IAI will play a lead role as scientific coordinator and group leader in three new research projects funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme. The projects will analyse current and future trends in EU-Turkey relations, European policy in the Mediterranean region and broader geopolitical developments in the Middle East and North Africa.

IAI’s leadership role in these projects stands as a testament to the Institute’s contributions to EU policy research on Mediterranean affairs and in recognition of IAI’s proven experience as a lead coordinator in large cooperative projects.

Each project will last for three years and involve cooperative work with a broad network of research centres and partner institutions from Europe, Turkey and the Middle East and North Africa. Deliverables will include a vast number of new publications, ranging from academic studies to policy papers and edited volumes, and a number of international conferences and workshops held in various locations around the Mediterranean region.

The three projects are:

- The future of EU-Turkey relations: Mapping dynamics and testing scenarios – FEUTURE [2];

- A comprehensive, integrated, and bottom-up approach to reset our understanding of the Mediterranean space, remap the region, and reconstruct inclusive, responsive, and flexible EU policies in it – MEDRESET [3];

- Middle East and North Africa regional architecture: Mapping geopolitical shifts, regional order and domestic transformations – MENARA [4].