Research

The Finnish Institute in the Middle East, Damascus, is an academic institute with its own but limited research activities. The main objective of Institute’s research activities is to support the Middle East Studies in the Finnish Universities. Within the scope of Institute’s research the Middle East is defined broadly as a geographic region including the Arabic speaking countries of the North Africa as well as Turkey and the Persian Gulf.

At the moment the Institute’s research personnel consist of the Director.

One of the new activities of the Institute is to enhance the Middle East Studies in Finland by organizing a Colloquium of the Middle East Studies in Helsinki in September 2011 where the Finnish and Finland based Middle East scholars of different disciplines are invited to present their research topics and discuss and network on the Middle East Studies in Finland. The plan is to organize a Colloquium on annual basis.

Other academic research supporting and facilitating activities are strengthening the co-operation with the Finnish Academic Institutes in Rome http://www.irfrome.org/ and Athens http://www.finninstitute.gr/ as well as facilitating enhancement of scientific co-operation and exchange between the Finnish universities and the universities in the Middle East countries.