Home institution: Research Center for International and Strategic Studies

The new Laboratory is a research and innovation hub dedicated to strategic, cross-cutting issues for CISS's international cooperation, with a particular focus on Africa and Latin America. Through a multidisciplinary approach, the Lab aims to develop research, training, and capacity-building initiatives in collaboration with similar organizations and centers abroad. The goal is to positively impact civil society, strengthen local capacities, and promote peace and human security, all while contributing to the CISS's financial sustainability and international expansion.

The Lab aims to delve into crucial research topics, including international mediation, public diplomacy, and conflict mitigation and resolution, with a particular focus on peacebuilding in African and Latin American contexts. With the goal of mapping and identifying Italian excellence in these areas, the Lab aims not only to strengthen capacities in Public Diplomacy, Mediation, and Peacebuilding through capacity building and training, but also to network Italian expertise at the European level, with a particular focus on Track II diplomacy in international crises. In this context, CISS is a candidate to join 3IM – the Italian Initiative on International Mediation. In collaboration with the Directorate-General for Political and Security Affairs (DGAP) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), this initiative is building a roster of mediators known as the RIMI project (Italian Network for International Mediation).