Mirovni inštitut

What Mirovni inštitut does

Mirovni inštitut (Peace Institute – Institute for Contemporary Social and Political Studies) is an independent, privately-owned non-profit research organization founded in 1991 in Ljubljana, Slovenia, by eleven intellectuals and civil society activists in the aftermath of the Yugoslav wars. Originally focused on peace studies, the institute has expanded into five thematic fields: Human Rights and Minorities, Politics, Media, Gender, and Cultural Policy. It operates as both a research producer and a public-interest advocacy organization, with a stated mission of addressing marginalized topics that typically do not find space in other institutions' activities, including LGBTQI+ rights, Roma inclusion, migrant and refugee issues, erased persons, and media freedom.

The institute's portfolio of products and services includes applied research projects (33 active in 2025), five established book publication series (Politike, Politike Symposion, Media Watch, EU Monitor, Svete krave, plus Delavsko-punkerska univerza zborniki), a specialized library, and the Vodnik po človekovih pravicah (Human Rights Guide) — a web-based legal self-help tool at clovekovepravice.si. It also produces an annual Intolerance Report (since 2001), educational events including seminars, workshops, summer schools, and forums, and operates as part of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) FRANET research network.

The business model is grant-funded rather than commercial: FY2025 revenue of €1,478,838 was sourced from project-based grants (46% from EU Commission and international programs such as COST, Erasmus+, JUST, CERV, AMIF, SOCPL, Horizon Europe), stable domestic programming funding from Slovenian ministries and agencies (38%), international foundations including the Foundation for Open Society and Volkswagen Foundation (12%), market services such as book sales (3%), and individual donations including Slovenia's 1% income tax designation program (1%). The institute employs approximately 25 doctoral-level researchers and support staff, partners with over 100 organizations across Europe and the Balkans, and holds public-interest status granted by the Slovenian Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities.

Name

Mirovni inštitut

Legal name

Mirovni inštitut – Inštitut za sodobne družbene in politične študije

Website

https://mirovni-institut.si

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mirovni inštitut is a Ljubljana-based independent non-profit research institute founded in 1991 that produces research, publications, and policy analysis on human rights, media, gender, and politics, serving European Commission programs, Slovenian government agencies, civil society, and academic institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-profit Social Science Research

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Libraries and Archives (51921)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Human Rights Monitoring, Documentation & Advocacy (BPADAGAK), LGBTQ+ Rights & Advocacy Organizations (BPAGAFAE), Education Equity, Access & Inclusion Policy Research (EDADADAF), Interdisciplinary & Multidisciplinary Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAI)

Keywords

• Human rights research
• Media policy analysis
• Gender studies
• Civil society research
• Cultural policy studies

Headquarters

HQ city

Ljubljana

HQ country

Slovenia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Stable Programming Funding: Stable/programming funding constitutes 38% of total revenues, providing a stable base for core operations. This comes from Slovenian government sources including public agencies, offices, and various ministries.
2. Project Funding (EU and International): Project funds from EU Commission (general directorates for justice, home affairs, enlargement), European Commission programs (COST, Erasmus+, JUST, CERV, AMIF, SOCPL, Horizon Europe), Norwegian Financial Mechanism, and various embassies. This represents 46% of total revenues.
3. International Foundations: Funding from private international foundations including the Foundation for Open Society and Volkswagen Foundation, representing 12% of total revenues.
4. Market Services: Sales of books, studies, and other services to various clients represents 3% of revenues.
5. Individual Donations: Donations from individuals and 1% income tax designation from supporters represent 1% of revenues.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Mirovni inštitut is an independent non-profit research institute that conducts applied social and political research, publishes books and reports through five recurring series, and runs educational events on human rights, minorities, media, gender, and cultural policy. It also operates a specialized reference library and a public web-based Human Rights Guide. Its research and advocacy work targets marginalized populations including LGBTQI+, Roma, migrants, refugees, and erased persons, with funding sourced from EU programs, Slovenian government agencies, and international foundations.

Product overview

Mirovni inštitut is an independent non-profit research institute (founded 1991) focused on contemporary social and political studies. Rather than a unified software product, it offers a portfolio of research services and publications including: the Vodnik po človekovih pravicah (Human Rights Guide) web-based legal self-help tool; a specialized library; multiple publication book series (Politike, Media Watch, EU Monitor, Svete krave, and Delavsko-punkerska univerza); ongoing research projects on human rights, media, politics, gender, and cultural policy; and educational events including seminars, workshops, conferences, and forums. The institute operates through project-based funding from EU programs and Slovenian government agencies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vodnik po človekovih pravicah (Human Rights Guide) A web-based legal self-help tool that explains fundamental rights in various areas of social life in an accessible manner, designed to help individuals understand their rights and obligations.
• Knjiženica Mirovnega inštituta (Peace Institute Library) A specialized library containing materials covering all areas of the institute's activities, particularly marginalized discourses, including a special collection of the Maska journal on performing arts. Open weekly for reading room and home lending.
• Publications (Knjižne zbirke) Five book series (Politike, Media Watch, EU Monitor, Svete krave, Delavsko-punkerska univerza), plus special editions and periodicals covering research on human rights, media, politics, gender, and cultural policy.
• Research Projects Various research projects addressing human rights, media policy, populism, migration, gender equality, and discrimination, conducted in partnership with European institutions and funded through EU programs and Slovenian government agencies.
• Educational Events and Training Seminars, workshops, conferences, summer schools, forums, and journalistic evenings organized by the institute on topics including peace studies, human rights, media literacy, and gender equality.

