Main
Challenges
IBEI currently faces multiple challenges that require a clear strategic direction. Some of these challenges are internal in nature and relate to the Institute’s development and rapid expansion in recent years, while others stem from external forces and structural transformations to which IBEI must respond effectively and strategically. We have identified four key challenges: internally, the key issues revolve around consolidating the Institute’s identity and managing its organisational growth; externally, the focus is on the challenges posed by artificial intelligence as a transformative technology and the rapid reconfiguration of the global geopolitical landscape.
PLAN ESTRATÉGICO 2026-2031
1
IBEI’s identity
IBEI has undergone significant development in recent years, with growth that has brought greater visibility and capacity, but which has also highlighted existing tensions surrounding the Institute’s identity. Since its foundation twenty years ago, IBEI has established itself as a leading research-oriented graduate school in international studies, combining academic excellence with growing visibility and institutional capacity.
The main challenge regarding identity facing IBEI lies in how to articulate a coherent and distinctive institutional model that maximises its social impact and public relevance, whilst reinforcing its profile as a research institute and graduate school. Research and teaching are fundamental pillars of the Institute that feed into one another, and these activities are geared towards generating knowledge, skills and perspectives. While research and teaching already contribute to public debate, we must better articulate their contribution to policy development and social transformation at local, European and global levels.
In this context, strengthening the link between research and teaching remains essential, but must be explicitly embedded within a broader commitment to social engagement and impact. This involves recognising knowledge transfer and dissemination as integral components of IBEI’s academic mission. Developing systematic approaches to knowledge transfer, policy engagement and dialogue with different stakeholders are essential to ensure that IBEI’s work resonates beyond academic circles and reinforces its public value. Our ability to develop robust strategies that enable us to articulate and align these three pillars – research, teaching and social engagement – is a fundamental challenge. To consolidate a strong identity and achieve greater recognition, the Institute must revitalise governance structures that promote coherence, quality and accountability across all these dimensions. Addressing this challenge during the 2026–2031 period will be crucial to reinforcing the IBEI’s distinctive profile.
2
Organisational development
In just a few years, IBEI has evolved from a small, highly personalised school of international studies into a medium-sized academic institution, with a wide range of academic programmes, a growing and increasingly diverse faculty, and a solid track record of externally funded research. This growth reflects the Institute’s academic success and its increased visibility, but it also marks a turning point in its organisational development.
This phase of growth has created new organisational and governance challenges in meeting the expectations of the IBEI academic community. Management needs have increased, coordination between academic and administrative units has become more complex, and procedures require greater digitalisation. Consequently, this expansion demands specific improvements in efficiency, coordination and institutional capacity.
The challenge, therefore, is not only to manage growth, but to drive progress on the IBEI’s strategic priorities. This includes strengthening professional support functions, clarifying roles and decision-making processes, and introducing procedures that improve coordination without compromising flexibility or academic autonomy.
This Strategic Plan addresses this challenge by providing clear guidance and concrete objectives for the gradual introduction of organisational and governance improvements. It also aims to preserve the entrepreneurial spirit and collaborative ethos that characterised the early years of IBEI. Balancing professionalisation, initiative and institutional cohesion is, therefore, a central objective that articulates the different components of this Plan.
3
Integrating and applying
AI technologies
The rapid development and spread of artificial intelligence (AI) is profoundly transforming the production, management and dissemination of knowledge, as well as professional practices within organisations and, more generally, across society as a whole. AI is becoming an integral part of academic work, education and institutional management, with significant implications for how knowledge is created, evaluated and transmitted. At IBEI, as in many higher education institutions, the adoption of AI technologies has spread mainly from the bottom up, driven by students, researchers and management staff, who have begun to incorporate these tools into research, teaching and administrative tasks. Although the gains in productivity and efficiency have been significant, there are also many issues at stake.
Whilst expectations surrounding AI and its potential applications in knowledge-related activities are considerable, integrating it also poses significant challenges regarding its regulation and ethical principles. For IBEI as an academic institution, the key challenge is how to harness the benefits of AI whilst safeguarding human agency, academic integrity and institutional trust. This requires efforts to avoid both the uncritical adoption of AI technologies and the feeling of uncertainty or mistrust regarding their use in research, learning, assessment and management processes.
To address this challenge, IBEI must develop a coherent institutional approach to AI that combines clear guidance and oversight with spaces for reflection, experimentation and debate. IBEI must ensure that the use of AI in all its activities is transparent, fair and accountable, and aligned with recognised best practices in higher education and research worldwide. The Institute also has the opportunity to draw on its expertise in international governance, ethics and public policy to contribute to broader debates on the geopolitical implications of AI, positioning itself as a knowledgeable and responsible actor in this rapidly expanding field.
As a graduate school, IBEI has a particular responsibility to integrate AI thoughtfully into its teaching approaches. This involves equipping students and researchers with the skills needed to use AI tools critically and responsibly, whilst reinforcing core academic competencies such as independent thinking, methodological rigour and ethical judgement.
4
Global geopolitical
transformations
In the current era, the world is undergoing rapid and multidimensional transformations, driven by a combination of geopolitical conflicts, power rivalries and increasingly complex normative disputes, as well as by profound technological, economic and social changes. Armed conflicts, strategic competition between great powers, the erosion of multilateral institutions and the strong growth of authoritarian and populist movements are reshaping the international order, challenging long-established assumptions about global governance and multilateral cooperation. At the same time, new technological advances, particularly in artificial intelligence and surveillance technologies, are altering the nature of power, sovereignty and security, whilst accelerating the speed and scale at which political decisions are taken and conflicts resolved. Economic transformations, including the uneven effects of globalisation, the reconfiguration of supply chains, financial volatility and growing inequalities both within and between countries, are intensifying these tensions and redefining the terms of international engagement. These dynamics are creating a more fragmented, unstable and contested global landscape, in which international relations and global governance frameworks are under increasing pressure and must adapt to address new uncertainties and shifts in forms of interdependence.
IBEI must address these transformations as a fundamental and defining challenge, both in its research activities and in the design and delivery of its teaching activities. In an increasingly complex and uncertain international environment, it is essential to contribute to a deeper understanding of current global trends, pin order to provide analytical tools that enable students and other interested audiences to identify and interpret current transformations with greater precision. No less important is IBEI’s commitment to contributing to the identification and development of effective solutions that can sustain and expand the provision of public goods worldwide, at a time when international cooperation and global collective action are under severe pressure.
To achieve these objectives, IBEI must continue to produce leading research in its areas of expertise, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue. At the same time, it is essential to disseminate up-to-date, rigorous and politically relevant knowledge among stakeholders, practitioners and the general public, thereby strengthening the link between academic research and societal needs. To strengthen its global profile, IBEI must also continue to promote internal diversity, ensuring a continuous flow of multiple voices and perspectives from around the world. Finally, IBEI has a fundamental responsibility to develop critical thinking skills that enable a pluralistic and in-depth understanding of contemporary international issues and the historical, political, economic and social contexts that shape them. Through this integrated approach, IBEI can consolidate its role as a leading institution in the analysis, teaching and public debate on global and international affairs, whilst promoting its social and political impact by providing knowledge, expertise and critical perspectives that guide decision-making and shape responses to global challenges.