Providing Impulses, Contextualizing Global Events: Our Knowledge Transfer Work
Our research findings and expertise benefit policymakers, society and the media. IFSH researchers advise members of the German federal government, the Bundestag, and international organisations. Our experts are highly sought after as interview partners by national and international media and are frequently invited to speak at public events. We also welcome school classes and other educational groups to the institute, where they can discuss current peace and security issues directly with our researchers.
Master of Peace and Security Studies
In cooperation with the University of Hamburg, the IFSH runs its own Master’s programme. Over the course of four semesters, students will gain both theoretical and practical knowledge of the foundations of peace and security from an interdisciplinary perspective.
Cooperation and Funding
The IFSH was founded in 1971. Since 2019, the institute has also maintained an office in Berlin. It cooperates closely with the University of Hamburg and numerous other academic institutions in Germany and abroad. Its core funding is provided by the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. The institute also secures third-party funding from organisations such as the German Research Foundation (DFG) and federal ministries, which is used primarily to support individual research projects.
Research – Teaching – Transfer
The IFSH is one of Germany’s leading peace research institutes. An international team of researchers from various disciplines examine questions of peace and security from a comprehensive, interdisciplinary perspective. A key feature of the institute is the close integration of peace and security research.
Research Topics in Tune with the Issues of our Time
The institute combines fundamental scientific research with key issues of current peace and security policy. We address both the traditional areas of peace research, such as armament, arms control, and the risks posed by new technologies, as well as newly emerging challenges of security policy. How do anti-liberal and extremist movements threaten social cohesion and peaceful coexistence of societies? Why do people become radicalized? And how do the consequences of climate change affect conflicts, security, and peace both in Europe and around the world?
A core focus of the IFSH is peace and security in Europe, which is now at a greater risk than it has been in decades due to multiple crises, particularly by the Russian war against Ukraine. Our researchers explore what a lasting, future-oriented peace and security order could look like, also from a global perspective. They examine the role of international organisations such as the EU, the OSCE, and NATO in this context, and assess the future of the European peace project. The topical nature of our research is of high relevance to politics and society.
