DANSK INSTITUT FOR INTERNATIONALE STUDIER

Their core work

DIIS (Danish Institute for International Studies) is Denmark's leading independent research institute on international affairs, security, and conflict. They specialize in analyzing geopolitical dynamics in the Middle East and North Africa, radicalization processes, and transnational security threats. Their work bridges academic research with policy-relevant analysis, producing insights on religious violence, jihadism, and regional power shifts that inform European security policy and diplomatic strategy.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

DIIS began its H2020 participation (2016-2017) with broad geopolitical mapping — regional order in MENA, EU-Turkey relations, refugee flows, and natural resource conflicts. By 2019, their focus sharpened dramatically toward understanding the mechanics of religious violence, with the ERC-funded TRANSJIHAD project introducing specialized concepts like macro-securitization, sociotheology, and transnationalization of jihad. This shift signals a move from wide-angle regional analysis toward deep causal research on violent extremism.

DIIS is deepening into the root causes and escalation patterns of religiously motivated violence, suggesting future collaborations will center on radicalization research and counter-terrorism policy.

How they like to work

DIIS primarily participates as a partner in larger consortia (3 out of 4 projects), but secured a prestigious ERC Starting Grant as coordinator for their flagship TRANSJIHAD project — indicating strong independent research capacity when the topic aligns with their core expertise. With 42 unique partners across 18 countries, they operate as a well-connected node in European security and conflict research networks, comfortable in both large multi-partner projects and focused investigator-driven research.

DIIS has collaborated with 42 unique partners across 18 countries, reflecting a broad European and Mediterranean network. Their partnerships span the EU neighborhood policy and security research community, with particular connections to institutions working on MENA affairs and counter-terrorism.

What sets them apart

DIIS occupies a rare niche as a policy-oriented research institute that combines deep regional expertise on the Middle East and North Africa with rigorous academic methods — evidenced by their ERC grant on transnational jihad. Unlike purely academic centers, their work is designed to inform European policy decisions on security, migration, and foreign relations. For consortium builders, DIIS brings both credibility (independent government-funded institute) and the ability to translate complex conflict dynamics into actionable analysis.

Highlights from their portfolio

• TRANSJIHAD
  ERC Starting Grant worth EUR 1.5M where DIIS serves as coordinator — their largest and most prestigious project, focused on explaining patterns of transnational jihad escalation and containment.
• MENARA
  Comprehensive mapping of MENA geopolitical shifts covering conflicts, refugees, minorities, and regional order — demonstrates DIIS's breadth in analyzing an entire region's security architecture.
• MINDb4ACT
  Applied counter-radicalization project focused on co-creating prevention tools, showing DIIS's ability to bridge theoretical research with practical security applications.