four priority areas. Unlike our 
previous strategic plan, the 2023-27 plan is thematically driven without making 
hard geographic distinctions between countries, reflecting the interconnected 
nature of Armenian communities worldwide. We will soon be communicating the details of our new strategic plan through our 
updated website, social media and a series of in-person events in the Diaspora 
and in Armenia. We are currently finalising the lists of projects we have 
supported since 2014 and the scholarships we have given. These will be posted on 
our website, in line with our policy of transparency. A detailed report of our 
activities during the last 10 years will also be made available. I have looked ahead so far. As I mentioned, the 10-year milestone is also an 
opportunity to reflect back. I am often asked what I consider to be our greatest 
achievements since I joined the Gulbenkian Foundation. This is a difficult 
question. Short of listing specific initiatives, I would mention three broad 
tendencies that I believe the Armenian Communities Department has led, or 
significantly contributed to. First, we have put Western Armenian “on the map.” While many speak of the 
dangers facing the language, we have actually put considerable resources into 
its revitalisation: pedagogic tools, teacher development, spellcheckers, 
digitisation of literature, school aid, publications, culture support, 
children’s programmes (in person and online), adult language courses, and so 
forth. All these, cumulatively, have reinforced the language, and created a 
newfound excitement about it, particularly among younger people. Western 
Armenian is an “endangered” language, it is not a dead language. This generation 
has the means to reverse the process, and we are pleased to be one of the 
leaders of the revitalisation movement. Second, through our research and translation related grants, we have played a 
key role in “modernising” Armenian studies to cover more contemporary subjects 
on the one hand, and on the other, brought new thinking and approaches to 
Armenia through the translation of important social science texts. Much more 
needs to be done in this domain, and hence our explicit focus on these two 
aspects during the next five years. The Armenian Diaspora Survey, current issues 
in Armenia, as well as research grants on Armenian-Turkish relations, are prime 
examples of the former, while our translations series is an example of the 
latter. Third, I cannot fail to mention our university scholarship programme which has 
benefitted thousands of students around the world. It certainly is something to 
be proud of. Many of the new talent currently in the field of Armenian Studies 
have been recipients of Gulbenkian scholarships at one point. We grant 8-15 
Masters, PhD and post-doc scholarships every year just in the field of Armenian 
Studies (outside of Armenia), not to mention scores of other scholarships to 
researchers and Armenian students in other fields of study, including a 
conference and travel grants to young researchers in Armenia. I believe the Armenian Communities Department has played a transformative role 
in the last 10 years in these three areas. Our four programming pillars for the 
next five years will certainly build on these trends, always keeping in mind the 
wider socio-political context in which we operate and the many challenges facing 
Armenians both in Diaspora and in Armenia. Flexibility (being agile in the face 
of crises) is the key to successful grant making, which we had to show during 
the pandemic and the 44-day war, switching to humanitarian aid or drastically 
altering projects while remaining focussed on core priority areas. At a more “internal” level, last year we redeveloped our website to a fully 
bilingual site, in English and Western Armenian. Even the “cookies policy” is in 
Armenian! We augmented our human resources by hiring an Assistant Director, 
Shogher Margossian. And we launched our own departmental Facebook page to engage 
directly with social media. Please do follow us! My biggest challenge during the upcoming months is going to be managing 
continuity and change simultaneously, as we start implementing the new Five-Year 
Plan. Change entails letting go of some long-standing partners. It is difficult 
to say “no” after years of fruitful collaboration. But new challenges have to be 
taken on, new projects developed, and new partnerships established and nourished. Likewise, with continuing initiatives, we must always ask the “impact question,” 
and show our Board of Trustees, and indeed the broader public, that our 
initiatives are having real impact in the Armenian world. We acknowledge that 
showing impact is difficult, especially when it comes to language, culture and 
education. We would have to work on this, in collaboration with our colleagues 
at the Foundation who are in other grant making units. We are excited about the next five years. We will continue funding projects, 
develop new programmes, learn from the challenges we have faced, and plough 
ahead. I always give the example of my grandparents’ generation. They built 
their lives, their communities, their culture and their language in the Diaspora 
after the Genocide. Mr. Gulbenkian himself played a role in this rebuilding 
process in the 1920s and 1930s. We can do the same. That, in a nutshell, is our 
philosophy at the Armenian Communities Department of the Calouste Gulbenkian 
Foundation. Razmik Panossian
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