The mission of the Eurasia Center
By Eurasia we mean the supercontinent consisting of Europe and Asia, which is geologically a single continent. Despite its political, economic, and cultural heterogeneity, the term Eurasia has been important in geopolitics since its inception. Since the 2000s, the region has become even more important, so that one can speak of the emergence of a Eurasian era, in which economic, political, and military power is increasingly shifting eastward, while the Atlantic region is losing its central importance. At the same time, a new multicentric world order is emerging, in which connectivity and complexity give new meaning to the unity of Europe and Asia, and the 21st century could become the century of Eurasia. In adaptation to the above-mentioned geopolitical changes, the Eurasia Center was established in August 2021 at the John von Neumann University with the support of the National Bank of Hungary, which is to become the Hungarian center for the geopolitical approach to the scientific study of the Eurasian region. The Center’s research will focus on the geopolitical, economic, and social processes of the world’s most populous and rapidly developing region, with particular attention to integration efforts such as China’s Belt and Road Initiative. In addition to conducting research in the field, the center provides a forum for the exchange of scientific results and opinions, contributes to economic and policy-making in the Eurasian region, and participates in international academic life. It brings together experts from different parts of the region, supports interdisciplinary research and promotes the dissemination of knowledge about China, Russia, Central Asia and neighbouring regions, contributing to the development of Central and Eastern Europe as a gateway region. To this end, the Eurasia Center
- Conducts research on various current geopolitical issues on the Eurasian supercontinent;
- Publishes books, its own academic journal (Eurasian Era), and studies;
- organises conferences, workshops and webinars;
- draws attention to current events through easily accessible and accessible articles on its website;
- makes talks with renowned experts in the region available to the public in the form of podcasts;
- Researchers contribute to unbiased public information through regular media coverage;
- produces a weekly News Digest with articles from leading foreign journals on the region;
- participates in international research and research networks (e.g., Fudan University);
- participates, through its researchers, in various educational programmes at John von Neumann University and other higher education institutions;
- supports policy-making through its analyses and assessments.
The Center seeks to collaborate effectively with other institutions, both domestic and international, by hosting visiting researchers, initiating joint research projects, and creating communication platforms. An important goal of the institution is to disseminate the latest results of international and national research to the Hungarian public, to increase the general level of knowledge about the region, and to incorporate this knowledge into political and economic decisions. Through its activities, the Eurasia Center also contributes to the development of relevant disciplines and enriches our knowledge with practical insights, thus promoting the deepening of political, economic and cultural relations between Hungary and the Eurasian region.