The Europe Center's Austrian & Central European Program seeks to advance relations between the United States and Austria and Central Europe.  This program brings together students and faculty from Stanford University and universities in Austria and Central Europe to broaden understanding and research.

At Stanford University, The Europe Center is the formal Stanford program, through the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, to host the annual Distinguished Visiting Austrian Chair Professor at Stanford University.  The annual Distinguished Chair Professorship is nominated and awarded by the University of Vienna.  The Chair is formally appointed to Stanford University as a visiting professor at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and in one of Stanford's academic departments.  The Distinguished Chair Professorship is open to faculty in all fields represented by Stanford University's seven schools, including Law, Medicine, Business, Earth Sciences, Education, and Humanities and Sciences.  The Europe Center and the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies facilitate the Chair's teaching in the appropriate School and department at the University.

Persons interested in applying for the Distinguished Visiting Austrian Chair Professorship should visit the University of Vienna webpage for more information on the application process.

Past and current Chair Professorships have been affiliated at Stanford in a wide range of schools and departments including the School of Law, German Studies, Comparative Literature, Music, and Sociology.  The Chair also works closely with the Europe Center.

In addition, short-term fellowships may be awarded for faculty, researchers, and occasionally pre-doctoral advanced students, for research and study exchange.  The emphasis of the exchange is to support research conducted directly with members of the faculty at Stanford University, and nominating universities in Austria and Central Europe.  The program also initiates workshops in which faculty from one host university will travel overseas to work with their colleagues.