Armenia is exhibiting at the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale with a pavilion dedicated to “Microarchitecture through AI: creating new memories with ancient monuments”. The project, born out of collaboration between the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the TUMO creative technologies centre in Armenia, will explore the evolving role of artificial intelligence in the preservation of cultural heritage and as a route to new forms of expression.

This is one of the visible facets of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s support for the preservation and promotion of the Armenian language and culture, both within that country and among the diaspora.

Another example of this support is Book and Thought, through which the Institute of Public Policy in Armenia wants to promote critical thinking through debates on a series of books translated into Armenian in recent years and their impact on the socio-political and cultural thinking of the local population. These debates will be publicised through a series of 36 videos available as podcasts. Still in the field of technology, there is another initiative: “Hi Haleb” is an “oral history” project that proposes creating a website to host filmed interviews, photographs and other content about the Armenian community in Aleppo, which is currently under serious threat.

But there are many other supported initiatives. In the area of research, the creation of a research group of young academics at the Leibniz Institute for Eastern European History and Culture at the University of Leipzig (which is set to become the main research centre for Armenian Studies in Germany) stands out: the Gulbenkian Foundation will fund two doctoral scholarships for research into contemporary Armenian issues; another two scholarships will be funded by the Institute itself or by external sources. The International Master’s Programme in Armenian Studies at INALCO (Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales) is also being supported for three years to increase its research and teaching capacity by inviting visiting professors to stay at the institution for a month.

In addition to the new projects, there are also initiatives with existing partners. This is the case with Vlume,, which will receive support for the production of 84 new Armenian-language publications for younger readers, in addition to audio and electronic books for adult readers.

Finally, Zarmanazan, Yertik, Oos Hartag and the Hrant Dink Foundation’s KardDes application are some of the initiatives that continue to be supported by the Gulbenkian Foundation.

Although most of its activities take place outside Portugal, the Gulbenkian Foundation also supports initiatives in Portugal that highlight Armenian culture and history. Examples of this are the cycle of films by Sergei Parajanov at the Cinemateca Portuguesa or the translation into Portuguese of the Armenian popular epic David of Sassoun, by a young local academic who learnt the Armenian language through courses at IL-Nova, also supported by Gulbenkian.

According to António Feijó, president of the Gulbenkian Foundation, “The Armenian Communities Service, whose roots go back to the creation of the Foundation in 1956, is closely linked to the spirit of the Founder, through its connection to his culture, his philanthropy and his international vision. Supporting these projects is a manifestation of the long-term commitment we want to strengthen with the Armenian diaspora around the world and with Armenia”.

Projects are received on an ongoing basis and are evaluated three times a year. In January, 125 projects were evaluated, 32 of which were selected for funding.

In the coming weeks, the Foundation plans to analyse applications for the approval of up to 10 grants for contemporary Armenian culture, submitted under the Art Yevs programme. A new research initiative is also being developed, provisionally called the Armenian Diaspora Research Centre, dedicated to the challenges facing the diaspora as well as Armenia. As António Feijó said, “it is important not only to preserve culture, but also to revitalise it and promote the creation of a new culture. Likewise, alongside supporting original research, the Foundation also endeavours to promote critical thinking and its dissemination”.

Following the early departure of administrator Martin Essayan, who retired in 2024, the Armenian Communities Service is now under the direct supervision of the Foundation’s President, António Feijó.