The SNIS promotes academic research in the interdisciplinary area of international studies with an interest in phenomena that transcend traditional nation-state boundaries.

It supports different perspectives by valuing contributions from a diverse group of academic researchers including political scientists, economists, legal scholars, social and cultural anthropologists, historians, sociologists, geographers, environmental and public health scientists, as well as other academics.

Thematic areas of interest include environment, development, health, human rights, and education, among others, as well as topics such as international and civil wars, sustainable development, public health, migration and refugees, gender issues, globalisation, trade and financial markets, human and cultural rights, and European politics. 

The Swiss Network for International Studies (SNIS) was founded in 2008 as the successor institution of the former Geneva International Academic Network (GIAN).

While the former GIAN was mostly active in Geneva due to the mandatory research collaboration with international organisations, the SNIS was set up by joint decision by the Canton of Geneva and the Swiss Confederation (State Secretariat of Research and Education) with the mandate to extend its activities and funding activities to academic institutions and researchers all over Switzerland.

The SNIS has been set up according to a contract concluded between the University of Geneva and the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, which are the founding institutions. Its legal statute is a “société simple”.

Partner institutions involved in the activities and decision-making process are:

• Center for Comparative and International Studies, Zürich
• World Trade Institute, Bern
• Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel
• School of Management, Economics, Law, Social Sciences and International Affairs, St. Gallen