THE TRANSATLANTIC FOUNDATION

Their core work

The Transatlantic Foundation is a Brussels-based think tank and research centre focused on EU foreign policy, transatlantic relations, and geopolitical analysis of the Mediterranean, Middle East, and North Africa regions. They study fragility, conflict dynamics, and the EU's role as a security and foreign policy actor. Their work bridges academic research with policy analysis, training early-career researchers through Marie Skłodowska-Curie programmes and contributing geopolitical expertise to multi-partner research consortia.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

The Transatlantic Foundation's early H2020 work (2016-2018) centred on broad multilateral governance (GEM-STONES) and regional geopolitics in the MENA region (FLAME), with a strong transatlantic lens. By their most recent project (JOINT, 2021-2024), the focus sharpened toward EU institutional foreign policy mechanisms — security and defence policy, external action, and crisis management. This shift reflects a move from descriptive geopolitical research toward more operationally relevant EU policy analysis.

They are moving from broad geopolitical analysis toward applied EU foreign and security policy research, making them increasingly relevant for projects addressing Europe's strategic autonomy and crisis response.

How they like to work

The Transatlantic Foundation operates as both coordinator (FLAME) and participant, showing flexibility in consortium roles. With 25 unique partners across 18 countries from just 3 projects, they engage in broad, internationally diverse consortia rather than tight recurring partnerships. Their Brussels base and wide geographic network make them an accessible hub for policy-oriented research consortia.

Despite only 3 projects, TF has built a remarkably wide network of 25 partners across 18 countries, reflecting the international nature of foreign policy and security research. Their Brussels location positions them at the heart of EU institutional networks.

What sets them apart

The Transatlantic Foundation occupies a distinctive niche as a Brussels-based research centre that combines transatlantic perspective with deep MENA regional expertise — a rare combination in EU-funded research. Their ability to coordinate MSCA training networks (FLAME) shows capacity to develop the next generation of geopolitical analysts. For consortium builders, they bring policy proximity (Brussels), thematic specificity (EU external action), and a broad international partner network despite their small size.

Highlights from their portfolio

• FLAME
  Coordinated by TF — an MSCA Individual Fellowship on fragility and geopolitics in the MENA region, demonstrating their core research identity.
• JOINT
  Their most recent and policy-relevant project, directly addressing EU foreign and security policy challenges in a contested geopolitical environment (2021-2024).