Annual Report
24
Letter from
the President
and the Director
Jacint Jordana
Casajuana
President
Laura Chaqués
Bonafont
Director
This year 2024 has been a year of consolidation and growth for the Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals (IBEI). Marking two decades since its foundation, the Institute continues to strengthen its position as a leading centre for advanced education and research in international affairs, with a firm commitment to academic excellence, global engagement, and social impact.
Our academic community remains vibrant and diverse. With nearly 300 master’s students from over 60 nationalities, IBEI continues to be an international hub of learning and exchange. The consolidation of our master’s programmes, alongside the expansion of summer schools and executive training, reflects our ongoing commitment to providing rigorous, interdisciplinary, and globally oriented education. The energy and engagement of our students are also reflected in their initiatives promoting solidarity, creativity, and dialogue on global challenges.
2024 brought a major institutional milestone with IBEI’s official recognition as a CERCA Research Centre by the Catalan Government. This distinction confirms the quality and impact of our research and reinforces our role within Catalonia’s scientific ecosystem. It also opens new opportunities for collaboration and innovation within a network of leading research institutions.
In the field of research, 2024 has been particularly productive. IBEI researchers have led or participated in major international projects such as BRIDGEGAP, LAC-EU, and EUFOG, funded by the European Commission, and secured new national grants addressing critical global issues, from European governance to the political economy of debt. Our faculty continues to publish in leading journals, organize international conferences and contribute to public debate through policy briefs, op-eds, and media engagements. IBEI’s success is deeply rooted in the commitment of all those who have contributed to its growth—faculty, staff, students, alumni, and partners—whose collective efforts continue to drive our mission forward.
IBEI’s commitment to knowledge transfer and societal impact has also deepened. The Institute successfully launched two Jean Monnet Network projects and participated in the CERCA Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Programme in Social Sciences and Humanities, reinforcing our role as a bridge between academic research, public policy, and society. Collaborations with institutions such as the “la Caixa” Foundation and the Ajuntament de Barcelona have further enhanced our ability to connect academic insights with real-world challenges.
Finally, this has been a year to celebrate our legacy and look ahead. We paid tribute to Narcís Serra, who, after twenty years as President, became IBEI’s Honorary President. His leadership and vision continue to inspire IBEI’s work and values.
As we look to the future, our goal remains clear: to strengthen IBEI’s role as a centre of excellence that combines rigorous academic research with social relevance and global reach. In a world undergoing profound transformation, our mission—to understand and shape international affairs from Barcelona—has never been more essential.
Graduate Programmes
1
IBEI Master's Programmes
The Master’s degrees are accredited by the Spanish Ministry of Education and are awarded by renowned Barcelona universities:
1. MASTER'S HIGHLIGHTS
IBEI Master's students celebrate the Graduation Ceremony 2024
On 27 June 2024, IBEI held its graduation ceremonies at the Paranymph of the Universitat de Barcelona, celebrating the achievements of the 2023–2024 cohort across all its master’s programmes. Two separate ceremonies brought together graduates, families, faculty, and staff for a memorable day of reflection and celebration.
The morning ceremony honoured students from the Master’s in International Relations and the Master’s in Public Policy. Anna Terrón Cusí, Senior Fellow at the Migration Policy Institute, delivered a keynote speech on the Geopolitics of Migrations. Alfredo Hernández (IBEI) and student speakers Cristhian David Palencia Ortiz, Ariadna Langa Boya, and Angel De Jesus Checo also addressed the audience.
In the afternoon, graduates from the Master’s in International Security, International Development, the Research Master’s in International Studies, and the Erasmus Mundus Master’s in Public Policy (Mundus MAPP) were celebrated. Martin Shaw, Emeritus Professor at the University of Sussex and Research Professor at IBEI, gave a compelling keynote on Responding to the New Global Insecurity. Remarks followed from Tutku Ayhan (IBEI) and student speakers Rutiksha Bosamia, Gabriël Antonio Van Veen, and Chi Le Linh.
Each ceremony concluded with the awarding of certificates and an outdoor reception, marking the start of a new chapter for IBEI’s global graduates.
MORNING
CEREMONY
AFTERNOON
CEREMONY
2
Other Programmes
Summer
Schools
Alumni
3
"During my time at IBEI I focused on policy analysis and quantitative methods for evaluation. This has equipped me with the theoretical understanding of development policies, relevant stakeholders and challenges in design and implementation. Additionally, I learned relevant tools to assess the viability and impacts of programmes and projects. Most importantly, IBEI taught me to dive into new concepts and topics quickly and get accustomed to new methods and processes rapidly. All these are crucial skills that I have used in my past and current positions."
Ann-Kathrin Beck
Erasmus Mundus Masters Program in Public Policy (Mundus MAPP), 2017.
