?

Erik Davtyan war von Ende November bis Ende Dezember 2021 Gastwissenschaftler am Institut für Politikwissenschaften. Er wurde in dieser Zeit gef?rdert durch ein Stipendium des DAAD-Ostpartnerschaften-Programms.?

Wir führten das Interview auf Englisch.

?

Erik,?you?are?currently?in Jena?for?research?and?funded?through?the?DAAD Eastern Partnership Programme (?Ostpartnerschaften“). Can?you?describe?the?feeling?in?the?moment?when?you?received?the?information?that?you?had?successfully?applied?for?the?scholarship??

It was great as it was the first time I got a grant to concentrate on my research abroad. I have been to other countries before - for conferences or teaching - but not specifically for doing research. It was very nice to hear that I have the chance to come to the Friedrich Schiller University and to concentrate on my research for three weeks. When something happens for the first time you are always going to remember that! I‘m sure, I will remember this moment for a very long time.

Where?did?you?work?on?your?research?before?you?came?to?Jena??Which?is?your?home?university?

I‘m?from Armenia and I‘m an assistant?professor at the Department of 欧洲杯投注地址_明升体育-竞彩足球比分推荐 Relations and Diplomacy at Yerevan?State University. I‘m?based in Yerevan?and I‘m?doing?my?research?there.

I?can?imagine?that?the?process?from?writing?the?letter?of?application?for?the?scholarship?to?your?arrival?in Jena?took?some?time. Can?you?give?anyone?who?is?also?interested?in?this?scholarship?programme?some?advice?on?how?to?best?approach?an?application??What?were?your?personal?milestones?on?your?way?to?Jena?

First of all, you should be informed about all these opportunities. In my case my home university has a well established cooperation with the Friedrich Schiller University. I know lots of colleagues from my faculty who have been here and I always knew that there were opportunities to come here and do research. The second step is to have a research proposal: You should clearly know what to focus on when you are in Jena, because this is a research programme and you should have a clear cut proposal. You should also know whom you want to contact here and who you would like to work with during your stay.The programme also requires that you choose a host professor. He or she will support you with your research project and facilitate the organisation of your stay. I think these are the basic steps that all applicants should consider when planning their application.

Can?you?give?us?an?idea?of?how?long?this?planning?process?took?before?you?applied?

Well, it?depends on the?state?of?your?research?proposal. I had a ready?research?proposal, so it?didn’t?take a long time for?me?to?prepare?one?for?this?application. It’s?basically?about?research?proposals, because?once?it?is?ready,?you?can?proceed?with?the?rest?of?the?paperwork?easily. You?have?to?think?about?your?research?proposal, about?the?ideas?you?are?going?to?research?anddiscuss?them?with?your potential host professor.? So in my?case?it?did not take?long?to?prepare?the?application, and once I had?the positive answer, I just proceeded?with?the?paperwork,?getting?my?visa and so on. The whole?process? took?about?two?or?three?months.

The?goals?of?the?Eastern Partnership Programme?are?intensifying?research,?connecting?international?researchers,?supporting?intercultural?dialogue?and?using?research?to?deal?with?conflicts.?To?what?extent?does?your?research?contribute?to?these?goals??Can?you?sum?up?your?main researh?interests?for?your?stay?in Jena?

My research proposal is about Georgia’s? Russian policy under the Georgian Dream. My research interests focus on the South Caucasus region, including relations between Georgia and Russia. South Caucasus is part of the Eastern Partnership, so three out of six countries in the programme are from this region, and one of these countries is addressed in my research. Coming to Jena through the Eastern Partnership Programme? is a good opportunity to meet people??who work on Eastern Europe, on Eastern Partnership and topics related to these countries. It‘s a great chance to expand your network and meet professors, PhD-students and research fellows in that field. The programme helps you to meet and network with many researchers in your field in a relatively short time. Of course, the pandemic situation makes it very difficult to meet people, but still you can establish contacts, let them know that you are here and can become part of the network .?

What?are?the?best?places?for?you?to?work?on?your?research?in Jena?

Most of?the time I work at the Institute of Political Science on campus. I was given an office?there. The conditions?are?excellent?for?scholars?to?focus on their?research, and it?is?easier?to?communicate?with?people?if?you?want?to?meet?someone?nearby.

Where?do?you?live in Jena and?what?do?you?like?about?living?in Jena?

Jena is? a?small, beautiful?city and very?calm. It?reminds?me?of?my?home?country?which?is?very?mountainous?as?well. The mountains and the?forest?near Jena are?excellent?places?for?hiking and spending some time during?the?weekend. I stay at the?university?guest?house ?Am Herrenberge“. The guest?house?is?located in a very?beautiful?district?which?is?close?to?the?mountains and the forest. Every time I go?to?the?university I discover?very?beautiful?places and buildings. A part?of?the?road?passes?through a mountainous? area, you?can?hear?birds?singing, no?cars, no?traffic?jam. You?feel relaxed when?you?come?to?the?university!

Can?you?describe?your?first?impression?of?Jena?when?you?looked?it?up?on?the?internet?in?the?preparation?of?your?stay??Did?this?impression?change?when?you?arrived?here?

Interesting?question! When I heard?the?name Jena I already?knew?that?it?is?situated?somewhere in the?middle?of Germany. When I googled Jena and I looked at it on the?map I noticed?that?the?city?is?small and long, because?it?is?situated?between?mountains, it‘s a kind?of?valley. That was my?first?impression?when?discovering Jena on the?map.

I woudn‘t?say?that?my?experience?was completely different?from?my?expectations. When I googled Jena, I saw?some?pictures, so I was quite?familiar?with?the?architecture in Jena, I mean?the?streets, the?buildings, the?most?famous?sights. I noticed?that?there?are a lot?of?green?spaces?around?the?city. My?expectations?were?fully met. Everything was just great.

Could?you?imagine?to?stay?in Jena?longer?for?your?research?

Yes, I? would? love to come back again for a longer research stay. I feel very good in Jena, I like the city, the weather, the opportunities the university offers. It is a very good university for foreign researchers to come here to focus on their research and spend some time travelling, exploring cities around and Germany in general. I definitely recommend to others to come to Jena!

Erik,?thank?you?very?much?for?your?time and all?the?best?for?you!

Thank?you?too?for?the?opportunity?to?have?this interview! It was a pleasure?to?share?my?experience?here in Jena. I am very?sad?to?leave Jena, but I hope?to?come back again in the?future.

?

?