INSTITUT BARCELONA D ESTUDIS INTERNACIONALS, FUNDACIO PRIVADA

Their core work

IBEI is a Barcelona-based research institute specializing in international relations, European governance, and comparative politics. They produce policy-relevant research on how the EU governs internally and projects power externally — from regulatory frameworks in the Mediterranean to the politics of ethnic diversity and public goods. Their work bridges political science theory with practical questions about democratic accountability, institutional trust, and multi-level governance, making them a go-to partner for projects examining how political systems actually function and reform.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2015–2018), IBEI focused outward — studying armed conflicts, natural resources, EU external policy, global trade, and India's rise in the world economy. From 2019 onward, their focus shifted decisively inward toward European domestic governance: regulatory trust, democratic accountability, nationalism, ethnic diversity, and Euroscepticism. This pivot reflects a broader turn from studying how the EU acts in the world to examining how European political institutions maintain legitimacy and deliver public goods at home.

IBEI is moving toward fundamental questions of democratic legitimacy, institutional trust, and public sector reform — expect them to seek partners working on governance innovation, citizen engagement, and policy evaluation.

How they like to work

IBEI leads more often than it follows: 7 of 11 projects were coordinated by them, indicating strong project management capacity and a preference for setting the research agenda. They work across 22 countries with 39 unique partners, suggesting they build fresh consortia rather than relying on a fixed circle. Their projects tend to be small-to-medium sized research teams rather than massive multi-partner consortia, making them an accessible and hands-on coordinator.

IBEI has collaborated with 39 distinct partners across 22 countries, reflecting a broad European and international network. Their geographic reach extends beyond the EU into the Mediterranean (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia) and South Asia (India), giving them connections uncommon for a European governance institute.

What sets them apart

IBEI combines deep expertise in European governance with genuine global reach — few institutes of comparable size can span Mediterranean regulatory policy, Great Lakes security, Indian political economy, and EU democratic accountability. Their track record of securing both ERC grants (ETHNICGOODS, REPGOV) and collaborative RIA projects shows they excel at both individual frontier research and team-based policy work. For consortium builders, they bring a rare combination: political science rigour with practical relevance to governance reform and regulatory design.

Highlights from their portfolio

• REPGOV
  Their largest project (€2.48M ERC Advanced Grant), investigating representative government and democratic governance — signals senior research leadership.
• ETHNICGOODS
  Major ERC Consolidator Grant (€1.99M) on nationalism, ethnic diversity, and public goods provision — their most ambitious comparative politics undertaking.
• TiGRE
  Multi-country study of trust in governance and regulation across Europe — directly relevant to any project addressing institutional legitimacy or regulatory reform.