Senior Policy Officer Social Protection, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Berlin (Germany).
Alumni
Professional
Stories
4
Faculty
& Research
New
Research
Fellows
Inés Bolaños
Post-doctoral Fellow
Susana Galán
Assistant Professor
Ramón y Cajal
Mariana Walter
Assistant Professor
Ramón y Cajal
Matteo Garavoglia
IBEI Senior Fellow
Carmen Geha
IBEI Senior Fellow
Luciana Coube
Predoctoral Fellow
MSCA-Doctoral Network LAC-EU
Natalia Escoffier
Predoctoral Fellow
MSCA-Doctoral Network LAC-EU
Yoana Kisyova
Predoctoral Fellow
Joan Oró (FI)
29
Research
Seminars
7
Workshops
13
Lectures
Faculty
& Research
50 Training & Scientific Events
1
International
Conference
Research Projects
Ongoing
Research
Projects
27
1. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
The EUFOG doctoral network contributes to a better understanding of the ways in which the EU is reconsidering key tenets of its international role in the face of the geopolitical turn in international politics. The liberal international order, i.e. the collection of norms, institutions and power relationships that have defined the last decades of international political and economic relations, is undergoing major transformations. Although the final destination of these changes is still to be seen, the situation is shaped by a return of competition between great powers in a multipolar world (US, China, EU and Russia), facilitated further by growing geopolitical ambitions of many regional powers.
EUFOG focuses on the training of a generation of scholars to enable them to address the politics (the political conflicts and debates), policies (decisions and measures) and partners (relationships and perceptions) associated with the ways in which EU foreign policy responds to these new international realities in a broad range of issue areas, from security to trade to human rights.
5
Knowledge Transfer & Communication
Knowledge Transfer
2023-2024
5
POLICY BRIEFS PUBLISHED BY IBEI
RESEARCHERS IN 2024
16
OP-EDS, BLOGS, NEWSPAPER ARTICLES WRITTEN BY IBEI RESEARCHERS IN 2024
12
INTERVIEWS
WITH IBEI RESEARCHERS IN 2024
Executive Programmes
CHECK THE POLICY
BRIEF HERE
Pasantía internacional con la Escuela de Gobierno y Políticas Públicas del Perú
12 22
Courses: 3
Students: 48
Jointly organized with Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP) within the frame of Barcelona’gov network.
February February
Seminario de
Políticas Públicas I
Política e instituciones de la Unión Europea
Seminario de
Políticas Públicas II
Social Media
& Web
New Videos
29.026
21
10.186
5.801
6.958
YouTube
Reproductions
LinkedIn
Followers
Facebook
Followers
2024
X (ex Twitter)
Followers
December 2024
December 2024
December 2024
People who visited the web in 2024
238.643
Website visits
334.517
In 2024, IBEI joined six other leading research centres in the CERCA system to take part in a pioneering initiative aimed at strengthening knowledge transfer and innovation in the social sciences and humanities. This programme, supported by the Directorate General for Knowledge Transfer of the Catalan Government, acknowledges the specific challenges of transferring knowledge in these fields and promotes tailored strategies to increase their societal impact.
A key component of the programme involved two international study visits: one to the Netherlands, where participants explored the innovation ecosystems of Leiden and Amsterdam universities, and another to Scotland, with visits to the universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh. These experiences enabled IBEI to learn from international best practices and explore collaborative models that bridge social sciences with digital and STEM disciplines.
Under the guidance of Jessica Meijer, Head of Innovation & Business Development at the Leiden University’s Knowledge Exchange Office, IBEI engaged in individual and group sessions to develop experimental “Krazy Action Plans” that challenge traditional approaches to knowledge transfer. Training sessions with different experts from Catalonia and abroad further enriched the process, addressing topics
like impact policy and intellectual property in the social sciences and humanities.
This initiative reinforces IBEI’s strategic commitment to innovation and socially engaged research.
6
About IBEI
1. INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Honouring Narcís Serra, from Founding President to Honorary President
On January 25, IBEI held a special appreciation event to thank Narcís Serra for his two decades of leadership as President of the Institute, from its founding in 2004 until 2024. A key figure in the creation of IBEI, Serra’s vision and dedication were instrumental in establishing the Institute as a leading centre for international studies in Barcelona.
During the event, colleagues, trustees, and friends gathered to celebrate his legacy and express their gratitude for his continued commitment to IBEI’s mission. As of January 2024, Jacint Jordana, former Director of IBEI since its inception, assumed the role of President, following the appointment of Laura Chaqués Bonafont as Director by the Board of Trustees on November 29, 2023.
In recognition of his enduring contribution, Narcís Serra was named Honorary President of IBEI—a title that reflects his foundational role and lasting influence on the Institute.
Thinking
Globally
in Barcelona
