What CeSI - Centro Studi Internazionali does

CeSI - Centro Studi Internazionali is an Italian non-profit think tank founded in 2004 and headquartered in Rome, focused on international affairs, geopolitics, defense, and security policy. Its analytical output is organized across 11 thematic and regional desks that produce a recurring portfolio of publications, including CeSI Update, Briefing Note, Focus Report, and Osservatorio. The organization is led by President Andrea Margelletti, who concurrently serves as Advisor to the Italian Minister of Defence, and Director Marco Di Liddo, with an operational team of approximately 19 employees supplemented by an internship pipeline that functions as an analyst recruitment and training channel.

CeSI's business model is that of an institutional non-profit research and convening organization rather than a commercial enterprise. It does not sell subscriptions as its core monetization path; instead, it sustains operations through a portfolio of partnerships with Italian public institutions (notably the Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Italian and European defense industry primes (MBDA Italia, Rheinmetall Italia), foreign embassies (including the UAE Embassy in Rome), and recurring media engagements. Its product surface spans written research outputs, podcasts (including "The Indo-Pacific Playbook" launched in 2025), public events, and joint position papers with industry partners, distributed through both CeSI's own channels and third-party media.

The organization's competitive position rests on its institutional access — particularly through the President's advisory role — and a two-decade accumulation of brand recognition in Italian defense and security discourse. CeSI is not a venture-backed or equity-funded entity, has not undertaken funding rounds, M&A, or restructuring, and operates without disclosed revenue, recurring ARR, or any AI/technology stack. Its trajectory is shaped primarily by the cadence of partnerships, publications, and convening events rather than by capital-intensive scaling.

Name

CeSI - Centro Studi Internazionali

Legal name

Ce.S.I. Centro Studi Internazionali

Website

https://cesi-italia.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CeSI is a Rome-based Italian non-profit think tank founded in 2004 that produces geopolitical, defense, and security analysis across 11 thematic desks, serving Italian public institutions, European defense industry partners, foreign embassies, and media through publications, podcasts, and convening events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Policy Research and Geopolitical Analysis

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks (EDADADAA)

Keywords

• Geopolitical analysis
• Security research
• Defense policy
• Geoeconomic studies
• Think tank publications

Headquarters

HQ city

Rome

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Research and Analysis Services: CeSI provides analytical products including CeSI Updates, Briefing Notes, Focus Reports, and Osservatorio Politica Internazionale publications. The institute also offers internship programs and accepts external contributions from analysts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

CeSI is an Italian non-profit think tank that produces geopolitical, security, and geoeconomic analysis through eleven regional and thematic desks. Its core deliverables include analytical publications (CeSI Update, Briefing Note, Focus Report, Osservatorio Politica Internazionale, Pubblicazioni), podcast series, research projects such as the ASEAN Directory, conferences and events, and internship programs for graduate students.

Product overview

CeSI - Centro Studi Internazionali is a research institute (think tank) providing analytical products and services rather than a technology platform. Its core offering consists of multiple publication formats—CeSI Update (regular updates), Briefing Note (concise briefs), Focus Report (in-depth reports), Osservatorio Politica Internazionale (international politics monitoring), and Pubblicazioni (general publications)—organized around thematic and regional programs covering Africa, Americas, Asia-Pacific, Defense & Security, Europe, Geoeconomics, Middle East & North Africa, Russia & Caucasus, Terrorism & Radicalization, Conflict Prevention, and Xiàng. The institute supplements its analytical publications with podcast series (The Indo-Pacific Playbook, Conflicts in a Nutshell, Atlas, ImmagiNATO), events and conferences, internship programs, and press review services. The various publication formats and programs are interconnected, with analysts producing content across multiple desks and distribution channels to serve policymakers and researchers interested in international affairs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Indo-Pacific Playbook: Podcast series focusing on Indo-Pacific strategic analysis
• ASEAN Directory

Products and services

• CeSI Update Regular analytical updates providing commentary on current international affairs and geopolitical developments, published across all thematic and regional desks.
• Briefing Note

