The Nanovic Institute was established in 1993 as a Center for European studies offering lectures, seminars, and conferences, for undergraduate students at the University of Notre Dame.
"The goal of the Nanovic Forum is to bring distinguished European leaders from a variety of fields — including academia, the arts, politics, and business — to Notre Dame to stimulate student and faculty interest in contemporary Europe.
Dr. Horst Köhler, former President of the Federal Republic of Germany, gave the lecture titled The World is at stake in 2011, which focused on, "learning essential lessons from the international financial crisis with a particular emphasis on ethical questions and the German and European experiences.
This annual lecture provides students and faculty the opportunity to explore questions involving Notre Dame’s Catholic mission with distinguished representatives from the Holy See.
Themes of the film series are as follows: The Nanovic Institute offers grants to undergraduate and graduate students, university faculty, and European language club members.