About the Institute

Established in September 2023 following the merger of Université Saint-Louis - Bruxelles and UCLouvain, the Saint-Louis Interdisciplinary Research Institute (IRIS-L, Institut de recherche interdisciplinaire Saint-Louis) is defined by a dual identity: a strong commitment to interdisciplinarity and a deep connection to Brussels.

A genuinely interdisciplinary institute

IRIS-L brings together more than fifteen research centres, covering a wide range of fields across the social sciences and humanities, including law, economics, political science, history, communication and language studies, sociology, anthropology, translation studies, philosophy and literary studies.

The Institute positions itself as a hub of excellence in the social sciences and humanities. It combines the specialised disciplinary expertise developed within each centre and research programme with a sustained commitment to cross-disciplinary dialogue, collective intelligence, and openness to diverse theoretical and methodological approaches. This allows key research themes and axes to be explored from multiple perspectives. Such an approach is deeply rooted in the history of Saint-Louis, long predating the institutional merger.

Deeply rooted in Brussels

Located in the heart of Brussels, Belgium’s capital city and home to the European institutions, IRIS-L’s connection to the city is a core element of its identity, reflected in the very choice of its acronym (a reference to the iris flower, the emblem of the Brussels-Capital Region).

This local embeddedness is visible in research projects that focus on the city itself (mobility, taxation, urban planning, housing, and related issues) as well as in work addressing challenges that are particularly salient in Brussels, such as migration, environmental issues, linguistic diversity and the decolonisation of urban spaces. More broadly, regardless of the specific research topics, the Institute seeks to play an active role in the life of the city and to serve as an open space for reflection and debate, welcoming both academic and non-academic audiences.

IRIS-L and its research centres organise a wide range of academic activities, including seminars, workshops and doctoral events. Most of these activities are open to the public and are listed in the agenda.