The Institute for Kurdology Vienna was founded in 1994 by Prof. Dr.Jalile Jalil founded together with a group of Kurdish intellectuals in Austria and young Viennese Kurdologists in Vienna with the aim of keeping the threatened Kurdish language, culture and identity alive and strengthening it through research, publications, seminars, symposia and exhibitions. It also sees itself as a bridge between Austria and Kurdistan and aims to promote understanding of the culture of the Kurdish people beyond Austria in the EU. To this end, the institute has i.a. already published a number of books. The institute is apolitical and independent. It relies on private support for its scientific work.