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in RomeminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 6 July 2026The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates provided venue hosting for the event 'Crisis in the Middle East: The Perspectives of the United Arab Emirates and Italy' scheduled for 6 July 2026 at Embassy premises in Rome. This venue partnership supports CeSI's regional analysis programming.
• Africa e AffaricoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 November 2025CeSI collaborated with Africa e Affari on the project 'Critical Raw Materials: il potenziale ruolo dell'Africa nel contesto italiano ed europeo' (Critical Raw Materials: the potential role of Africa in the Italian and European context). The collaboration culminated in a conference held on 11 November 2025 at Palazzetto Mattei in Villa Celimontana, Rome. Africa e Affari provided editorial direction through Director Gianfranco Belgrano.
• Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Unità di Analisi e Programmazione)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 November 2025The Critical Raw Materials conference project received support from the Unità di Analisi e Programmazione del Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale (Analysis and Programming Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation). This institutional partnership underscores the policy relevance of CeSI's research on African raw materials for Italian and European strategic interests.
• Tiziano MarinocoreOthers · 9 May 2025Tiziano Marino serves as CeSI Head of Asia and Pacific Desk and is the co-conceiver, writer, and producer of the podcast series 'The Indo-Pacific Playbook'. His role represents an internal thought leadership partnership between the organization's analytical capabilities and multimedia content production.
• MDBA ItaliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMDBA Italia collaborated with CeSI on the position paper 'L'evoluzione dei requisiti nel settore della difesa terrestre' (Evolution of requirements in the land defence sector). The paper was authored by Emmanuele Panero, CeSI Defence and Security Desk Head, with support from MDBA Italia, a key player in the Italian defence industry landscape. The collaboration represents a bridge between strategic analysis and industrial capabilities.
• Rheinmetall ItaliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRheinmetall Italia participated in the conference 'Uno sguardo verso l'alto nel campo di battaglia del futuro' (A look upward in the battlefield of the future) organized by CeSI. CEO Alessandro Ercolani spoke at the event alongside Italian military leadership and CeSI President Andrea Margelletti. The event focused on transformative needs of the military-industrial sector based on lessons from the Russian-Ukrainian and Middle Eastern conflicts.
• Elisa QuerinicoreOthersElisa Querini serves as CeSI Junior Fellow of Asia and Pacific Desk and co-conceiver, writer, and producer of the podcast series 'The Indo-Pacific Playbook'. Her collaboration with Tiziano Marino produces the podcast examining strategic priorities and cooperation dynamics in the Indo-Pacific region.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Chatham House: Chatham House (the Royal Institute of International Affairs) is a globally established think tank covering international affairs, defense, and geoeconomics. It is a broader incumbent with overlapping research areas, including Indo-Pacific security and defense industry analysis that align with CeSI's desks.
• Carnegie Europe: Carnegie Europe is the European arm of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, based in Brussels. It is a broader incumbent operating in European geopolitics, security, and foreign policy with themes that overlap CeSI's Europa, MENA, and Russia desks.
• ECFR - European Council on Foreign Relations: ECFR is a pan-European foreign policy think tank with offices across EU capitals. It is a broader incumbent operating at a larger scale than CeSI on overlapping themes including European security, Mediterranean policy, and geopolitical analysis.
• CSIS - Center for Strategic and International Studies: CSIS is a major US bipartisan think tank covering defense, security, and geoeconomics. It is a broader incumbent whose topics on Indo-Pacific, transatlantic security, and defense industry directly intersect with CeSI's research desks and Italian defense policy themes.
• IISS - International Institute for Strategic Studies: IISS is a London-based global think tank specializing in defense, military balance, and strategic studies. It is a broader incumbent whose Military Balance and Strategic Survey publications overlap directly with CeSI's Difesa e Sicurezza Desk and NEMESIS-style defense analysis.

Regional players

• SWP - German Institute for International and Security Affairs: SWP is a Berlin-based government-affiliated think tank providing policy advice on international security and foreign policy. It is a European regional peer with similar advisory positioning to government ministries and comparable defense, MENA, and Russia/Caucasus research portfolios.
• Centro Studi sul Federalismo: CSF is a Turin-based Italian research institute covering federalism, European integration, and international policy. It is a regional peer operating in the same Italian think-tank ecosystem with overlapping research themes in EU and security policy.

Direct peers

• ISPI - Istituto per gli Studi di Politica Internazionale: ISPI is Italy's leading international affairs think tank, headquartered in Milan. It is the most direct peer to CeSI given overlapping focus on geopolitics, security, and Italian foreign policy analysis, competing for the same Italian government, media, and academic audience.
• IAI - Istituto Affari Internazionali: IAI is a Rome-based Italian think tank focused on international politics, European integration, and security. It is a close peer of CeSI, sharing the same Italian policy advisory positioning, Rome-based operating model, and European geopolitical research agenda.

Emerging players

• ISPI - Centro per la Diplomazia Aperta (subset projects): ISPI's program projects on MENA and Africa-EU relations, alongside its partnership-driven convening model, represent an emerging overlap with CeSI's Critical Raw Materials and Africa programming. Both compete for Italian ministerial convening and European project funding.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CentroStudiInt
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/VideoCeSI
• Facebookfacebook.com/CentroStudiInt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cesi-centrostudiinternazionali
• Instagraminstagram.com/cesi_italia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CeSI - Centro Studi Internazionali