The Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies (CMES) was founded in 2007 to support, coordinate and expand research at Lund University (LU) on the Middle East. These efforts will encourage and produce research with a more innovative, critical and multidisciplinary approach towards Middle Eastern studies. Research on the Middle East has become a strong priority for the Swedish Government. Through the Swedish Research Council the Government recently awarded CMES with substantial research funding to create a strategic research area titled “The Middle East in the Contemporary World” (MECW). This funding, allocated over a period of five years, will be the backbone of the center’s research and our platform for engagement with the international community. The goal at CMES is to produce research and education on the highest international level. However we also believe that our research is vital for individuals working in or with the Middle East, the centre is investing in developing innovative means of communication that will allow us to frequently and effectively work with the business sector, state institutions and organizations, NGOs and others that can benefit from our knowledge. While the imperative of providing new ideas and understandings of the Middle East is clear, the centre’s innovative outreach programs allows us to contribute as a research centre (knowledge, experience and networks) to the global society.