Supporting linguistic diversity in Europe – IDUB projects awarded a European grant

25 06 2024

The European Commission has awarded a grant from the Horizon Europe programme for the FOSTERLANG project, which involves researchers from the Faculty of “Artes Liberales” and the Faculty of Modern Languages at the University of Warsaw.

Fostering Linguistic Capital: A Roadmap for Reversing the Diversity Crisis and Activating Societal Benefits in Europe (FOSTERLANG) is an project on the positive transformation of the ways in which minority languages in Europe are protected, used and promoted in the context of the social dynamics linking dominant and minority languages. The project will develop diagnostic tools to identify the current situation of minority languages and the challenges facing their users. An international consortium, in which the University of Warsaw is the leader, has been awarded a grant of three million euros to carry out the tasks. At the moment, the application has been referred for funding, and the project will be formally launched after signing a grant agreement with the European Commission.

The graphic shows a map with the location of the minority communities participating in the project.
Source: FOSTERLANG

Researchers will develop strategies and pilot initiatives related to the protection and improvement of the social and economic situation of minority communities. They will enable minority language users to better use and develop their – currently contested – (multi)linguistic capital, as well as to cooperate in the protection and promotion of linguistic diversity in Europe. The project fits in with the strategic priorities of the European Union and Horizon Europe by fostering social cohesion that takes into account the diversity of linguistic communities and migrants. It will also have the effect of enhancing expert cooperation between academia and local communities and NGOs, and enabling the networking of different groups speaking minority and migrants’ languages in Europe.

This FOSTERLANG project is the result and development of research conducted under Activities II.3.2 and II.3.7 of the IDUB Programme, and thus an example of cooperation between Activities under POB IV. Among the researchers involved are the staff of the University of Warsaw: Prof. Justyna Olko from the Center for Research and Practice in Cultural Continuity of “Artes Liberales” (project coordinator), Prof. Agnieszka Otwinowska-Kasztelanic from the Multilingualism Research Hub at the Faculty of Modern Languages, Dr. Joanna Dolińska and Dr. Katarzyna Wojtylak from the Center for Research and Practice in Cultural Continuity at the Faculty of “Artes Liberales”.