The importance of academic research in studying islands and small states

Abstract

The Islands and Small States Institute (ISSI) promotes research and training on economic, social, cultural, ecological and geographical aspects of islands and small states. Based at the University of Malta, the Institute evolved from the Islands and Small States Programme which was set up in 1989 at the Foundation for International Studies, Valletta. In 1993, the Programme was restructured as an Institute with the principal aim of enabling it to offer academic programmes of study. During its thirty years of existence, the Islands and Small States Institute was instrumental in producing a considerable number of scientific publications on islands and small states, (some of which are internationally considered as seminal work), organised various international conferences and workshops, collaborated closely with many international organisations, and ran various academic programmes. Today, the Institute offers a suite of undergraduate and post- graduate programmes of study, among which the only Doctoral programme known to specialise in islands and small states studies.