Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS), Berlin

The Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS) is a recently founded, independent research instute with an international and interdisciplinary outlook. It began work in October 2016.

The institute aims to conduct and communicate medium-term policy-relevant academic research. Our focus is regional, but our research aims to attain the highest international standards and to be an integral part of cutting-edge academic and policy debates.

ZOiS applies a flexible definition of ‘Eastern Europe’ in order to avoid replicating the common division of labour inside national governments and EU institutions – most notably a separation based on the countries’ relations with the EU. The ability to work thematically and comparatively rather than on a country-by-country basis, the aim to identify and fill gaps in our understanding of Eastern Europe, and the need to react to political developments require greater flexibility than predetermined geographical or political categorizations allow. The post-Soviet space, however, is an area of special interest for ZOiS research.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has underlined the political salience of the wider region of Eastern Europe. In a climate of political uncertainty, our research starts with a sound understanding of national and local political, societal and economic developments. This in-depth research will be placed in the context of broader regional and global trends. Our aim is for our empirical and conceptual findings to provide a basis for informed and forward-looking policy-making.

The first two thematic priority areas at ZOiS are ‘Stability and Change of Political Regimes’ and ‘The Dynamics of Conflict’. Junior and Senior Researchers work as teams within each of the priority areas. Further themes will be defined, staffed and developed in due course.

ZOiS does not treat Eastern Europe merely as an object of study. We do not only work on the region, but with the region. We actively engage with research and researchers in Eastern Europe. We seek to support the next generation of analysts with regional expertise in Germany and beyond.

We are a network hub for universities, research institutes, think tanks, foundations and NGOs working on Eastern Europe. On this basis ZOiS communicates the relevance and diversity of the region to the wider public.