Stanislav (‘Stas’) visited the Trust’s Highgate house in October 2019

With this letter I would like to express my gratitude to the Trust for the opportunity to conduct academic and expert research in London, as well as to make new professional contacts in my area (energy policy and EU-Russia relations). My visit proved to be useful for both aspects.

First, I was able to get access to the newest publications, including the most contemporary theories of European integration. Apart from the British Library I used mostly the library of UCL, with a focus on their electronic resources that proved to be extremely valuable and profitable. There is no easy access to these articles (especially the newest ones) in other places where I used to gather material before – and even where there is technical access, each article can be quite costly to open.

Second, I was able to introduce myself to colleagues at Chatham House and at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies whom I was able to meet at Chatham House. When we deal with institutions with that high level of authority, such new personal contacts for future international academic or/and expert research and interchange are extremely valuable. Thanks to these, I now see an opportunity for joint projects with my new colleagues that could benefit not only academic knowledge but also humanitarian aspects of international relations (public diplomacy, cross-cultural media coverage of issues, etc).

I would recommend the Trust to any passionate researchers dedicated to study in their fields as well as for enthusiastic protagonists of international cooperation through science, culture and personal contacts.