International Network

Partnerships Across 11 Countries

EBF UK’s international connections span Central Europe, Scandinavia, and North America — built over decades of academic exchange, student mobility, and church partnerships.

German-speaking

Countries: Germany, Austria

Strongest ties — German Lutheran theological faculties

Scandinavia

Countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland

Scandinavian Lutheran institutions

North America

Countries: USA

Slovak Zion Synod, American seminaries

Central Europe

Countries: Serbia, Slovenia, Romania, Czech Republic

Student exchange — countries with Lutheran minorities

Church Organizations

Lutheran World Federation (LWF)
Martin Luther Bund (MLB)
Gustav-Adolf-Werk (GAW)
Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD)

Alliances & Research Networks

ENLIGHT

University Alliance — Comenius University is a member of the ENLIGHT European University Alliance

Slovak Zion Synod

church_partnership —

REFORC

Research Network — Research Consortium on the Reformation

RESILIENCE

Research Infrastructure — Religious Studies Infrastructure — ESFRI project

Collaboration Opportunities

We welcome expressions of interest from researchers and institutions looking to collaborate with EBF UK. Priority areas for partnership include:

Reformation studies — particularly in the Central European context
Syriac Christianity and the Christian East — a distinctive strength of the faculty
Ethics of AI and emerging technologies — interdisciplinary work bridging theology and technology
Religious heritage and cultural memory — digital humanities approaches
Public theology — theology’s engagement with society in post-communist Central Europe

If you’re interested in building a consortium for a European or international call, or simply exploring shared research interests, please get in touch.

Academic Research Networks

The networks below are those in which EBF UK already participates, or those most relevant to the faculty’s research portfolio.

REFORC — Research Consortium on the Reformation The main European network for Reformation studies, convening annual conferences and supporting early-career researchers. EBF UK engages through the Reformation-history work of the Church History department. reforc.com
RESILIENCE — Religious Studies Infrastructure (ESFRI) A distributed research infrastructure on the ESFRI Roadmap, building shared digital tools, collections, and training for the study of religion. Relevant to the faculty’s Philosophy and Religious Studies department and to any proposal involving religious heritage or digital humanities. resilience-ri.eu
ENLIGHT — European University Alliance A nine-member university alliance of which Comenius University is a full member. Offers funded staff and student mobility, joint teaching, and seed funding for transdisciplinary research across the alliance. EBF UK researchers are eligible for ENLIGHT calls via Comenius University. enlight-eu.org
EARMA — European Association of Research Managers and Administrators The professional body for research managers across Europe. Primary channel for professional development of the Research Office itself (training, conferences, peer networks) rather than direct research partnership. earma.org

Church and Denominational Organizations

Long-standing partners of the faculty through ECAV and the wider Lutheran and ecumenical networks.

Lutheran World Federation (LWF / SLZ) The global communion of Lutheran churches. Supports theological formation, diakonia, and public theology in over 100 countries. EBF UK engages through ECAV’s LWF membership and occasional LWF-funded theological programmes. lutheranworld.org
Martin Luther Bund (MLB) German Lutheran partnership organisation supporting Lutheran diaspora churches in Central and Eastern Europe. A historic funder of theological education at EBF UK and a practical partner for scholarships and project cooperation. martin-luther-bund.de
Gustav-Adolf-Werk (GAW) Diakonia and solidarity work of the Evangelical Church in Germany supporting Protestant minority churches. Funds tangible projects (building, teaching, publications) in partner churches including ECAV. gustav-adolf-werk.de
Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) Umbrella body of German Protestant regional churches (Landeskirchen). Relevant for project partnerships with German faculties of theology and for EKD-administered scholarship schemes. ekd.de
Slovak Zion Synod (ELCA) The Slovak-heritage synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. A long-standing partner of ECAV and EBF UK in transatlantic Lutheran exchange, with periodic visiting fellowships and joint programmes. slovakzionsynod.org

National Agencies and Support Structures

Slovak institutions that support research funding, mobility, and scientific information.

SAIA — Slovak Academic Information Agency National agency administering mobility programmes (National Scholarship Programme, Fulbright, DAAD, Aktion, CEEPUS) and advising on international education and research. First stop for individual researcher mobility from or to EBF UK. saia.sk
NCP Horizon SK — National Contact Point for Horizon Europe National network of contact points based at SAV, offering free consultations on Horizon Europe calls, proposal preparation, and consortium building. Essential interlocutor for any EBF UK Horizon Europe application. eraportal.sav.sk
CVTI SR — Slovak Centre of Scientific and Technical Information National library and information centre for science and technology; operator of key research-support services including access to subscription databases, open-access repositories, and bibliometric tools. Relevant for literature access and for open-science compliance. cvtisr.sk