Founded in 1952 within Sciences Po, the Centre for International Studies (CERI) is France’s leading centre dedicated to the study of international relations and of major regional areas, with a particular focus on the Global South...
A joint research unit (UMR 7050) under the dual supervision of Sciences Po and the CNRS since 2002, the CERI has been headed by Stéphanie Balme since January 2024.
Its scientific project is based on a strong underlying conviction: to understand the dynamics of the globalised world, it is essential to combine the analysis of international —and transnational—relations with an in-depth knowledge of specific polities. The CERI’s approach stands out due to its unique tradition of comparative analysis, interdisciplinarity and, from a methodological point of view, a strong commitment to field research.
The centre has nearly 70 permanent researchers as well as 70 doctoral and post-doctoral students. It brings together political scientists, sociologists, historians, anthropologists, geographers and specialists in political economy. As well as its own substantial research team, given its internationalist agenda, it also welcomes around 50 visiting and associate researchers each year. The Centre benefits from a research support team of around 15 specialists. This cohesive team ensures that the expertise of the CERI’s researchers becomes accessible to a wider public and that, as a public institution, its researchers contribute to public debate within the mainstream media.
 
CERI's research is organised around 10 major research themes:

• Nationalism, religion, identity and discrimination
• State, political regimes and mobilisations
• Migrations, diasporas, borders, cities and territories
• Violence, war and peace
• International order, foreign policy, diplomacy
• Security, defence, nuclear weapons
• Global economy, capitalism, extraction
• Environmental risks and planetary limits
• Science, technology and power
• Art, humanities and international research

Geographically, CERI's research covers the Maghreb and the Middle East, Asia, Oceania, Africa, the Americas, Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and Eurasia.
 
As a centre with a focus on fundamental research, the CERI promotes intellectual freedom, scientific innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration. CERI researchers are intimately involved with Sciences Po's academic programmes including, at the undergraduate level, those in the regionally-oriented University Colleges. At the graduate level CERI researchers play key academic roles in the professionally oriented Paris School of International Affairs and at the School of Public Affairs, as well as the research-oriented Doctoral School. Researchers at the CERI take their role as public intellectuals seriously. The Centre is actively involved in disseminating knowledge to the general public, institutions and decision-makers. It collaborates regularly with public actors, notably the French Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence, and participates in public debate through the media, conferences and its academic publications.
 
Through its transdisciplinary approach and its ability to conceptualise contemporary changes based on the dynamics of the Global South and transformations in the international system, the CERI seeks not only to remain, but, also to amplify its role as major player in social science research in the contemporary world.