The Historical Archives of the European Union (HAEU) at the European University Institute has selected ten scholars to receive the 2025 Postgraduate Vibeke Sørensen Grant. These grants support postgraduate research projects that draw on the HAEU's archival holdings related to the history of European integration.
The selected scholars for 2025 come from diverse academic backgrounds and institutions across Europe and beyond. Their projects reflect a wide range of historical, political, cultural, and institutional topics, and promise to shed light on numerous aspects of Europe’s past and present.
Dr Andrea Cannizzo, a PhD graduate in Political Science at the University of Messina, was awarded a grant for his project 'A Transatlantic Partnership of Equals: Günter Burghardt'. Andrea’s research analyzes the political thought and diplomatic activity of Günter Burghardt during his time as EU Ambassador to the United States, with a focus on transatlantic relations and Burghardt’s advocacy of a “partnership of equals.”
Marta Colcerasa, a PhD student jointly affiliated with the University of Genoa and Sapienza University of Rome, received a grant for her project 'Il Partito comunista italiano e il “lavoro politico-istituzionale” tra Parlamento italiano e Parlamento europeo (1984-1994)'. Marta investigates how the Italian Communist Party engaged with European institutions during this important decade and explores evolving left-wing perspectives on European integration.
Ilaria Di Benedetto, a PhD student at the University of Bari “Aldo Moro,” was selected for her project 'Italy and Germany: the making of a new Europe. 1982–1992'. Ilaria examines diplomatic, economic, and political relations between Italy and the two Germanies during a transformative decade, culminating in the signing of the Maastricht Treaty and the founding of the European Union.
Iliriana Gjoni, a research analyst at Carnegie Europe, received a grant for her interdisciplinary project 'The Role of Music and Art in Post-War Reconciliation and EU Identity Formation'. Iliriana explores how the EU has used cultural programs to support reconciliation and promote European identity, with a focus on implications for the Western Balkans.
Ethan Gray, an MA candidate in European History and Civilisation at the College of Europe in Natolin and a graduate of Sciences Po, was awarded a grant for his project 'Un engagement chrétien au service de l'Europe'. Ethan traces the political and spiritual journey of Giancarlo Zoli, highlighting the ethical foundations of post-war European federalism.
Dr Tibissaï Guevara-Braun, an educational manager at the Université de Haute-Alsace, was selected for her project 'Socialisations transnationales en contexte de pré-adhésion'. Tibissaï’s research examines the role of the European Parliament in the enlargement process, focusing on practices and networks of transnational parliamentary diplomacy in the pre-accession contexts of the Western Balkans and Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine.
Kenichi Mayer-Odrich, a PhD candidate in International History at the London School of Economics, received a grant for his project 'Made in Europe? British automotive policy, Japanese foreign direct investment, and the European Single Market, 1979–1999'. Kenichi studies how Japanese investment in the automotive industry complicated and reshaped debates on economic integration and national sovereignty within the EU.
Simo Ristolainen, a doctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki, was selected for his project 'European Integration and Enlargement of the European Union/Community in the First Half of the 1990s'. Simo focuses on Finland’s path to EU membership and the broader dynamics of enlargement in the post-Cold War era.
Simon Vanlichtervelde, a recent graduate from the College of Europe (Natolin), was awarded a grant for his project 'European Regional Policy: Evolution of Cross-Border Cooperation Narratives in the European Union (1989–2020)'. Simon explores archival and oral history sources to analyze changing narratives of regional cooperation at European borderlands.
Dr Andrew Woodhouse, an early career researcher and lecturer at the University of Liverpool, received a grant for his project 'The Radical and Social Democratic Roots of EU Environmental Policy'. Andrew examines a formative period in EU environmentalism when radical and social democratic ideas shaped ecological planning and intervention before the rise of neoliberal policy models.
The Vibeke Sørensen Research Grant for visiting scholars was set up in 1993 by the then-President of the European University Institute, Emile Noël, with support from the European Commission. The grant scheme was renamed in 1997 to honour the memory of Dr. Vibeke Sørensen (1952 – 1995), an alumna of the EUI’s Department of History and former staff member of the HAEU. A maximum of ten grants are awarded each year.