News Archive

PRIO Research Professor Håvard Hegre has been awarded a prestigious Hernes-CAS Mobility Grant to develop a new research project exploring whether the long-term global trend towards more peaceful politics is continuing or beginning to reverse.

The 2026 Oscarsborg Symposium gathered leaders and experts from business, government, and research to examine the critical roles and conditions of businesses in defense and preparedness.

"Today’s Nobel Peace Prize award to Navi Pillay is a solid and timely choice by the Nobel Committee. It highlights how a stable and legal world order is necessary to promote peace, and puts accountability at the centre of peace processes.

PRIO is seeking a new Director to lead the institute. We are looking for an engaged and unifying leader who will contribute to strengthening peace research nationally and internationally.

Several PRIO researchers feature in the 2026 edition of the Stanford / loannidis Author Ranking, a widely used global index identifying the most-cited researchers across scientific disciplines.

PRIO Senior Researcher Jonas Vestby has been awarded funding from the European Research Council(ERC) for a groundbreaking study on how artificial intelligence and knowledge graphs can transform the way peace and conflict data is connected, understood and used.

PRIO recently hosted a national network gathering that brought together people from more than 20 Balanse+ projects from universities, colleges and research institutes across Norway.

Today, the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) released the beta version of PRIO-GRID 3.0, a major redevelopment of its widely used infrastructure for integrating and analyzing spatial data.

The PRIO Research School on Peace and Conflict hosted researchers from Masaryk University and the University of Helsinki for an academic skills course.

PRIO Acting Director Haakon Gjerløw published his updated list for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, which includes Save the Children and the International Space Station.

Ole Magnus Gaalaas-Hansen has won the 2026 Gløbius Award for his Master's thesis in Political Science, titled Foreign Experts in Autocratic Media: A Study of Modern Russian Propaganda Strategies.

Europe is not just rearming; it is redefining the role of defence industries in security innovation and European cooperation.

Senior Researcher Louise Olsson participated in a workshop organized by European Peacebuilding Liaison Office, September 21-23. The workshop concluded with concrete suggestions for the upcoming revision of the EU’s WPS Action Plan to the EEAS.

Leading decision-makers, business representatives, experts and researchers from across the Nordic region will gather at Oscarsborg Fortress on 1-2 October 2026 for the second annual Oscarsborg Symposium on Nordic Security. Hosted by PRIO.

Norwegians see Israel, Russia, the United States and Iran as the countries most likely to contribute to a future war involving one or more great powers, according to the Annual PRIO Survey on Norwegian Perceptions of War and Peace.

Almost one in five women globally were living within 50 kilometres of a deadly conflict event in 2025, according to a new report from the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO).

In August, PRIO Senior Researcher Louise Olsson contributed to a seminar for senior leaders in the Norwegian Navy.

Russian job applicants who disclose they voluntarily served Ukraine war are significantly less likely to hear back from employers than men who completed routine military conscription, according to a new article published in the Journal of Peace Research.

Statement from Haakon Gjerløw, Acting Director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO).

The idea that satellites can help build peace is no longer a distant vision. In July, PRIO convened leading voices from the humanitarian, diplomatic, scientific and space communities for the conference "Satellites for Peace: An idea whose time has come".

EuroMeSCo gathers to tackle geopolitical competition, corridor politics and crisis across the Euro-Mediterranean space during the Annual Conference in Cyrus this past June.

Research Professor Jørgen Carling's article 'Why Do People Migrate? Fresh Takes on the Foundational Question of Migration Studies' is the most-read article in the leading journal in migration studies.

PRIO Research Professor Simon Reid-Henry convened a high-level ministerial meeting of the Coalition of Governments on Global Public Investment, an initiative he launched with partners at the United Nations Financing for Development IV Conference in 2025.

The workshop was hosted by the Post-Conflict Research Centre in Sarajevo, bringing together 16 researchers and practitioners from across Europe.

The number of armed conflicts fought directly between states doubled in 2025, reaching the highest level recorded in over 80 years, according to PRIO’s annual report mapping global conflict trends.

Ane has successfully defended her MA thesis at the University of Oslo on the 5th of June 2026.

The Norwegian Centre for International Economics (NORCIE) was officially launched today in Oslo, bringing together leading researchers from across Norway to address some of the most pressing challenges facing the international economy.

Kristine successfully defended her master's thesis, titled "When Schools Become Targets: Why Some Armed Groups Attack Education."

Following an external academic evaluation, the PRIO Board has awarded Research Professor competence to Bruno

Ole Magnus has successfully defended his MA thesis at the University of Oslo on the 11th of June 2026.

Amalie Nilsen has today defended her PhD thesis: 'The Protest Paradox: The Role of Mass Mobilization in Promoting and Challenging Liberal Democracy '

PRIO contributes research insights to the NATO Committee on Gender Perspectives (NCGP)’s innovative efforts on gender perspectives in whole-of-society approaches and civilian protection.

As World Refugee Day 2026 is being marked, it is worth pointing to the strong foundations that exist based on research, which can inform policy at a time when humanitarian needs are pressing, while border control practices lead to migrant deaths.

Elisabeth has successfully defended her MA thesis at the University of Oslo on the 12th of June 2026.

PRIOs Senior Researcher Jonas Vestby has been awarded a NOK 2 million grant to explore a radical new approach to conflict data.

