The graduate school is predominantly hosted by the GIGA and the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences at the University of Hamburg. These two institutions are already close partners. Since 2006 the GIGA has been home to a special multi disciplinary Ph.D. programme, which the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences of the University of Hamburg has participated in. The relationship between the GIGA and the University of Hamburg was confirmed through a formal cooperation agreement, similar to the arrangement between the IFSH and the University of Hamburg. Both agreements guarantee the university's participation in the oversight of the two institutes, as well as joint selection committees for leading positions.

Since 2008 this cooperation between the GIGA and the University of Hamburg has been expanded within the framework of the “Regional Powers Network”. This network consists of the GIGA, the University of Hamburg, the University of Oxford, and the Institut d’Etudes Politiques in Paris; it also includes other research institutions from the respective regions. Its aim is to establish a long-term research network within the fields of international relations and comparative studies. However, it is also open to adjacent disciplines. A series of four international conferences in Hamburg (2008, 2011), Paris (2009), Rio de Janeiro (2009), and Stellenbosch (2010) have marked the beginning of a systematic exploration of the subject of regional power shifts. The students of the HIGS also benefit from this network as it gives them access to some of the top institutions within their geographic areas of research. 

The graduate school has received substantial external funding, which has enabled it to thrive, since 2008:

• 2010-2012: “Regional Power Shifts” Leibniz Graduate School, Leibniz Association Pakt für Forschung
• 2009-2012: State Excellence Initiative, Hamburg
• 2008-2010: "Regional Powers Network”, Leibniz Association Pakt für Forschung