Narcís Serra & Jacint Jordana

This annual report 2019 details the most relevant activities undertaken at IBEI during the year. The report highlights that activities have grown across multiple fronts, both in advanced research and graduate teaching. One of the most significant initiatives during the year was the launch of a new master’s programme, the 120 ECTS Research Master’s in International Studies (RMIS), to be completed in four semesters. This is a challenging initiative not only because it is the first two-year master delivered exclusively by IBEI, but also because this master reflects the growth in research activity at IBEI over recent years. As such, the RMIS clearly contributes to building a bridge between the two main pillars at IBEI, teaching and research, establishing a sound connection between them while also enriching both.

IBEI has been gaining momentum as a European graduate school in International studies. Students from all corners of the world come to Barcelona to enrol in one of the masters’ programmes offered, increasingly from countries beyond Europe. IBEI’s training programmes also brings many more interesting people to Barcelona. For example, in 2019 IBEI organized -or co-organized- five summer schools, covering areas as diverse as science diplomacy, Euro-Asian relations, or Innovation and Governance in Latin America, thus providing an impressive range of courses and learning activities. Additionally, executive and advanced training are becoming recurrent activities at IBEI, with participants from different parts of the world, but particularly from Latin America.   

Training professionals in the areas of international relations and diplomacy, global governance, development and international security, as well as related public policy topics, has been a goal of IBEI since its creation. Our masters’ programmes consolidate sound scientific knowledge with multiple professional experiences and technical perspectives on how to operate on the ground. This is one of the keys to our institutional identity, and we strive to discover, develop and implement the synergies between research and teaching on a daily basis, as a way to improve the learning experiences of our students and the participants in all IBEI activity.