It is an independent Belarusian research university being created by intellectuals and scholars in exile. The University will be based on academic freedom, modern European standards, and a focus on Belarusian studies, offering MA and PhD programmes.

The future University will have a distinct research profile: the emphasis will be not only on the transmission of knowledge but also on its creation. MA and PhD studies will be closely linked to research about Belarus, for Belarus, and by Belarusians — primarily in the social sciences and humanities, taught in the Belarusian language and through interdisciplinary approaches.

The initiative was launched by Belarusian academics and educators in exile. They joined forces to respond to contemporary challenges and to establish a modern academic institution that develops Belarusian scholarship, prepares a new generation of researchers, and introduces the Belarusian perspective into the global intellectual space.

Astafiej Vałovič was a 16th-century statesman of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania who supported education, enlightenment, and printing, and was among those whose initiative led to the founding of Vilnius University. His name symbolizes a combination of national responsibility, European thinking, and cultural openness — values embedded in the mission of the new University.

The programmes will be open to Belarusians from different countries as well as to anyone interested in the Belarusian language, culture, and studies of Belarus in a European context. Students and researchers of any nationality will be welcome if they share the values and academic principles of the University.

The Organizing Committee is preparing the registration of the University in Poland. It will operate in Europe in a hybrid format — both online and offline — with specific locations for in-person activities to be announced later.