Research priorities for the 2023-2030 period are divided into two parts. The first part includes themes and research activities derived from priorities identified in the 2017-2022 strategic plan, which received approval from the Institute’s Scientific Board in 2017. The second part comprises themes that have surfaced from internal discussions, reflecting both current and emerging topics and trends in historical research, as well as significant societal issues. We have also considered the recommendations of the 2022 Accreditation Commission and aligned our priorities with the Horizon Europe Framework Programme for Research and Innovation 2021-2027. Our focus is primarily on the cluster pertaining to Culture, Creativity, and Inclusive Society. The majority of the newly established priorities address areas of significant interest, including democracy, cultural heritage, social and economic transformations, and mobility. Through careful consideration of these factors, we aim to ensure our research not only remains at the forefront of the field but also addresses the pressing questions and challenges of our time with keen insight and relevance.
However, it is crucial to acknowledge that our research priorities also consider the specific needs of Slovak historiographical research. As the largest research institution in the field of history and related historical disciplines, the IH holds a special position within the Slovak academic environment, which also implies certain professional and social expectations. Furthermore, the IH serves as a national centre for architectural research, playing a vital role in researching and documenting modern architectural heritage and urban history in Slovakia. In the field of cultural diplomacy, the IH acts as a strategic partner to the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, actively participating in the international promotion of Slovak history.
International Research Cooperation
The IH has set a strategic goal to enhance scientific collaboration with domestic and foreign institutions, particularly through joint projects (bi- and multilateral, ERC, MSCA, HERA). It will actively participate in the “Impulz” project scheme initiated by the Presidium of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, aimed at strengthening its potential to secure European grants.
For the research priorities of Modern and Postmodern City and History of the Welfare State and Post-war Modernism, the Institute will collaborate with the Institute for Contemporary History of the Czech Academy of Sciences, the Faculty of Architecture of the Czech Technical University, DOCOMOMO International (Documentation and Conservation of Buildings, Sites and Neighbourhoods of the Modern Movement), the Faculty of Architecture and Design of the Slovak University of Technology, The Monuments Board of the Slovak Republic, and various non-profit organizations.
In investigating the process of societal and landscape reconstruction following 20th-century conflicts, the Institute will engage in cooperation with the Institute of Contemporary History, Czech Academy of Sciences, the Department of History at Masaryk University in Brno, historical departments at other Czech universities, as well as academic institutes in Hungary (ELTE), Austria (CEU Vienna, Department of Medieval Studies, Institut für Geschichtswissenschaften und Europäische Ethnologie, Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck), Slovenia (The Institute of Contemporary History, Slovenian Academy of Sciences, Study Centre for National Reconciliation, Slovenian Academy of Sciences) and Poland (Tadeusz Manteuffel Institute of History of the Polish Academy of Sciences). The Institute will also continue its collaboration with the Institute of Military History, history departments of universities in Slovakia.
Furthermore, the Institute will foster cooperation with departments specializing in environmental history and historical geography abroad, such as the Institute of Economic History at the University of Ostrava and the Collegium Carolinum in Munich. It will also seek partnerships with institutes within the Slovak Academy of Sciences, faculties of art and natural sciences at universities, technical colleges, and museums in Slovakia and abroad.
The Institute will maintain its commitment to supporting the participation and engagements of its researchers in transnational academic networks, such as the National Movements & Intermediary Structures in Europe (NISE), European Holocaust Research Infrastructure (EHRI), the Working Group on Post-Socialist and Comparative Memory Studies of the Memory Studies Association (PoSoCoMeS), or Kommission für Geschichte und Kultur der Deutschen in Südosteuropa.