From 9 to 11 September 2025, the Joint Annual Conference of the International Association for Intelligence Education (IAFIE) Global and its European Chapter (IAFIE-EC) was hosted at King Juan Carlos University (URJC) in Madrid-Aranjuez.
As in Copenhagen (2023) and Malta (2024), the Intelligence College in Europe (IntelCollege) was once again actively present, drawing on its exceptional Academic Network to showcase the emerging common European intelligence culture. IntelCollege contributed to this renowned intelligence conference on three occasions:
- 9 September – IntelCollege facilitated the participation of the EU SATCEN Director, who delivered one of the opening keynote speeches, illustrating European cooperation in the fields of GEOINT and IMINT.
- 10 September – The IntelCollege Academic Network organised the first European Roundtable on the Future of Intelligence Training in Europe. Six senior representatives from five of its 14 Intelligence Education and Training Academies and Centres (Croatia, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Romania) presented their national perspectives, highlighting their engagement with academia and offering IAFIE members a unique insight into their activities.
- 11 September – The Academic Network hosted a spotlight session dedicated to a Lessons Learned exercise on the publication of the Common European Intelligence Culture special edition of the International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence (IJICI, Routledge).
These activities demonstrated the dynamic development of the IntelCollege Academic Network, which is now preparing to launch an Academic Award, establish working groups, publish new research, and host its own ambitious Academic Conference in Munich in 2026.
The Roundtable on intelligence training marked a true “first”: bringing together senior European managers of intelligence training facilities, who traditionally meet bilaterally. The event revealed a clear potential for more regular exchanges among intelligence schools. Members of the Academic Network began discussions on how training institutions facing similar challenges could share lessons learned, how a joint research agenda might foster a common European intelligence culture, and how academic insights could be further integrated into training curricula.
As in Copenhagen and Malta, IAFIE once again provided a unique forum where academics and practitioner-scholars from Europe, the Americas, and beyond could meet, exchange ideas, and foster dialogue in a constructive and collegial atmosphere.
IntelCollege warmly thanks IAFIE Chairwoman Dr. Kathy Pherson, IAFIE European Chapter President Dr. Irena Chiru, and Dr. Rubén Arcos (URJC) for organising such a well-structured and inspiring conference.
👉 For more information on the IntelCollege Academic Award and the Call for Papers, please click here