For long South Eastern European students and researchers have lacked information on available scholarships, grants and exchange programs in the European Union. This hinders the movement of academic workers between South Eastern European Countries and the EU. A dedicated online database
facilitates the flow of information. Working Table I of the Stability Pact gave special attention to the intensification of knowledge circulation between SEE countries and the European Union.
Background research conducted within the Working Table identified two main obstacles for movement of researchers, students and other academic workers: firstly, a restrictive visa regime of the Schengen countries towards most of the SEE countries, and secondly, a lack of information within the Balkans about available scholarships, grants and exchange programmes in the European Union.

To overcome those obstacles, the Stability Pact, supported by numerous civil society organisations in the Balkans, tried to raise awareness within the EU about the social cost of the restrictive visa regimes in the Balkans. The Stability Pact also decided to strongly support the dissemination of information about the available research and study opportunities for SEE students. The Database on Scholarship and Grant Opportunities for SEE and the scholarship and grant promotion conferences held in the region presented a tool for reaching this objective. Nevertheless, the accessibility of information about exchange programmes and scholarship opportunities remains essentially reserved to restricted elite networks within the SEE states. The motivation of the Stability Pact with regards to this project is best summed up in the words of Marijana Grandits, Director of the Working Table I of the Stability Pact, “The opportunity to be informed about scholarships and grants should not be a privilege of the few, everyone should be able to have the benefit to study in a wider European educational space.” In this way, the Database on Scholarship and Grant Opportunities for SEE was launched at the beginning of 2007.
Initially, the database was sought as a web portal, covering the field of social sciences. However, soon the scope of available information was extended to all areas of study. The database provided constantly updated information about more than 200 institutions offering scholarships and grants available to the citizens of the SEE region. Furthermore, the Stability Pact in this matter co-operated with DG Research and its European Researcher's Mobility Portal, as well as the European Network of Mobility Centres, in mutually advertising and promoting mobility of researchers in a wider European area.
Bearing in mind the transformation of the Stability Pact into the RCC (see previous articles) and the overall tendency of establishing regional ownership over the Stability Pact initiatives, the Database on Scholarship and Grant Opportunities for South Eastern Europe is also moving into ‘regional hands’. Henceforth, in the aftermath of the Meeting of the Working Table I in December 2007, at the beginning of 2008, it was decided to hand over the database to the Information Office of the Steering Platform on Research for the Western Balkan Countries. Future improvement and expansion of the Database content will depend on the donor support which is currently being sought.
For further information, visit http://www.wbc-inco.net/sdb/list

Author Srdjan Cvijic http://www.wbc-inco.net/users/1152.html
Stability Pact http://www.wbc-inco.net/org/433.html

The views expressed by the author are not necessarily those of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe.