The Research Centre for East European Studies at the University of Bremen is one of the leading academic area studies institutes on its region in Germany and Europe. Its work focuses on contemporary history and current affairs. Research at the Department of Politics and Economics focuses on the impact of non-state actors on political decision-making processes in post-socialist societies. The centre hosts a unique archive of materials documenting oppositional movements in Central and Eastern Europe and a library.

The Research Centre devotes much attention to the training of doctoral students and it is a partner of the Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences (www.bigsss.uni-bremen.de), which is funded among others by the Excellence Initiative of the German Federal and State Governments and offers a structured three year-long training programme for doctoral students with a strong focus on research methods.

Staff