The Tampere Peace Research Institute (TAPRI)

TAPRI was founded in Tampere in 1969 by the Finnish parliament and it set to work in the following year. Initially part of the Finnish Ministry of Education, TAPRI became part of the University of Tampere as an own, independent research unit in 1994. In 2011 TAPRI joined the School of Social sciences and Humanities and from 2017 the Faculty of Social Sciences, retaining its independent status as a research institute.

In addition to its extensive research, international cooperation has become an essential part of TAPRI's activities since its inception. During the first years the institute focused on both cooperation within the Nordic countries and on participation in research projects of the United Nations and its specialized agencies. TAPRI has been also active in international umbrella organizations such as the International Peace Research Association (IPRA) and the European Peace Research Association (EuPRA). Today, TAPRI's core tasks consist of publishing, advising and consulting and international cooperation in the fields of peace, conflict and security. The institute's expertise has been used by a variety of different authorities, especially various ministries such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, of Education and of Defense. Individuals have also turned to TAPRI for advice. Furthermore, the institute's researchers have been active in teaching in the field of peace and conflict research.

Since 2012, TAPRI is running its very own multidisciplinary Master's Degree Programme in Peace, Mediation and Conflict Research (PEACE) with students attending from all over the world and with a variety of different academic backgrounds. The PEACE programme provides a multi- and interdisciplinary approach to peace and conflict research. The programme focuses not only on the study of conflict but primarily on its transformation and on the conditions for peaceful change. In the programme, it is examined, for example, how violent conflicts, ethnic and religious discrimination and human rights violations produce forced displacement and how different actors can respond to these crisis situations. Special emphasis is given to various tools and phases of conflict transformation -- peacebuilding, mediation, reconciliation and dialogue. More than just the study of conflict dynamics, the emphasis of the programme lies on the transformation of violent conflicts to achieve sustainable peace. Along with the Nordic tradition of peace research, the programme aims to take a holistic as well as a normative approach.