IRENEE (France)

IRENEE was launched in 1997 as a federal research structure, before becoming, in 2005, the research unit in public law and political sciences at the University of Nancy 2, then the University of Lorraine from 1 January 2012, bringing together all the lecturer-researchers and doctoral students in public law and political science from the six university departments. The permanent staff exceeds 53 (engineers and secretary, 50 teachers) and the total staff (including PhD Students) is 113 persons. Its name defines its scientific purpose: the study of the State phenomenon and its human substrate, which it aims to address at a national and international level in its various activities, and in particular via the journal “Civitas Europa”.

 This scientific project has drawn the attention of learned legal associations, such as the Association Française de Droit Administratif, the Association Française de Droit Constitutionnel and the Société Française pour le Droit International, which recently accorded the organisation of their institutional congresses to IRENEE. This demonstrates the attractiveness of IRENEE, as recognised by AERES in its 2012 evaluation report: “Unit whose production, influence and project are very good. Organisation and moderation are excellent.” IRENEE aims to capitalise on and strengthen this asset in the new Lorraine university landscape, as expressed by the renewal of its research themes inscribed in its "Five-Year Plan 2013-2017".