The EU in the volatile Indo-Pacific region

Informations projet

EUVIP

N° de convention de subvention: 101079069

DOI

10.3030/101079069

Projet clôturé

Date de signature de la CE 30 Août 2022

Date de début 1 Janvier 2023

Date de fin 31 Decembre 2025

Financé au titre de

• Widening participation and spreading excellence

Coût total

€ 1 499 705,50

Contribution de l’UE

€ 1 499 705,50

Coordonné par

UNIVERZITA PALACKEHO V OLOMOUCI
Czechia

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - EUVIP (The EU in the volatile Indo-Pacific region)

Période du rapport: 2023-01-01 au 2025-12-31

Résumé du contexte et des objectifs généraux du projet

Through its concise research, training, communication, dissemination, and exploitation activities, "The European Union in the Volatile Indo-Pacific” (EUVIP) will significantly contribute to shaping the new, rapidly developing academic field of Indo-Pacific Studies, thereby applying an inter- and transdisciplinary approach. The project will raise the stakeholders' awareness (academia, civil society, politics, and the broad public) of the strategic, political, and economic significance of the volatile Indo-Pacific region for Europe for a values-based European approach towards this region.

To achieve the project aims, the consortium defined a broad but nevertheless cohesive set of research, transfer of knowledge, and communication, dissemination, and exploitation tasks.

• The first – research-related – aim of EUVIP is to bring Europe more prominently in the Indo-Pacific by answering the puzzle: How can the EU, an economically influential actor who lacks military power, play a more significant role in the Indo-Pacific, and contribute to maintaining the multilateral, rules-based regional order endangered by the Sino-US power rivalry? For this, EUVIP analyses the current strategic and economic situation in the Indo-Pacific, the South China Sea dispute being the main case study. Moreover, it examines the challenges democracy and human rights – key values the EU strives to promote globally – face in the region. The February 2021 coup in Myanmar and its consequences are another prominent case study.
• The second major objective of EUVIP is to transfer knowledge and skills in research and research management from the three excellent partners – University of Helsinki (UH), Lund University (LU) which replaced University of Copenhagen (UCPH) in November 2023, and Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain) – to strengthen the competences of the coordinator, Palacky University Olomouc (UP).
• Thirdly, EUVIP aims to make the strong consortium of these four partners from four European countries with significant complementary competencies and skills in training and research via project objectives sustainable even after the end of EUVIP. For this, the network will be enlarged during the duration of the project and an Indo-Pacific Hub established at UP.

Travail effectué depuis le début du projet jusqu’à la fin de la période considérée dans le rapport et principaux résultats atteints jusqu’à présent

EUVIP has helped shape the fast-emerging field of Indo-Pacific Studies by applying an inter- and transdisciplinary lens to EU relations with the region across politics, security, economics, and civil society. Tailor-made knowledge-transfer activities enabled Palacky University (UP) academics - especially early-career researchers (ECRs) - and research managers to benefit from the expertise of the advanced partners (University of Helsinki, Lund University, Universite catholique de Louvain). Together we produced joint publications, co-ran workshops, and delivered outreach for academic and public audiences (including children), raising awareness of the Indo-Pacific’s importance for Europe and of the EU’s values-based foreign policy. To ensure sustainability, UP established he Myanmar Studies Center and the Indo-Pacific Hub. All partners also expanded their networks in Europe and the Indo-Pacific.

The consortium delivered all planned workshops on Indo-Pacific strategies, regional developments, and research methods; at the Brussels dissemination workshop (Nov 2025), the EU Indo-Pacific Ambassador, Maria Castillo Fernandez, gave a keynote. EUVIP systematically included PhD students and ECRs in research and knowledge-transfer activities through the Young Researchers’ Group, led by Renata Čižmárová/Westlake (UP), to provide ongoing support and collaboration during and beyond the project. We created four new courses on Indo-Pacific topics, some taught at a five-day UP summer school (June 2025), and hosted distinguished international experts in Olomouc and online.

EUVIP also strengthened UP’s research-management capacity: RMAs received training during visits to all three partner institutions. The team published widely (peer-reviewed articles and op-eds). ECRs co-authored and conducted interviews across Europe, including at the European Commission in Brussels, and in the Indo-Pacific (online). Senior researchers carried out fieldwork in both regions and presented project findings at multiple universities.

Progrès au-delà de l’état des connaissances et impact potentiel prévu (y compris l’impact socio-économique et les conséquences sociétales plus larges du projet jusqu’à présent)

Due to the field work conducted by senior researchers and the interviews conducted by early career researchers in Europe (in person) and in the Indo-Pacific (online) the EUVIP team gained valuable new insights into the relations of the EU with the Indo-Pacific. The innovative character of the findings is reflected in the high number of publications in respected international journals and the interest of media in interviewing the team members. However, as the geopolitical and geo-economic order is changing rapidly, the developments need to be closely monitored. Accordingly, the research will be updated in the next years. The same applies for the developed academic courses which will always kept up to date to reflect current trends and developments.

Overall, EUVIP had a strong impact on promoting research on the Indo-Pacific and the institutionalization of Indo-Pacific Studies in Europe. The next step will be to develop an inter- and transdisciplinary curriculum for Indo-Pacific Studies at one of the partner universities, so Indo-Pacific-related topics can be taught in a more systematic manner.

In addition to the academic community, the general public in the consortium countries was reached through communication and dissemination activities. The Myanmar Studies Center at UP is an example that EUVIP deliberately combines academic and public dissemination and outreach activities to strengthen the awareness of the strategic, political and economic importance of the Indo-Pacific region for the EU and its member states.