The 2026 Summer School has commenced with an introductory day at PRIO. Participants were welcomed by the course coordinators, Malika Rakhmankulova and Maria Helena Chavez-Aagaard, together with PRIO’s Acting Director, Haakon Gjerløw.

PRIO is proud to announce the publication of a special issue of Journal of Global Security Studies, guest-edited by Nils Petter Gleditsch and Gerald Schneider.

The PRIO Peace Research course, part of the University of Oslo's International Summer School since 1969, is experiencing peaked interest in 2026.

His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon of Norway visited PRIO today for a series of briefings on pressing global challenges, including developments in the Middle East, emerging technologies, migration and the human consequences of war.

PRIO has been awarded four framework agreements with the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the period 2026–2030, strengthening the Institute’s role as a leading provider of research-based knowledge for Norwegian foreign and development policy.

The PRIO Research School on Peace and Conflict hosted doctoral candidates at the PhD-level course “Advanced Qualitative Methods in Conflict Studies”, May 4-8, 2026.

On 18 May 2026, Amara Thiha successfully defended his doctoral thesis “The Ritual State: The Cultural Infrastructure of Political Authority in Myanmar” at the University of Coimbra.

Marianne Dahl has been appointed Acting Deputy Director at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO).

PRIO’s first European Security Week brought together researchers and experts for a series of debates on the future of European security. 

Norwegian security is undergoing profound change—from diversifying strategic partnerships to reorganising local preparedness. This was the focus of the 2026 Security Forum South.

PRIO has developed a new EU Matchmaking Guide to support organisations preparing project proposals under Horizon Europe in identifying relevant researchers.

As part of the NORHED II project Partnership for Peace: Better Higher Education for Resilient Societies , PRIO and the PRIO Centre on Gender, Peace and Security hosted a PhD-level course on Gender, Peace and Conflict, from May 27 to 29. 

Historian and PRIO Research Professor Hilde Henriksen Waage has been awarded the 2026 Freedom of Expression Prize by the Fritt Ord Foundation, in recognition of her decades-long commitment to critical, research-based inquiry and public debate.

The Barcelona Summer School of the Mediterranean and the Middle East is a joint initiative co-organized by IBEI, Catalonia International and IEMed.

Today we mourn the loss of our dear colleague, Chief Accountant Lorna Quilario Sandberg, who passed away 15 April 2026.

AsiaTech investigates how AI stabilizes autocracies and destabilizes democracies, exploring how state and non-state actors manipulate public opinion, conduct surveillance, and suppress dissent.

A seminar on localization efforts and refugee-led assistance was held on 23 April at Vega Scene.

Women’s Empowerment in Peace Processes (EMPOW) and Women’s Activities in Armed Rebellion (WAAR) research teams met for a workshop on the role of data in promoting gender-equal peace.

The PRIO Board and Nina Græger have agreed that she will step down as Director of PRIO as of 30 April.

PRIO’s Cindy Horst and Greta Glas are on the advisory board for the 5-year exhibition series on peace at the Nobel Peace Centre. The first exhibition opened on 23 April and is called Paths to Peace.

Screening of the film Filling the Gap or Taking the Lead?

In line with Norway’s Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), the Ministry of Defense organized an internal seminar on WPS and gender equality in total defense on 28 January. PRIO's Louise Olsson presented her research.

On Friday 6 March PRIO GPS Centre director Torunn L. Tryggestad was invited to speak at a breakfast seminar organised by Unio (The Confederation of Unions for Professionals) marking International Women's Day.

Jason Hartwig has been awarded the Nils Petter Gleditsch Article of the Year Award for his journal article entitled 'The end of rebel rule: Biased peacekeeping interventions and social order'.

Justin V Hastings and David Ubilava have been awarded the Journal of Peace Research 'Best Visualization Award' for their journal article entitled 'Agricultural roots of social conflict in Southeast Asia'.

A new study published in The Lancet journal, co-authored by PRIO Research Professor Håvard Hegre, finds that the human cost of the conflict in the Gaza Strip was significantly higher than previously recorded by local health authorities.

PRIO-led research backs up warning to the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM)

Today PRIO's Director announced her list for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.

On 24-26 March the PRIO Centre on Gender, Peace and Security organised a workshop on 'Civil Society’s Role in Monitoring Ceasefire Agreements and other Conflict-Related Agreements'.

PRIO participated in Arctic Frontiers 2026, the annual multi-stakeholder conference held in Tromsø, Norway.

PRIO invites applications for a three-year, full-time position as Doctoral Researcher.

How should we concretely understand the relationship between gender equality and total defence, and how can we better connect the international, national, and local levels to effectively protect and promote women’s rights?

PRIO is excited to announce that its two flagship journals, Journal of Peace Research and Security Dialogue, are now being published by Oxford University Press.

PRIO has recently secured several external research grants, highlighting strong confidence in the Institute’s research and its relevance to pressing global challenges.

Zahara Sakor has today defended her PhD thesis titled: ‘Unlocking Africa’s Demographic Future: Youth Bulges, State Policies, and Pathways to Dividend and Political Stability’

PRIO is offering a PhD-level course examining how gender shapes all phases of the conflict cycle—from conflict risk and prevention to mediation and peacemaking.