Projects & Initiatives

The School of Government and International Affairs engages in many initiatives within the research areas and aims of the School. Many of the initiatives have an international audience while making an impact at the national level as well. If you are interested in any of the School's initiatives or want to engage in a project, contact us at +44 (0)191 334 5656.

Durham Global Security Institute is the premier institute focusing on Defence Development and Diplomacy, emphasising human security and conflict prevention. We offer a Masters programme, Professional Development courses, Pre-deployment and Customised courses, and have an extensive Research programme.

The ‘al-Sabah Programme’ has been established to enable cutting-edge interdisciplinary research which aims to improve understanding of the security of sovereign nations, in particular the smaller and more vulnerable states in the Middle East and beyond.

The Programme is led by the Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah Chair who drives the research agenda of the Programme. The Programme also organises international conferences and symposia; and aims, through its publication series, to disseminate the best new and innovative research and analysis on regional politics and related security matters.

EU-27 Single Market in the Global Economy

A Research Grant funded by the University Association for Contemporary European Studies. The 2008/09 global economic crisis which followed the collapse of large sections of the financial industry in the US and a number of EU member states has fundamentally altered the parameters of the Single European Market. This network will monitor national and EU level policy responses to the economic crisis and concentrate particularly on the economies of the United Kingdom, Germany and the two new Central and Eastern member states Poland and Hungary.

The Durham Islamic Finance Programme has offered postgraduate research degrees in Islamic banking, finance, management and economics for over 25 years. The Programme has sought to extend its activities into the professional realm and be one of the leading centres for postgraduate research on Islamic economics and finance through postgraduate degrees, summer school, conferences and publication. Recent initiatives have allowed Durham University to launch a designated Islamic Finance Doctoral Training Centre, and prospective MA students should consult the Durham Business School Finance Masters web page for further information, and for PhD enquiries these should be made to the Durham Business School PhD programmes who deal with the application process.