Organizational structure
Director
Research Department
research director
Research centres
Centre for Global Political Economy
The Centre for Global Political Economy studies the mutual entanglement of political and economic power in international relations, the understanding of which is crucial for strategic decision-making of both state and non-state actors in the contemporary globalized world. The centre thus explores the multilevel governance of various global regulatory regimes, and changing production and financial flows, including developmental aid and energy relations. Moreover, we decipher the resultant socioeconomic inequalities and power asymmetries inherent to them among and in the varieties of world regions, national economies, social groups, and also gender relations.
Centre for Governance of Emerging Technologies
The aim of the GET as a field of research is to explore the relationship between technology and international policy from an interdisciplinary perspective, from the theory of international relations, philosophy, and sociology to interaction with international law. Among the key research topics is cyber and space security, with an emphasis on planetary defense, asteroid mining, and the use of power lasers for a variety of space applications ranging from orbit cleaning to breakthrough interstellar travel projects. The Centre deals with activities ranging from basic theoretical research to policy-oriented work (e.g. the formulation of the emergence of an international security regime for the peaceful use of laser technology in space). Its members regularly inform the public in the media, organize public meetings and international workshops that combine technology development and political science, publish policy papers and/or act as experts in addition to carrying out diplomatic missions to the UN and other international organizations.
Centre for International Law
The CIL conducts research in various areas of International Law with the main emphasis being on human rights, international humanitarian law, international criminal law, the use of force, the fight against terrorism and the theory of international law. The results of the Centre's activities are both professional publications and policy-oriented studies. The studies should help the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic to formulate its legal position. These studies are also intended to provide information on international law to the public and the media.
Centre for European Politics
The Centre for European Politics (CEP) studies the processes, institutions and actors of European politics with a special emphasis on security issues and European Integration. We understand European politics as a complex and differentiated field in which interests of transnational institutions, corporations, states, regions and a plethora of non-state actors meet and clash with each other. We study these interactions from an interdisciplinary point of view that combines traditional approaches of European studies, security studies, political science and international relations while incorporating broader historical, social and cultural contexts.
Centre for the Study of Global Regions
The Centre for the Study of Global Regions (CSGR) consists of two research units: Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and the Asia Pacific (AP). While focusing primarily on their own area and issue specialization, the CSGR researchers study actors, institutions, and processes impacting regional politics, states, societies and communities. The Centre’s researchers do not subscribe to a single disciplinary tradition. Instead, they employ theories and methods developed within Comparative Politics, International Relations, Political Economy, Political Sociology, Anthropology, Cultural Studies and related disciplines. This allows research projects carried out at the CSGR to explore different levels of regional politics, ranging from the dynamics of domestic political arenas to complex entanglements of regional actors with global political and economic structures. As it is aware of its own positionality as a Prague-based institution, critical reflection of Czech and European debates on the Middle East and Asia is an indivisible part of the Centre’s research agenda.
Research Infrastructure
Projects and Research Support Unit
The Projects and Research Support Unit falls under the Research Department. It provides comprehensive project management ranging from searching for suitable domestic and foreign grant titles to the monitoring and billing of implemented projects. The Unit participates in the communication with the grant providers, and the preparation of projects, annual reports and budget overviews. The Unit also provides administrative support related to the day-to-day running of the Research Department, which includes tasks such as organizing meetings or processing foreign trips. At the same time, it prepares documents for the evaluation of the institution according to the Methodology for Evaluating Research Organisations 17+, including those for reporting of outputs to the “RIV“ (Registry of Information about Results). The Projects and Research Support Unit regularly monitors the status of how researchers are meeting the minimum qualification criteria.
Department of operations and external relations
Director of operations and external relations
Communication Unit
Our communication manager is responsible for spreading far and wide what projects our researchers are working on and their outputs in applied and basic research, and how and where do they influence the discourse of international relations. She is also responsible for building relationships with the media, journalists, and partnered institutions. She oversees our website, our social networks, and coediting interns. If you are interested in our expertise, need an interview, or a commentary with one of our experts, don’t hesitate to contact her.
Conference Unit
Either independently or in cooperation with local and foreign think-tanks, universities, embassies, or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Conference Department hosts tens of scientific and educational events. It specializes in seminars, lectures, and conferences on international relations, foreign policy, and diplomacy. A couple of times a year the Conference Department also hosts exhibitions and openings with discussions or baptisms of the latest books published by IIR researchers. In the long term, it has been trying to connect the general public with experts and thus cultivate a debate on current global topics.
