Mortara Center for International Studies

What Mortara Center for International Studies does

The Mortara Center for International Studies is an academic research center housed within Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service, founded in 2005 and celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2025. The Center's core offering is the Mortara Research Seminar, a weekly forum hosting visiting scholars from Comparative Politics and International Relations who present works-in-progress to the Georgetown research community; the seminar merged the former CRITICS (comparative politics) and GUITARS (international relations) seminars into a unified, higher-attendance format. The Center operates several named programs: the Mortara Undergraduate Research Fellows (MURF) program, a four-year research apprenticeship for Georgetown SFS undergraduates that admits approximately six fellows annually; the Global Political Economy Project (GPEP), which supports pre-doctoral research fellows and has placed 21 fellows at tenure-track positions at institutions including Brown, University of Pittsburgh, Colby College, University of Montreal, and National University of Singapore; the Lepgold Book Prize, an annual award for outstanding books in international relations now in its 23rd cycle; and ancillary programming including Political Economy Seminars, Mortara ASAP Grants, Faculty Book Launches and Workshops, and Custom Executive Education.

The Center's research infrastructure also hosts external initiatives under "Supported by Mortara," including Good Authority, the Lab for Globalization and Shared Prosperity, and ACUNS (Academic Council on the United Nations System), creating a layered research ecosystem anchored to Georgetown's Washington, D.C. location. Faculty affiliated with Mortara have received external recognition including the ISA Best Security Studies Article Award (Newman and Farrell, 2020), the Gaddis Smith International Book Prize (Mattingly, 2020), APSA Democracy and Autocracy Section Best Book Award (Mattingly, 2020), Foreign Affairs Best Books of 2020 (Mattingly), the Luebbert Best Article Award (Mattingly, 2023), and the American Journal of Political Science Best Article Award (Mattingly, 2025).

The Center does not generate commercial revenue. Its operating model is that of a non-commercial university research unit funded by Georgetown University institutional support, foundation grants (notably the Open Society Foundations' Economic Justice Program and the Hewlett Foundation for GPEP), and charitable donations accepted through a "Support the Mortara Center" program. Programs and seminars are provided free of charge to participants. Current leadership is Director Erik Voeten (Peter F. Krogh Professor of Geopolitics and Justice in World Affairs), succeeding Elizabeth N. Saunders, who in turn succeeded founding-era director Abraham Newman in 2022.

Name

Mortara Center for International Studies

Legal name

Mortara Center for International Studies

Website

https://mortara.georgetown.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Mortara Center for International Studies is an academic research center within Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service that hosts research seminars, fellowships, and the Lepgold Book Prize for faculty, graduate students, MURF undergraduates, and visiting scholars in international affairs and political economy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Research Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHABAD

Social Sciences & Public Policy Research Universities

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Private Research Universities

SECONDARYBPAGAFAO

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Civil Rights, Advocacy & Public Policy Organizations

SECONDARYTHAHAJAD

Education, Research & Academic Congresses

Travel & Hospitality/MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions)/Association, Government & Academic Congresses

Keywords

• International affairs research
• Academic research center
• Political economy studies
• Research fellowship programs
• Foreign policy education

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants: The Mortara Center receives funding from foundations including Open Society Foundations' Economic Justice Program and the Hewlett Foundation to support initiatives like the Global Political Economy Project (GPEP).
2. Donations and Support: The center accepts charitable contributions through its 'Support the Mortara Center' program for ongoing operations and programming.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Mortara Center is an academic research center within Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service that promotes scholarly, interdisciplinary research on international political, social, and economic issues. It operates a portfolio of research seminars, fellowship programs, book prizes, faculty book launches and workshops, research grants, conference room rentals, and custom executive education programs. Its offerings are provided free of charge to participating scholars and students rather than sold as commercial products.

