Since 1976 MGIMO is developing the tradition to organize its own research centers within the University. Started from the Analytic Laboratory for foreign policy planning (PRONIL), now the University has 9 research centers. Their activity is supervised by the MGIMO-University Scientific Council for Coordination of International Studies (SCCIS) . 

The SCCIS Centers publish regularly their Analytic Papers and Analytic Reports. The University promotes the open knowledge policy, and their full texts can be downloaded from the MGIMO-University web-site free of charge. The University is also publishing the series ‘MGIMO Monographs’, and more than 100 monographs and books are published annually in the University own Publishing House.

MGIMO University provides the effective organizational framework for Ph.D. programs and Ph.D. habilitation. In the University there are 8 dissertation councils, which have the right to approve dissertations for Ph.D. and Ph.D. habilitation in political science, history, law, economics, sociology and linguistics.

 The University is the base for the Secretariat of the Russian International Studies Association (RISA) – the main professional forum of experts in international relations in the Russian Federation. There are more than 400 members of RISA, and its President is Rector of MGIMO-University Amb. Anatoly V. Torkunov. Biannually the University organizes the RISA Convents.

For promotion of research the University has its own Awards, named in memory of the leading MGIMO-University scholars. Among the Awards there are:

• Georghy Frantsev Award for Research in International Studies;
• Ivan Udaltsov Award for Methodics in International Studies;
• Kharlampy Baranov Award for Research in Linguistics;
• Vsevolod Durdenevsky Award for Research in Law;
• Ivan Tyulin Award for SCCIS researches;
• Evgueni Tarle Award for Ph.D. students.

Starting from 2005 the MGIMO-University has the biannual program of its own Rector Grants for research projects. Usually more than 50 professors and lecturers become laureates of these grants. From 2006 the University promotes the program of Rector Grants for Ph.D. students from various regions of Russia to facilitate their accomodation and research in Moscow.

The MGIMO University is becoming one of the leading conference spaces in Moscow. More than a hundred of international research conferences and seminars are held in the University.

The University also welcomes the formation of ad hoc teams for research projects. Among the most important MGIMO-University research projects one can mention:

• The Political Atlas of the World (with comparative analysis of political systems of all states of the world, and various indexes and ratings of countries);
• MGI Classificator of subjects in international studies;
• Scenarios of possible futures of political development of Russia and selected Russian regions in the international context, etc.

During the recent years MGIMO-University implemented a number of large-scale scientific-educational projects in the frameworks of TEMPUS and TASIS programmes; “Open Society” Institute, Russian National Fund on personnel training, INO-centre programmes and others. In particular, being the resource centre on international relations, world politics and political science, MGIMO-University put into practice programmes on professional support and development of Russian regions’ universities (Rostov State University, Kuban State University, Nizhegorodsky State University, Far East State University, I. Kant Russian State University, Saratov State University, Perm State University and others). Owing to the support of Dr. Paulsen Fund, Internet Politics Centre of MGIMO-University has successfully implemented a set of projects on IT technologies development for some recent years.    

In 2007-2008 the promotion of research projects is one of the significant tasks for the large scale Innovation Programme, which is realising at MGIMO-University as a part of Russian National Priority Project ‘Education’, focused on the development of professional competences at the University. Within the frameworks of the MGIMO-University Innovation Programme the University implement an important project of inviting leading foreign specialists – the representatives of the world-known scientific schools – for lecturing and case studies’ seminars.

MGIMO-University researchers actively participate in the international professional associations’ activities in the field of international studies. MGIMO-University experts permanently preside section meetings and round tables at the congresses of such associations as, ISA, WISC, IPSA, APSIA, ECPR and others.

Traditionally MGIMO-University carries out large-scale analytical and expert work ordered by the high level governmental bodies of Russia: President Administration, Security Council, Government, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. MGIMO-University research works were used to prepare the Concept of Russia’s Foreign Policy and other strategic documents of Russia’s Ministries (for ex., the Concept of Russia’s insurance market development for the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Russia), bills passed in the State Duma, international treaties and agreements, federal bills, model legal acts of the CIS, the Interparliamentary Assembly of the CIS member-states and others. MGIMO-University experts actively participate in the work of the UN and UNESKO committees and commissions, expert committees of the Council of Europe and other international organizations. MGIMO-University researchers made an important contribution to the work-out of the official Russia’s Foreign Policy Review presented at the Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs web-site.