GIGA Annual Report 2015

Abstract

We received the results of our Leibniz evaluation last year, which commended the GIGA "for developing outstandingly in recent years." We were proud of the strong support that the report expresses for all the work that our research and support staff do at the GIGA. But we did not rest on our laurels. Internally, through intensive discussions and debate, we developed the concept of "truly global research" that will help bring together our diverse projects and agendas under a shared umbrella. We sharpened our profile with a recalibration of our research programmes to use existing complementarities and develop new synergies. We revamped our GIGA Focus series with the aim of improving the accessibility of our scholarship for practitioners and other relevant constituencies. Our scholars continued to publish in highly-ranked academic outlets. Externally, we broadened and deepened our interactions with practitioners, particularly with the Federal Foreign Office. Our major contributions to enhancing Hamburg as an international intellectual hub included our new Distinguished Speaker Lecture Series and our inaugural Global Transitions Conference. We were also very pleased to launch our collaboration with NDR, the North German broadcasting corporation, on a new programme series where foreign correspondents and GIGA scholars discuss key topical issues together. This Annual Report presents some of the highlights of 2015.