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Victor Mendizabal, originally form Ordizia, was a relevant member of the Basque-American Diaspora in Argentina, one of the supporters of the school and the Euskal Echea Association in Llavallol, and patron and selfless contributor in several of its support initiatives, in both the Basque and local Argentine communities, as in his hometown of Ordizia.  The Victor Mendizabal Foundation in Ordizia has opened the application period for the scholarships bearing his name in various research fields. 

Ordizia, Gipuzkoa.   Victor Mendizabal Gorostizu (1860-1957) was born in Ordizia. He emigrated to Argentina and was strongly linked to the Basque Diaspora in this country. He emigrated along with his brothers and his capacity as an entrepreneur triumphed in business, in an effort and benefits that Mendizabal reinvested himself in his surroundings, locally in the Basque and Argentine communities, as well as in his hometown of Ordizia where he would eventually return and where he is buried.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Mendizabal was one of the co-founders, supporters and collaborates in the Euskal Echea in Llavallol, and years later,  in 1943. he created in the Basque Country a foundation, in Ordizia, in order to support, reward and promote the education and development of youth, as well as other progressive initiatives such as the Laguntasuna Association.  The Victor Mendizabal scholarships are awarded by the Ordizia town hall and the Victor Mendizabal Foundation, every two years.

In 2017, the “Victor Mendizabal-Ordizia Research Scholarship IV” aims to Foster research in areas such as the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences.  Research efforts should focus on any aspect that has Ordizia as its reference framework, or its people in disciplines like history, art, heritage, archeology, geography, economics, sociology, ethnology, language, literature, folklore, tourism, livestock, industry, biology, environment etc.  The duration of the scholarships is twelve months and the amount to be awarded is 7,000 Euros.

The first time the scholarship was awarded it went to research on the figure of Victor Mendizabal himself, carried out by historians Jon Ander Ramos and Marcelo Irianni, from the Basque Country and Argentina respectively.

Anyone applying to this fourth round may do so individually or as a group.  In the case of the latter (groups or those without a legal identity), a manager must be appointed.

The research work should be original and unpublished.  The deadline to apply is February 28^th, and should include a detailed Report-Synthesis of the research project (20 page maximum), the project’s basic guidelines, and methodology and analytical unis as well as sources and language in which the work will be presented.  The extension of the subsequent work will be a minimum of 100 pages.

More information is available on the Ordizia Town Hall’s website (www.ordizia.eus) or by calling: +34 943 805 630