Multi Disciplinary International Security Future Reserach Centre

Advancing Strategic Foresight, Peace, and Security in the 21st Century

The ESPIRIDI Multi-Disciplinary International Security Futures Research Centre (MDISFRC) is a pioneering global initiative designed to advance the frontiers of strategic foresight, security innovation, and transformative policy research in the evolving domain of international security. Established by ESPIRIDI LLP, the Centre brings together leading minds from security studies, disarmament, defense strategy, international diplomacy, artificial intelligence, aviation governance, and global peacebuilding to shape resilient and anticipatory security architectures.

Amidst rising geopolitical uncertainties, technological disruptions, and emerging threats—from cyber warfare and autonomous weaponry to climate-conflict intersections and low-probability, high-impact security scenarios—the Centre serves as a beacon for anticipatory research and strategic governance. We are committed to supporting governments, multilateral bodies, civil society, and the private sector in designing future-ready policies that balance innovation, security, and human dignity.

Core Objectives

• Advance Security Foresight Research: Conduct horizon scanning, scenario planning, and risk simulations for emerging security challenges, such as hybrid warfare, drone swarms, space militarization, and AI-driven conflict.

• Foster Interdisciplinary Dialogue: Build bridges between academic disciplines, practitioners, and communities through collaborative research projects, high-level dialogues, and expert roundtables on disarmament, peacebuilding, and strategic intelligence.

• Support Global Security Governance: Provide evidence-based policy recommendations to international organizations including the United Nations, WTO, ICAO, ITU, and regional blocs, enabling inclusive and strategic approaches to global security frameworks.

• Develop Security Innovation Toolkits: Design strategic frameworks like the ESPIRIDI She-Wolf Strategy™, ESPIRIDI Dragon Governance Forecasting Matrix™, and Strategic Aviation Security Index (SASI) to support decision-makers in anticipating and mitigating complex threats.

• Empower Next-Gen Security Thinkers: Launch fellowship programs, policy labs, and capacity-building initiatives that nurture young leaders, researchers, and innovators in the field of peace, security, and foresight.

  
  

Research Themes

• Disarmament Governance & Arms Control Futures

• AI & Autonomous Systems in Security and Defense

• Aviation Security and Counter-UAS Governance

• Cybersecurity & Strategic Infrastructure Protection

• Gender, Peace, and Security Futures

• Space Security and Orbital Disarmament

• Climate-Conflict Nexus and Environmental Security

• Strategic Risk Communication and Crisis Foresight

• Multilateral Diplomacy and Foresight in Global Governance

  
  

Flagship Initiatives

• Security Foresight Fellowship – A global research cohort program for early-career professionals and PhD researchers in strategic security futures.

• Strategic Simulation Labs – Experiential learning environments for war-gaming, scenario testing, and future contingency mapping.

• CUAS Governance Hub – A dedicated unit focused on Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (CUAS) policy, strategy, and technology assessment.

• Strategic Security Indexes – Development of innovative indexes and metrics to track global disarmament, diversity in security leadership, and foresight readiness.

  
  

Our Approach

At the heart of MDISFRC lies a commitment to integrative security governance grounded in the Whole-of-Government (WoG) and Whole-of-Society (WoS) approaches. We recognize that 21st-century security threats are no longer siloed — they transcend borders, sectors, and disciplines. From drone intrusions to digital disinformation, from space race rivalries to climate-induced instability, the solutions must be equally interconnected.

• The Whole-of-Government (WoG) facilitates coherent national positions in multilateral diplomacy, peacekeeping, arms control negotiations, and international treaty compliance (e.g., working through the UN, NATO, ICAO, etc.).

• The Whole-of-Society (WoS) supports transnational cooperation, such as engaging global think tanks, youth peacebuilders, humanitarian organizations, and non-state actors in addressing planetary security challenges (like climate-conflict risks or digital threats).

Through this dual-pronged strategy, we promote anticipatory security ecosystems that are democratic, resilient, and adaptable — enabling sovereign nations and the global commons to confront emerging threats with agility and foresight. Our research is rooted in systems thinking, ethics-driven innovation, and global-local integration. We work across silos, blending technology, policy, design, and social sciences to formulate agile and inclusive security strategies that empower sovereign states, safeguard global commons, and uphold human rights.