What British International Studies Association does

The British International Studies Association (BISA) is a charitable incorporated organisation registered in England and Wales (Charity No. 1151260), founded in 1975 and headquartered at the University of Birmingham. It operates as a membership-based professional association for the International Studies academic community in the UK and globally, serving scholars, postgraduate and undergraduate students, early-career researchers, and policy practitioners. BISA engages members through annual in-person and virtual conferences, more than 30 specialised working groups (e.g., Security Policy and Practice, Global Politics and Development, War Studies, Gendering International Relations), undergraduate and postgraduate networks, prizes, and research funding programmes.

BISA's core products are two peer-reviewed journals — Review of International Studies and European Journal of International Security (launched 2016), both published in partnership with Cambridge University Press — alongside a book series, an annual prize programme, working-group events, and content services including analysis articles and the 'Global Aid Rethink' podcast. The underlying technology is modest: a Drupal-based website, an Indico event management system, virtual conference platforms, and standard video/podcast distribution (YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts). There is no proprietary technology stack, no API, and no AI capabilities disclosed.

The revenue model is subscription-based membership dues, supplemented by conference registration fees, journal licensing via Cambridge University Press, and charitable donations (including the AspIRing Scholars Fund). Membership pricing is not publicly disclosed; a 50% undergraduate discount ran until 30 June 2024, and a separate membership tier exists for Global South countries. BISA is governed by an Executive Committee and elected trustees, with no parent company, no venture capital, and no external investment funding identified. Distribution is direct via the website, email newsletter, social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter/X, YouTube), and conferences.

Name

British International Studies Association

Legal name

British International Studies Association

Website

https://bisa.ac.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The British International Studies Association is a UK-registered charitable professional association founded in 1975, serving International Studies scholars, postgraduate and undergraduate students, and early-career researchers through membership, conferences, working groups, journals, and funding programmes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Professional Association / Scholarly Publishing

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Treaties, International Law & Boundary Affairs (BPAIAIAD)

Keywords

• Academic professional association
• International studies membership
• Peer-reviewed journals
• Academic conference events
• Research working groups

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership subscriptions: BISA operates as a membership-based professional association. Members pay subscription fees to join and gain access to journals (Review of International Studies and European Journal of International Security), working groups, prizes, funding opportunities, and the academic community.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

British International Studies Association (BISA) is a membership-based professional association serving the UK and global international studies academic community. Its core offerings include annual in-person and virtual conferences, two peer-reviewed academic journals (Review of International Studies and European Journal of International Security), over 25 specialised working groups, an annual prize programme, research funding opportunities, undergraduate and postgraduate networks, and a book series.

Product overview

BISA is a professional association serving the International Studies academic community through a comprehensive portfolio of products and services. The core offerings include annual in-person and virtual conferences, two peer-reviewed academic journals (European Journal of International Security and Review of International Studies), and over 25 specialized working groups covering topics from security policy to gender studies to war studies. Additional offerings include a book series, annual prize program recognizing excellence in research and teaching, undergraduate and postgraduate networks, funding programs for early-career researchers, and content services including analysis articles and podcasts such as the 'Global Aid Rethink' series. These products collectively support academic networking, knowledge sharing, and professional development for members engaged in international relations research and education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• European Journal of International Security (EJIS): Journal launched in 2016, publishing theoretical, methodological and empirical papers at the cutting-edge of research into international and global security challenges.
• Review of International Studies
• BISA/BFPG Undergraduate Network (UGN)
• Postgraduate Network (PGN)

