State-of-the-art foreign policy research opportunities for IU students to work collaboratively with faculty members on critical topics of global policy, including climate change, weapons nonproliferation, democracy and human rights, counter-terrorism, food security and global health.
Harnessing the power of IU's experts and students
Solving complex global problems
Applications for Fall 2025 Projects are now open
View current projects accepting bidsRound 2 Rolling Deadline: June 30
What is Diplomacy Lab?
Launched by the Department of State in 2013 by Secretary of State John Kerry, Diplomacy Lab is a public-private partnership that enables the State Department to "course-source" research and innovation related to global policy challenges by harnessing the efforts of students and faculty experts at colleges and universities across the United States. Projects originate in offices across the State Department and include cross-cultural topics on which faculty bid. Through engagement and education, students and faculty actively contribute to the Secretary of State’s public diplomacy goals. IU's Diplomacy Lab has grown significantly since it was piloted in Bloomington during fall 2016.
Diplomacy Lab projects help our students connect their own learning and research with current policy challenges. It’s a wonderful opportunity for them to develop tools and perspectives that they will draw on as global citizens and leaders.
Hannah Buxbaum, VP for International Affairs
How it works
Over the course of a semester, faculty leaders guide students in developing research projects that accomplish the goals outlined by State Department ‘clients’. Students (graduate and undergraduate), who wish to complete a project in participating IUB or IU Indy courses. They have opportunities throughout the semester to discuss their research with State Department officials.
Upon completion of the projects, students may have the opportunity to present their work at the Diplomacy Lab Fair in Washington, D.C. Past participants have gone on to government internships, graduate work in international relations, and permanent jobs with the State Department.
300+IUB STUDENTS INVOLVED IN OVER 20 IU DIPLOMACY LAB COURSES
Top 30IN 2016 IU JOINED AN ELITE GROUP OF LEADING ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS AS A DIPLOMACY LAB UNIVERSITY
IU Bloomington shapes students into the informed, ethical leaders of tomorrow. Diplomacy Lab is essential to this process, offering students a national and international lens in engaging with some of the most critical and pressing issues facing the country and the world. We are grateful for this unique partnership and the wealth of real-world experience it offers our students.
Rahul Shrivastav , IUB Provost