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
For further information please visit:
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