Research in Politics & International Relations

We build capacity for research and impact through local, national and international collaborations, partnerships and networks. These bring valuable research skills, knowledge and perspectives, as well as access to major datasets, new research users and a wider range of partner organisations. 

Our researchers are involved in at least 42 collaborative projects, involving more than 30 research institutions in 17 different countries across every continent. Our collaborations take several different forms, from research centres and networks to multi-dimensional international partnerships and large-scale research projects. 

Our research centres are fundamentally collaborative and have successfully led five major interdisciplinary, international bids for external funding projects, involving nine universities in eight countries. Since 2014, we have led and participated in collaborative international projects with a total value of over £8.4m. 

Building relationships with non-academic partners is crucial to achieving our goal of helping to understand and address Scottish, UK and international political problems. Our support has enabled colleagues to build and sustain relationships in multiple ways: 

In Scotland, we work closely with the Scottish Government, Parliament and NGOs via leading roles on advisory bodies and in stakeholder forums. 

In the UK, we have developed relationships with colleagues in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Ministry of Defence over many years of collaboration through secondments and joint events. 

Internationally, we have forged relationships with governmental bodies and NGOs through active involvement in policy networks, such as the Council of Europe, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Oxfam, European Court of Human Rights and Democracy International. 

Interested in collaborating with us? Find out more about our research interests.