Publishing Department
The IIR Publishing Department takes care of the correct form (language and graphic) of text outputs for all sections of the Institute, e.g. policy outputs (policy papers, policy briefs, reports, ...) of our researchers, newsletters of the Conference Department, and administrative documents. It is editorially involved in the preparation of magazines (International Relations, International Politics) and books. It provides bindings to small prints, consultations (price calculations or technical and production issues) and manages a warehouse of books, magazines, and an editorial archive.
Vladimír Trojánek
Otto Pick Library of International Relations
The library of the IIR is one of the largest specialized public libraries in the field of international studies in the Czech Republic. It systematically collects materials on Czech foreign policy, international relations and security, international organizations, and country-specific materials into its fund. It cooperates with several Czech, but mainly foreign professional libraries and information institutions. The library is a member of the European Information Network of International Relations and Regional Studies (EINIRAS) http://www.einiras.org/, an association of European research institutions dealing with information and documentation in the field of international relations in research and political practice.
Economics Unit
The Economics Department ensures the preparation and control of the budget, accounting, reporting, and statistics. Other tasks and duties include processing grants, preparing financial statements, taking care of asset records, taxes, depreciation, and receivables. It regularly inventories assets, liabilities, and receivables. It calculates wages and taxes for the employees of the IIR, registers them for social and health insurance, and carries out annual tax and wage settlements.
Eva Matyášová
Human Resources
The Human Resources (HR) section of the IIR is responsible for managing the employee life cycle. It prepares and manages recruiting, hiring, and onboarding employees, maintain employee records for the entire duration of the employment relationship, and support employee career growth. The HR section works closely with the economic section to prepare payroll and remuneration processing for employees and external partners of the IIR.
Building Operations
The task of the building administrator is to oversee its operation in technical and administrative terms. He ensures the proper functioning of all building technologies, provides furniture, repairs of the systems, and their regular service. According to the applicable laws, he ensures the revision of technologies, carries out cleaning inspections, trains employees in the work safety protocols, and manages individual facilities. As a safety engineer, he checks OSHA compliance and eliminates found deficiencies. At the same time, he ensures the operation of the company car, including its maintenance.
Zdeněk Kratochvíl
Secretariat
The secretariat prepares official correspondence and arranges meetings of the management. Secretariat also organizes the meetings of the Board and the Supervisory Board and provides minutes of the meetings. The secretariat is responsible for contracts, agreements, internal file agenda and directives and decisions of the director and other administrative tasks.
Jana Javed
IIR Board
The IIR Board proposes the appointment of the Director of the IIR, sets the directions of the IIR's activities in accordance with the charter, approves the budget, internal regulations, and annual reports, and also discusses draft research plans and contracts. IIR Board Members are elected by IIR researchers from among themselves (internal members) and from among specialists who are members of other institutions (external members).
Federica Cristani
Jan Kovář
Alica Kizeková
Daniel Šitera
Asya Metodieva
Jaroslav Kurfürst
Dagmar Vorlíček
Clément Steuer
Kateřina Krulišová
Ondřej Slačálek
Ondřej Beránek
The Supervisory Board
The powers (competences/authority) and tasks of the Supervisory Board are mainly related to the supervision of the activities, management and disposal of the assets of the Institute. The members of the Supervisory Board are appointed and recalled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. The Board's members include both representatives of the founder, and representatives of employees of the Institute.
Jiří Kozák
Jaromír Plíšek
Jan Šnaidauf
Jiří Schneider
Alena Kochová
Ethics Committee
The Ethics Committee is an advisory body to the Director of the Institute. The Committee deals independently, with any initiative that is notified to it. The members of the Committee are nominated by the employees of the Institute. The Committee shall be appointed and dismissed by the Director. A meeting of the Commission is not public. The Committee may invite independent experts to attend its meeting.
Ethical Committee for Research
The Ethical Committee for Research is an advisory body to the Director of the Institute, which oversees compliance with the Institute’s Research Ethics Code by researchers. The Committee is appointed by the Director of the Institute. The Commission has at least three members.
Researchers, external associates and interns of the Institute are governed by the Research Ethics Code and the Departmental Internal Anti-Corruption Program of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and affiliated organisations.