Quantifiable outcome

• 33 projects conducted in 2025, plus long-term research program on Equality and Human Rights in the Era of Global Governance (2020-2027)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Aalborg University (Denmark)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Academic partnership for joint research collaboration in social sciences. Part of the extensive European university network supporting the institute's research programs.
• Faculty of Social Sciences, University of LjubljanacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Long-standing academic partnership with one of Slovenia's leading social sciences faculties. Joint research projects and academic exchange.
• European Commission (DG Justice, DG HOME, Enlargement)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Primary international funding and collaboration partner providing grants through programs including COST, Erasmus+, JUST, CERV, AMIF, SOCPL, and Horizon Europe. Multiple active research projects funded.
• European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025The institute operates as part of the FRANET research network and contracted partner of FRA, collecting relevant national data and conducting research.
• Albanian Media InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Regional media research partnership in the Western Balkans region. Collaborative work on media freedom and integrity.
• ARIS - Public Agency for Scientific Research and Innovation Activity of SloveniacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Primary domestic research funding agency providing grants for scientific research and innovation projects in Slovenia.
• Foundation for Open SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025International foundation funding partner supporting civil society development and human rights work. Historical connection dating to programs from the former Open Society Institute Slovenia.
• Centre for Peace Studies (Croatia)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Regional partner in peace and conflict studies, human rights, and migration research. Long-standing collaboration in the Western Balkans.
• University of OxfordcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Prestigious academic partnership with one of the world's leading universities for collaborative research projects.
• University of ViennacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Academic partnership with Austria's largest university for joint research in social sciences and humanities.
• Macedonian Institute for Media (North Macedonia)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Regional media research partnership focusing on media development and journalism in the Western Balkans and Turkey.
• Buča knjigotrštvo d.o.o.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Primary book distribution partner for all Mirovni inštitut publications. Handles sales through their online bookstore and physical location in Ljubljana.
• Municipality of LjubljanaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Domestic government partner supporting local civil society initiatives and community programs.
• Slovenian Association of Free Trade Unions (Zveza svobodnih sindikatov Slovenije)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partnership with major Slovenian trade union federation for labor rights research and advocacy.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR): Pan-European think tank conducting research on EU foreign policy, democracy, and human rights — comparable in its EU funding model and academic-policy hybrid positioning, but with a broader geographic and thematic remit.
• CEPS (Centre for European Policy Studies): One of Europe's leading independent think tanks covering EU policy across justice, home affairs, and social inclusion. Operates at significantly larger scale than Mirovni inštitut but pursues overlapping research on fundamental rights, media, and migration in EU policy contexts.
• Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF/HSFK): A leading German peace and conflict research institute studying violence, migration, and democratic governance — directly comparable to Mirovni inštitut's founding mission in peace studies and its current human-rights research portfolio.

Direct peers

• Hungarian Helsinki Committee: A Hungarian human-rights NGO doing legal monitoring, anti-discrimination work, and policy advocacy within the EU. Comparable in size, mission, and EU project funding model to Mirovni inštitut, with similar civic-space vulnerability in a Central European context.
• Albanian Media Institute: A Tirana-based non-profit working on media freedom, journalism, and integrity in the Western Balkans. Listed as a Mirovni inštitut partner; directly comparable in its media-watch publications and EU-funded regional research model.
• European Policy Centre (EPC): Brussels-based independent think tank producing policy analysis on EU integration, migration, social policy, and fundamental rights — directly comparable to Mirovni inštitut's EU Monitor series and FRANET-style policy work, just at a larger scale.
• Centre for Peace Studies (Croatia): A Zagreb-based non-profit focused on peacebuilding, human rights, and migration in the Western Balkans. Listed as a long-standing regional partner of Mirovni inštitut; both are small civil-society-academic hybrids operating in adjacent post-Yugoslav markets with overlapping EU funding sources.
• European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI): A Flensburg-based research center focused on minority rights, Roma inclusion, and anti-discrimination policy across Europe. Operates in a closely adjacent thematic niche and shares Mirovni inštitut's mix of academic publishing and applied policy research.

Emerging players

• European Women's Lobby: A Brussels-based umbrella federation advocating on gender equality and women's rights across the EU. Comparable in gender-focused research and advocacy programming that intersects with Mirovni inštitut's gender thematic field, though operating as a federation rather than a research institute.

Regional players

• Amnesty International Slovenia: The Slovenian national section of Amnesty International, focused on human rights advocacy and research within the same domestic market as Mirovni inštitut. Comparable in advocacy mission but operates as a chapter of a global organization rather than an independent institute.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Mirovnilnstitut
• Facebookfacebook.com/mirovni.institut.si
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/peace-institute-institute-for-contemporary-social-and-political-studies

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Mirovni inštitut