The center s expertise has made it an important resource for public administrators and the media, and the center functions as a political consultant to the Swiss Federal Government. Due to steady growth in research activities and an increasing number of tasks and functions it undertakes, the center now has a staff of about 60 persons working in research, teaching, administration, the electronic information services, the reference library, and documentation. The library is an important source of information in the fields of international relations, security politics, and conflict research. Research Projects Research work at the center follows a broad, interdisciplinary approach appropriate to the real-world analysis of security policy and conflict management. Research is based upon an expanded conception of security that transcends traditional military conceptions to encompass political, economic, social, cultural, regional, and ecological aspects.
Research is conducted by project teams, and members of the center also pursue individual projects.
The projects are carried out in cooperation with international and national partners. Teaching The teaching activities of the professors at the Center for Security Studies and Conflict Research are integrated within the Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences at the ETH Zurich. The Center makes innovative use of new information technology in order to facilitate access to basic and further educational services and to promote communication among faculty and students. The center s development of computer-assisted learning programs for social scientists has made it a world pioneer in the field. The Center for Security Studies and Conflict Research develops and maintains the International Relations and Security Network .