Geneva International Academic Network

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The Geneva International Academic Network (GIAN) was subsumed by the Swiss Network for International Studies (SNIS) in late 2007 which assumes the mission, the rights and the responsibilities of the GIAN. The new organisation was created by the University of Geneva and the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID) in collaboration with the Centre for Comparative and International Studies of ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich, the World Trade Institute in Bern, the Swiss Tropical Institute in Basel, and the University of St.Gallen.

The GIAN (also known by its French acronym RUIG: Réseau universitaire international de Genève) was an international research network founded by the University of Geneva, the Graduate Institute of International Studies (GIIS/IUHEI) and the Graduate Institute of Development Studies (GIDS/IUED). These last two organisations have been merged into the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies. Various international organizations, notably the UN Office at Geneva and the International Committee of the Red Cross, also participated significantly in the network's establishment. The GIAN benefited from the collaborative and financial support of the Swiss Federal Department of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Education of the Canton of Geneva.

The GIAN goal was to create partnerships between various organisations and groups, principally academic institutions and international organisations to further the role of Geneva and Switzerland in the service of peace and justice. One of the GIAN's primary objectives was to promote research and academic activities that combined the talents available within international organisations and the academic community in Geneva. Providing financial assistance to practical and action-oriented activities in the area of international relations, particularly those containing a strong research component, was a specific characteristic of this academic network.