Product overview

The Mortara Center for International Studies is an academic research institution at Georgetown University, not a technology product company. Its offerings consist of research programs and educational services including: the Mortara Research Seminar (a forum for comparative politics and international relations scholars to present working papers), the Mortara Undergraduate Research Fellows (MURF) Program (a four-year research apprenticeship for SFS undergraduates), the Global Political Economy Project (GPEP) supporting pre-doctoral fellows, the Lepgold Book Prize for outstanding international relations scholarship, the Political Economy Seminar series, Mortara ASAP Grants, Faculty Book Launches, Faculty Book Workshops, Conference Room Reservations, and Custom Executive Education programs. These programs collectively promote interdisciplinary research on international political, social, and economic issues.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mortara Research Seminar: Flagship forum for top scholars sharing new research on comparative politics and international relations, hosting visiting scholars who present works-in-progress and receive feedback from the audience.
• Mortara Undergraduate Research Fellows (MURF)
• Global Political Economy Project (GPEP)
• Lepgold Book Prize

Products and services

• Mortara Research Seminar
• Mortara Undergraduate Research Fellows (MURF) Program
• Global Political Economy Project (GPEP)
• Lepgold Book Prize
• Political Economy Seminar
• Custom Executive Education
• Mortara ASAP Grants

Quantifiable outcome

• 21 pre-doctoral fellows placed at top institutions including Brown, University of Pittsburgh, Colby College, National University of Singapore
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered major and minor.

• European University InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn April 2023, GPEP convened a workshop in partnership with the European University Institute in Fiesole, Italy on 'European Industrial Policy and the New Geopolitics of Markets,' exploring the return of active state intervention in markets.
• Good AuthorityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGood Authority is hosted at the Mortara Center as part of the Supported by Mortara initiatives, representing a research and engagement initiative within the center's ecosystem.
• Lab for Globalization and Shared ProsperityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLab for Globalization and Shared Prosperity is hosted at the Mortara Center, representing a research initiative aligned with the center's focus on global political economy.
• ACUNS (Academic Council on the United Nations System)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerACUNS is hosted at the Mortara Center, supporting the center's engagement with UN-related academic research and dialogue.
• Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Mortara Center and CLAS co-hosted the book launch for Dr. Jenny Guardado's 'Venal Origins of Development in Spanish America,' demonstrating collaborative academic programming.
• University of MarylandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessor Fiona Shen-Bayh of University of Maryland presented research at the Mortara Research Seminar on dual citizenship and political loyalty in West Africa.
• Uppsala UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-authors Annekatrin Deglow and Hanne Fjelde from Uppsala University collaborated on research presented at the Mortara Research Seminar on electoral integrity in Nigeria.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Wilson Center (Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars): A DC-based national living memorial to Woodrow Wilson and a nonpartisan policy research institute. Directly comparable as a scholar-residency and convening institution focused on international affairs, with similar fellowship-driven programming.
• Brookings Institution: A major DC-based think tank conducting policy research on international affairs and political economy. Directly comparable as a high-prestige convening institution with deep scholar networks, though operating at far greater scale than Mortara.
• Jackson School of Global Affairs (Yale University): Yale's school dedicated to global affairs education and research. Comparable as a private university-affiliated international affairs research and convening institution with faculty-led research seminars and fellowship programs.
• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: A premier international affairs think tank headquartered in Washington DC. Comparable as a scholar-driven policy research and convening institution, though with global offices and a larger endowment-funded operating model.
• Hoover Institution: Stanford University's public policy research center. Comparable as a university-affiliated research institution promoting scholarship in political economy, international relations, and governance, with similar convening and fellowship programming.
• Bobst Center for Peace and Justice (Princeton University): Princeton's research center focused on peace, justice, and international affairs scholarship. Comparable as a small, university-embedded research hub with faculty fellowship and convening programs of similar scale.
• Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs: Harvard Kennedy School's hub for research on international security, political economy, and science policy. Comparable as a university-embedded research center with fellowship programs and policy convening.
• Weatherhead Center for International Affairs (Harvard University): Harvard's hub for international and area studies research. Comparable as a private research university-affiliated center funding faculty research, hosting seminars, and supporting pre-doctoral fellows in international affairs.

Broad incumbents

• Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS): A bipartisan DC-based think tank covering international affairs, security, and policy. Comparable in convening power and DC-policy ecosystem role, though significantly larger and more established than Mortara.
• Council on Foreign Relations: An independent, nonpartisan think tank and membership organization focused on US foreign policy. Comparable in its convening of scholars and policy elites around international affairs, though broader in membership-driven mandate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MortaraCenter
• Facebookfacebook.com/MortaraCenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mortara-center-for-international-studies
• Instagraminstagram.com/mortaracenter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Mortara Center for International Studies