The ACS is a university wide initiative for the interdisciplinary study of conflict and conflict resolution. The network foresees in cooperation between scientists and professionals in the areas of education, research and the external exchange of knowledge.

The members of the network feel united by the following convictions. First of all, the increasing urgency to study conflict. This belief stems from the assessment that theories of conflict transformation are slow to adjust to today's complex, multilateral and asymmetrical conflicts. Secondly, a multidisciplinary approach that combines attention for various levels of analysis as well as multiple research methods. Thirdly, the idea that conflicts are omnipresent in contemporary society and that its results may not only have a negative, but also a positive function. In this latter regard we think of conflict as a signalling function of societal change or a way to innovation. The underlying assumption here is that many conflicts can be transformed in a positive and constructive manner. Finally there is a strong belief in the added value of practice-oriented research.