MIDDLE EAST RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Their core work

MERI is an Erbil-based research institute specializing in conflict analysis, peacebuilding, and security policy in the Middle East and its neighbourhood. They provide local knowledge and field-level perspectives on EU foreign policy effectiveness, EU-Turkey relations, and violent extremism prevention. Their core value lies in bridging the gap between European policy frameworks and on-the-ground realities in conflict-affected regions, offering context-sensitive analysis that international partners typically cannot produce themselves.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

MERI's early H2020 work (2016–2019) centred on evaluating EU foreign policy instruments — how crisis response and the EU comprehensive approach play out on the ground, and the future trajectory of EU-Turkey relations. By 2020, their focus sharpened toward security-specific themes: violent extremism prevention, counter-terrorism, and resilience-building, with added dimensions of gender sensitivity and context-specific analysis. This shift signals a move from broad policy evaluation toward applied security research with direct policy relevance.

MERI is moving from general EU policy analysis toward specialized security and radicalization prevention research, likely positioning itself as a go-to MENA-based partner for EU-funded security projects.

How they like to work

MERI participates exclusively as a partner, never as coordinator — consistent with their role as a regional knowledge provider embedded in larger European-led consortia. With 35 unique partners across 22 countries from just 3 projects, they operate in large, diverse consortia (averaging 12+ partners). This pattern suggests they are valued for their specific regional expertise and local access rather than for project management capacity.

Despite only 3 projects, MERI has built a remarkably wide network of 35 partners spanning 22 countries, reflecting the large multi-country consortia typical of EU foreign policy and security research. Their network is strongly European but with a clear MENA regional anchor.

What sets them apart

MERI's key differentiator is its physical location in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan — providing genuine on-the-ground perspective from a conflict-affected region that most European research centres can only study from a distance. For consortium builders working on MENA security, EU neighbourhood policy, or extremism prevention, MERI offers something rare: local access, local trust, and local knowledge combined with the institutional capacity to participate in rigorous EU-funded research. They are one of very few Iraq-based organizations in the H2020 ecosystem.

Highlights from their portfolio

• PREVEX
  Their most recent and largest-funded project (EUR 118,569), directly addressing the high-priority EU policy area of violent extremism prevention across Balkans and MENA.
• EUNPACK
  Provided critical local-perspective analysis on whether EU crisis response actually works on the ground — a project that directly challenged EU policy assumptions.