As the list of FICHL activities and the scope of its publishing indicate, FICHL has developed clusters of research areas. Its independent research agenda is dynamic and not limited to international criminal and humanitarian law. Importantly, FICHL has pioneered several research questions by being the first actor to identify, frame and place the issues concerned in the academic discourse. Such incubation of ideas is essential to advance knowledge and impact institutional practise. To maximise its contribution to the public interest, FICHL pursues its research agenda in an open, inclusive manner that invites the broadest possible participation by interested individuals and institutions. It promotes communitarian knowledge-generation around the ideas and concepts it brings to the public domain.

Some of the FICHL research areas to date are:

• history of international criminal law;
• criteria and prioritization of core international crimes cases;
• abbreviated criminal procedures for core international crimes;
• the role and capacity of national criminal justice for core international crimes;
• the concept of 'active complementarity', and the role of legal informatics in strengthening the capacity of criminal justice institutions;
• thematic prosecution of core international crimes;
• proof and selection of international sex crimes for prosecution;
• the role of law in peace negotiations;
• the socio-economic context of core international crimes;
• the self-interest of armed forces in accountability for their members for core international crimes; and
• the role and power of NGOs in international criminal justice.