Founded in 2000 by a cohort of young scholars, researchers, and graduate students, the Centre for Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Studies was originally established within the Institute of International Relations at Panteion University, Athens. The goal was to spark a robust academic engagement with the dynamic Mediterranean and Middle East regions—areas often overlooked in Greek policy and scholarly discourse.

In 2008, the Centre was renamed the Centre for Mediterranean, Middle East and Islamic Studies (CEMMIS) and integrated into the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University of the Peloponnese. This transition marked both a strategic expansion of its institutional base and an intellectual broadening of its focus to include Muslim societies and communities across the wider region.

Over the years, CEMMIS has developed into a hub of research, training, and policy engagement. Through the Middle East Bulletin—the only Greek publication devoted exclusively to contemporary Middle Eastern affairs—it has provided accessible yet rigorous analysis to academics, policymakers, and the wider public. The Centre has trained dozens of students and early-career researchers, published a wide range of reports and policy briefs, and collaborated with institutions at home and abroad. It has also advised public bodies, including the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and contributed to international dialogues.

CEMMIS’s work is defined by an interdisciplinary approach that combines political science, history, international relations, and cultural studies. Its research spans the Middle East and North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and South Asia, while also engaging with the global dynamics that shape Muslim societies across the wider region and beyond.