The objectives of GLOBIS are to synthesise from the scholarly debate in different disciplines, a theoretical foundation for reconciling the three global processes: globalisation, development and sustainable development. Our ontological assumption is that globalisation is an ongoing and in principle benign process, but a process that needs to be promoted and adjusted in relation to sustainable development. Development as a concrete and institutionalised process also needs to be carefully aligned with sustainability. Based on this comprehensive understanding we will analyse how the global flows of financial capital, people, goods and ideas are promoted, restricted and regulated through a number of important policy areas, such as: trade, agriculture and food, energy, transport, technology and innovation, and tourism, in order to identify the existing tensions in globalization, recognizing the trade-offs involved, and thus pointing to possible areas of reform in current policy practices and global institutions. GLOBIS will serve to inform European policy processes on how to reconcile globalisation and sustainable development in order to promote ambition of EU to become the leading force in the world towards sustainability. This will be pursued through a number of thematic studies of important policy areas. The project will engage stakeholders from different sectors of EU and beyond in dialogues on concrete policy dilemmas.