BEOGRADSKI CENTAR ZA BEZBEDNOSNU POLITIKU UDRUZENJE

Their core work

The Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP) is a Serbian think tank and policy research organization focused on security governance, conflict prevention, and peacebuilding in the Western Balkans and EU neighborhood. They provide field-level analysis of how EU security and crisis response policies play out in practice, with particular attention to local perceptions and context-sensitive approaches. Their work bridges the gap between EU policy frameworks and on-the-ground realities in conflict-affected and extremism-prone regions.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

BCSP's early H2020 work (2015–2019) centered on evaluating EU institutional mechanisms — civilian crisis response capabilities and the EU's comprehensive approach to conflict zones. Their most recent project (PREVEX, 2020–2023) shifted toward a more specific and policy-urgent topic: preventing violent extremism, with added dimensions of resilience, counter-terrorism, and gender sensitivity. This evolution shows a move from broad EU foreign policy evaluation toward targeted security threats in their home region, the Western Balkans.

BCSP is moving toward radicalization prevention and resilience research, making them a strong partner for future projects on security in Southeast Europe and EU neighborhood regions.

How they like to work

BCSP has participated exclusively as a consortium partner, never as coordinator, which is typical for a policy think tank contributing regional expertise to larger European research networks. With 31 unique partners across 19 countries from just 3 projects, they operate in large, geographically diverse consortia — indicating they are valued for their Balkans perspective within broad multi-country studies. They appear to be a reliable regional node rather than a project driver.

Despite only 3 projects, BCSP has worked with 31 different partners across 19 countries, reflecting their role as a go-to Western Balkans security policy voice in large pan-European research consortia. Their network spans well beyond their region into Western and Northern Europe.

What sets them apart

BCSP offers something hard to find: credible, independent security policy analysis rooted in Serbia and the Western Balkans — a region central to many EU security concerns but underrepresented in research consortia. For any project needing ground-truth perspectives on conflict prevention, radicalization, or EU policy impact in Southeast Europe, BCSP provides both the expertise and the local access. Their track record of working in large international consortia means they understand EU research processes despite being a small organization.

Highlights from their portfolio

• PREVEX
  Directly addresses violent extremism prevention in the Balkans and MENA — a high-priority EU security topic with strong policy relevance.
• EUNPACK
  Critically assessed the EU comprehensive approach to conflict with emphasis on local perceptions, providing a rare 'view from the ground' perspective.