What research areas and clusters does the Geneva Graduate Institute cover?

The Geneva Graduate Institute (IHEID) organises its research around 13 main clusters that gather 24 thematics, supported by 13 dedicated research centres. The stated purpose of this structure is to produce knowledge that fosters a better understanding of global problems, and the Institute frames its overall mission as analysing the stakes of globalisation through teaching, research, executive education and forum activities.

How the research structure is organised

The Institute presents its research in two complementary layers:

In practice, this means a broad theme such as international affairs or development is not handled as a single department but broken into clusters, and each cluster bundles several narrower thematics. The centres sit alongside the clusters as the organisational home for sustained research work.

What the clusters and centres actually cover

The website's homepage confirms the counts and the general framing but does not list the individual cluster or centre names in the material available. What it does state is the substantive focus:

• International relations — the politics and practices of international affairs.
• Development — development issues as a core field of analysis.
• Globalisation — the Institute describes itself as a pioneer in exploring global issues and analysing the stakes of globalisation.
• Global problems — research is explicitly aimed at fostering better understanding of these.

For a prospective student or researcher, the practical step is to check the research clusters and centres pages directly on graduateinstitute.ch, since the specific 13 cluster names and 13 centre names are the detail that determines whether your topic fits.

How research connects to teaching and public engagement

Research at the Institute is not isolated from its other activities. The homepage describes four connected strands — teaching, research, executive education and forum activities — all oriented toward global issues. Two concrete examples of research feeding public output:

• "New Dynamics of War" appears as a featured research theme, and the Institute highlights faculty contributing expert analysis and commentary on the war in the Middle East.
• "What Matters Today" is the Institute's podcast series, translating research and editorial perspectives into public discussion.

There is also a publications gateway and an admitted portal listed in the site's main navigation, which are the entry points for accessing research output and internal academic resources respectively.

A reasonable way to use this

If your question is "does IHEID cover my research area," the cluster-and-centre structure is the right map to check: 13 clusters over 24 thematics is broad enough that most international relations and development subfields will fall under one of them, and the 13 centres indicate where concentrated research capacity sits. Start from the research clusters page to identify the thematic match, then look at the corresponding centre for faculty and ongoing projects. Note that the exact cluster and centre names are not reproduced in the homepage material summarised here, so verify them on the site before relying on a specific label.