History
The Free Belarusian University (FBU) acts as an operator of programs adapted for Belarus, created and implemented in cooperation with Western partner universities.
Its activities are aimed at training qualified specialists for the future democratic Belarusian state, building on the potential of universities in Poland, Estonia, and other EU countries, taking into account the experience of reforms in Central Europe and using modern educational technologies.
2015
The idea of establishing the Free Belarus University (Вольны Беларскі Ўніверсітэт, Wolny Uniwersytet Białoruski, ВБЎ/VBŬ) emerged from an initiative of 59 prominent Belarusian scholars, cultural figures, artists, journalists, politicians, and civic leaders, among them:
Svetlana Alexievich – writer, Nobel Prize laureate in literature,
Andżelika Borys – Chair of the Union of Poles in Belarus, political prisoner,
Ales Bialiatski – head of the Human Rights Center “Viasna”, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, political prisoner,
Stanislau Shushkevich – the first head of independent Belarus, professor, corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of Belarus,
and others.
At the preparatory stage, the initiative was supported by the European Endowment for Democracy, Konrad Adenauer Foundation, UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Polish-American Freedom Foundation, Leaders of Change Foundation, Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Delegation of the European Parliament for Belarus, and the European Parliament’s Committee on Culture and Education.
2017
In Warsaw, the Free Belarusian University Foundation was officially registered, serving as the operator of programs adapted for Belarus. Preparatory activities for the establishment of WBU began, supported by the Delegation of the European Parliament for Belarus, the Committee on Culture and Education of the EP, the European Endowment for Democracy, Konrad Adenauer Foundation, UK Foreign Office, Estonian MFA, Polish-American Freedom Foundation, and the Leaders of Change Foundation.
2021
With the support of the Polish Aid Program and the Ministry of Education and Science of Poland, WBU prepared and delivered its first online courses:
Global Mini MBA – in cooperation with the Polish-American Center of Management at the University of Łódź,
Regional Self-Government – in partnership with the Centre for East European Studies at the University of Warsaw.
2022
Over 50 lecturers in 7 countries, 17 experts, and more than 200 students and alumni.
5 new online courses developed; 9 synchronous and asynchronous courses delivered, including 5 pilot ones.
Inclusive, cross-border educational platform LMS Moodle launched.
Fourth sociological survey (since 2017) conducted on the needs for European postgraduate online education in Belarus.
2024
International Faculty
70+ lecturers and 28 experts from 8 countries
Global Community
900+ graduates and about 1300 course participants from 30 countries
Modern Learning Platform
LMS Moodle with 60+ postgraduate online modules
Educational Achievements
22 online courses
21 open online meetings as part of the WBU Forum
728 live participants
tens of thousands of views on YouTube
Free Belarus Journal
In 2024, WBU established its own academic journal — an innovative platform for scientific publications focused on analyzing contemporary processes, transformations, and visions of Belarus’s future.