As of last Spring 2019, IISE has officially partnered up with the US Department of State for their Diplomacy Lab project. The Diplomacy Lab project is a public-private partnership, launched in 2013, that enables the State Department to “course-source” research related to foreign policy challenges by harnessing the efforts of students and faculty experts at colleges and universities across the United States. The participating US institutions conduct studies or research around numerous topics in many areas that are presented to them by the Department, including higher education capacity development, human rights, global health, agriculture, and women empowerment, among others.
IISE won the bid on a project to work with colleges and universities in Greece, mediated by the Department of State, on the issues of university’s enterpreneurship. The title of the project is "From Research to Revenue: US Best Practices in Connecting Educational Institutions with the Market".
Essentials in this project are the elements of engagement and education, which perfectly fit into the IISE Visions and Missions. The project facilitates students and faculty members with a mechanism to participate in the policy consultancy work of the State Department. Participating students and faculty members have a chance to explore real-world challenges in policy-making and policy-developing process, while contributing to the Department’s public diplomacy goals.