The Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI), founded in 1965 by Altiero Spinelli as a non-profit organization, is Italy’s major research centre in the fields of international politics, security and economy, as well as being Italy’s research institution with the most developed international network capabilities. The main objective of the Institute is to promote an understanding of international relations through inter-disciplinary and policy-oriented research, meetings and publications. In particular IAI seeks to promote the idea of Europe, an objective which is enshrined in the Founding Act of the Institute. Its main areas of interest are: Italian foreign policy, European integration, the Mediterranean and Middle East, transatlantic relations, international security and international political economy.
IAI has a long-standing tradition in the study of European foreign policy and Euro-Mediterranean relations. It leads or co-leads the current three lead Horizon2020 projects on the EU, the Mediterranean and Middle East, and Turkey (MEDRESET, MENARA; FEUTURE). It also coordinates the New-Med Research Network –
funded by the IAI in collaboration with the Compagnia di San Paolo, the OSCE and the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs – as well as the Global Turkey in Europe network funded by the Mercator Foundation. It has also led numerous research projects on the area in the past (POWER2YOUTH, SHARAKA, etc.). IAI has a substantial network in the Middle East, the US, and Russia.
Recently, IAI has also begun to start a new program of international education aimed at high school student, undergraduate and graduate students, and private and public professionals.
IAI has highly-developed networks with research and policy institutes. It belongs to the following European and transatlantic networks:
•Council of Councils
•CSDP Mission Analysis Partnership (CSDP MAP)
•EuroMeSCo
•European Policy Institutes Network (Epin)
•International Relations and Security Network (ISN)
•Observatoire de l’Afrique
•TEPSA.