GERMAN INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL AND AREA STUDIES (GIGA)

Their core work

GIGA is a leading German research institute specializing in political, economic, and social dynamics across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. They produce policy-relevant research on migration governance, geopolitical crises, religious transformation in the digital age, and economic resilience under sanctions. Their work bridges area studies with global comparative analysis, making them a go-to partner for projects requiring deep regional expertise combined with rigorous social science methodology.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

GIGA's early H2020 engagement (2016–2018) centred on broad governance themes — migration crises, refugee policy, diplomacy, and multilateral order. From 2019 onward, their focus sharpened toward more specialized area studies: the digital transformation of Islamic scholarship and Iran's economic resilience under sanctions. This shift suggests a move from wide-angle governance research toward deeper, region-specific expertise with contemporary policy relevance.

GIGA is deepening its Middle East and Iran expertise while integrating digital transformation themes — expect future projects at the intersection of geopolitics, digital society, and regional economic resilience.

How they like to work

GIGA mostly participates as a partner rather than leading consortia, having coordinated only 1 of 4 projects (DIVERSIRAN, a smaller MSCA fellowship). They engage in large, diverse consortia — 47 unique partners across 20 countries from just 4 projects indicates they work in broad international networks. This makes them a reliable contributing partner who brings regional expertise to large multidisciplinary teams rather than a consortium-building hub.

With 47 unique partners across 20 countries from only 4 projects, GIGA operates within exceptionally wide international networks. Their reach extends well beyond Europe, reflecting their mandate as a global and area studies institute with connections to research communities in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.

What sets them apart

GIGA occupies a rare niche as a German Leibniz institute combining rigorous social science with deep area expertise on non-European regions — particularly the Middle East, but also Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Unlike most European research centres that focus inward on EU affairs, GIGA brings genuine understanding of political and economic dynamics in regions that are critical for EU foreign policy. For consortium builders needing credible regional knowledge on migration, sanctions, or religious transformation, GIGA is one of very few German institutes that can deliver both academic depth and policy relevance.

Highlights from their portfolio

• DIVERSIRAN
  GIGA's only coordinated project — a focused MSCA fellowship on Iran's economic diversification under sanctions, signalling their growing leadership in Middle East political economy.
• MAGYC
  Largest funding (EUR 273K) and most policy-relevant project, addressing migration governance and asylum crises across Europe — a high-profile topic with direct policy impact.
• MIDA
  Unusual interdisciplinary combination of Islamic civilisation studies with digital transformation, bridging historical scholarship and contemporary technology themes.