Products and services

• Annual Main In-Person Conference BISA's flagship annual in-person conference bringing together the International Studies academic community for presentations, panels, and networking. Open to members and non-members via registration on the conference website.
• Virtual Conference BISA's virtual conference platform offering online participation in International Studies scholarly events for members and the wider academic community globally.
• European Journal of International Security (EJIS) Peer-reviewed academic journal publishing theoretical, methodological and empirical papers on international and global security challenges, published in partnership with Cambridge University Press and accessible to BISA members.
• Review of International Studies BISA's peer-reviewed academic journal covering all areas of International Studies research, published in partnership with Cambridge University Press and accessible to BISA members.
• BISA Working Groups A network of 30+ specialised working groups covering diverse international relations subfields, providing BISA members with thematic research communities, events, and collaboration opportunities.
• BISA Book Series BISA's published book series offering long-form academic publications in International Studies, available to members and the wider scholarly community.
• BISA Prize Programme Annual programme of prizes recognising excellence in international studies research, publication, and teaching, including the Best Article Prize, Susan Strange Best Book Prize, Distinguished Contribution Prize, teaching prizes and equality/diversity/inclusion prizes.
• BISA/BFPG Undergraduate Network (UGN) Membership-supported network for undergraduate students studying International Relations and related disciplines, providing community, events, and career resources.
• Postgraduate Network (PGN) Membership-supported network for postgraduate students and early-career researchers in International Studies, providing career resources and an IR career-starters job listing.
• BISA Funding Programmes A portfolio of funding opportunities available to members, including Face-to-Face Activity Fund for Working Groups, Early Career Small Research Grants, Learning and Teaching Small Grants, and Working Group End of Year Report funding.
• Global Aid Rethink Podcast Fortnightly podcast series from the Global Politics and Development Working Group examining global development aid, distributed via Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rethinking SecuritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Security Policy and Practice Working Group operates in partnership with Rethinking Security, a network bringing together UK civil society, activists, NGOs, and academics to explore alternatives to current UK security policy and practice. This partnership aims to strengthen and facilitate policy-engaged dialogue on UK security.
• Cambridge University PresscoreOthersCambridge University Press publishes BISA's European Journal of International Security (EJIS). The journal editorial team is led by Professors Edward Newman, Jason Ralph, and Jacqui True. CUP publishes most EJIS articles online ahead of print issues.
• European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Global Politics and Development Working Group held a joint event with EADI discussing global development cooperation challenges.
• RUSI (Royal United Services Institute)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in organizing workshops on UK and UN peace operations, bringing together academic and policy perspectives.
• UNA-UK (United Nations Association - UK)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in organizing workshops on UK and UN peace operations after Brexit.
• Centre for Gender in Politics at Queen's University BelfastminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported the workshop 'Critical Mappings and Future Directions of South East Europe and the International' at Queen's University Belfast.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights10 records

Direct peers

• European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI): European association for development studies research and training. EADI co-hosted events with BISA's Global Politics and Development Working Group, making it a natural peer in the development studies subfield.
• Political Studies Association (PSA): UK-based professional association for political scientists with overlapping membership, journals, and conferences. PSA's recent joint advocacy with BISA on UK university cuts illustrates a closely aligned peer relationship in the same UK political science ecosystem.
• International Studies Association (ISA): The global parallel to BISA for international studies scholars. ISA is the dominant worldwide professional association for IR academics, running annual conventions, multiple journals, and section-based communities that directly mirror BISA's offering at larger scale.
• European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR): European academic association for political science research. ECPR operates a closely analogous membership model with conferences, methods schools, journals, and standing groups serving a research community that overlaps significantly with BISA's.
• UACES: European academic association for the study of the European Union. UACES is a directly comparable peer that co-signed recent letters with BISA and serves UK/European researchers with conferences, a journal, and member services.

Broad incumbents

• International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS): Global think tank on defense and security with a comparable focus area (security and strategic studies) and a publishing portfolio (e.g., Strategic Survey, Survival) that overlaps with BISA's EJIS readership.
• Chatham House: Major UK international affairs think tank with comparable focus on international relations research and convening power. Chatham House serves a broader policy/practitioner audience rather than a purely academic membership base.
• Royal United Services Institute (RUSI): UK defense and security think tank with overlapping focus on security policy research, publications, and policy engagement. RUSI is a BISA partner, but operates as a think tank rather than an academic membership association.
• American Political Science Association (APSA): The largest US political science association. APSA offers multiple peer-reviewed journals, an annual conference, and member services that overlap with BISA's portfolio, but at substantially greater scale and with a US-centric focus.

Others

• British Association for International and Comparative Education (BAICE): UK academic association in international and comparative education with a similar membership-based association model and adjacent academic focus area to BISA, though oriented to education research rather than IR/security.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MYBISA
• YouTubeyoutube.com/bisachannel
• Facebookfacebook.com/MyBISA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mybisa

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about British International Studies Association