EKONOMI VE DIS POLITIKA ARASTIRMALAR MERKEZI DERNEGI - EDAM

Their core work

EDAM is an Istanbul-based independent policy research center that analyzes EU foreign policy, European security architecture, and EU-Turkey relations from a Turkish vantage point. Their core contribution to research consortia is providing a non-EU, outsider perspective on how European external action and security decisions are perceived and experienced beyond the bloc's borders. They produce scenario analysis, foreign policy mapping, and assessments of EU crisis management and defence policy, combining political science rigor with direct access to Turkish academic and policy networks. Their work bridges the gap between EU self-perception and how strategic partners and candidate countries actually read European geopolitical behavior.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

EDAM's first H2020 project (FEUTURE, 2016-2019) was tightly focused on the bilateral EU-Turkey relationship — mapping dynamics and projecting future scenarios at a time when Turkey's EU accession process was politically live. Their second project (JOINT, 2021-2024) represents a clear broadening: the focus shifted to EU foreign and security policy as a whole, with explicit attention to EU member states' coordination, defence policy, and crisis management. This trajectory suggests EDAM deliberately repositioned itself from a Turkey-specific lens to a broader European strategic studies profile, likely in response to the deterioration of EU-Turkey accession prospects making the bilateral angle less fundable, while demand for external perspectives on EU security autonomy grew after 2019-2021 geopolitical shifts.

EDAM is moving toward becoming a generalist European strategic studies think tank with a Turkish/external vantage point, making them increasingly relevant for any consortium studying EU geopolitical positioning, defence cooperation, or foreign policy coherence where a non-EU analytical voice adds credibility.

How they like to work

EDAM has never led an H2020 project — both participations are as a consortium member contributing specialized analysis rather than organizational coordination. Despite only two projects, they have engaged with 25 distinct partners across 17 countries, which signals that they join large, multi-stakeholder research consortia rather than small bilateral teams. This pattern is typical of policy think tanks that are valued for their analytical perspective and geographic positioning rather than for running project operations.

EDAM has built connections with 25 unique partners across 17 countries through just two projects, indicating they consistently join large European research consortia. As a Turkish institution they are one of the few non-EU voices regularly embedded in EU social science research networks, giving them an unusual cross-border positioning in a field dominated by EU-based think tanks.

What sets them apart

EDAM occupies a rare niche: a credible, independent Turkish policy research center embedded in EU-funded social science consortia, providing analytical perspectives that no Brussels or Berlin think tank can replicate. Their Istanbul location gives direct access to Turkish government, academic, and business networks that are analytically essential for any research touching EU neighbourhood policy, EU enlargement, or Europe's southeastern strategic flank. For consortium builders, EDAM solves the "non-EU partner with real policy expertise" problem that P3-SOCIETY projects frequently require to satisfy geographic and perspective diversity requirements.

Highlights from their portfolio

• FEUTURE
  Largest single funding award (EUR 194,812) and the project that established EDAM's EU research credentials, focused on scenario-mapping the future of EU-Turkey relations at a pivotal diplomatic moment.
• JOINT
  Marks EDAM's pivot to broader EU strategic studies, covering EU security and defence policy from an external partner perspective in a post-Brexit, post-2021 European security context.