This website showcases the work of students involved in the Vertically Integrated Project (VIP) PeaceHub: Global Mediation Database at the University of St Andrews. Here you’ll find student group projects, research outputs, and reflections produced as part of the module.
Through PeaceHub, students explore international peace processes by contributing to the creation of a new and growing mediation dataset. The website highlights both what students learn and the meaningful research they help to build along the way.
What is a Vertically Integrated Project (VIP)?
A Vertically Integrated Project (VIP) is an innovative undergraduate module built around an ongoing research project. Each VIP is led by an academic supervisor and brings together students from different years of study (the “vertical” aspect) as well as from a range of disciplinary backgrounds across the arts and sciences. Students earn academic credit and receive a grade for their work while gaining hands-on experience of collaborative research in a supportive team environment.
You can learn more about the VIP experience at the University of St Andrews here . If you are a St Andrews student, you may also want to find out more about VIP PeaceHub and apply to join us in future years.
PeaceHub VIP
PeaceHub VIP integrates St Andrews students into the research project Global Fragmentation and Conflict Management, led by Dr Mateja Peter in the School of International Relations. The project is funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office through the PeaceRep consortium, and involves postdoctoral and doctoral researchers at St Andrews, as well as collaborators at the University of Edinburgh and the University College Dublin.
Together, this team is developing a novel mediation dataset: the Mediation Events and Negotiators Database (MEND). You can learn more about MEND on the project’s website.
PeaceHub students work in small groups to research contemporary conflicts and mediation efforts around the world. Alongside substantive research, they learn the methodology behind mediation data collection and directly contribute to the MEND dataset. As part of the VIP, students produce group projects, research reports, and data visualisations. Their work supports an important resource used by researchers and practitioners working on peace and conflict resolution. By contributing to MEND in real and practical ways, students gain hands-on experience with policy-relevant research while helping to grow a valuable global dataset even further.