The Commission of the Balkan Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences (Poznan branch) works to integrate the Balkan research community representing various Polish scientific centers  and various fields of knowledge. The commission also creates the conditions for free discussion and exchange of scientific ideas between Polish and foreign scholars and it initiates joint research projects.

One of such research projects developed during the workshops organised by the Commision is Vlachs in European and Polish cultural area. Migration – settlement – cultural heritage  project. It is meant to be the first part of long-term international and interdisciplinary scientific cooperation on the Vlachs. The research has an interdisciplinary character and is attended by ethnologists, historians, linguists and political scientists. International co-operation with researchers from Romania, Slovakia, Croatia, Moldavia, Macedonia, Ukraine and Montenegro allows implementation of the project, which involves examination of the functioning of the Vlachs in various countries of Central and Southeastern Europe. The project involves 6 foreign universities and  21 researchers from Poland, including 10 members of the The Commission of the Balkan Studies. It received funding within the National Programme for the Development of Humanities and has been implemented since March 2015. Project website: http://vlachs-project.eu.

A very important element of the Commission’s activites consists of  organising the conferences and worksophs, among which Balcanicum conference is most important and longlasting. Balcanicum XII Conference (2012) was devoted to the Balkan wars from 1912 to 1913, the topic of the Balcanicum XIII (2014) was devoted to the role of the Ottoman Empire and the Turkish Republic in the history of Europe, while the XIV Balcanicum focused on the problems of Polish presence in the Balkans. XV Balcanicum will be held in Poznan in november 2016 – call for papers is aviailable in the section conferences and scientific meetings.

The Commission of the Balkan Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences together with Adam Mickiewicz of Poznan’s Institute of History publishes annualy journal Balcanica Posnaniensia.