Research Annual Report
The annual research report, produced by Sciences Po Grenoble-UGA's research department, describes the research activities of the school's lecturers and researchers, as well as those of the CESICE, CERDAP² and PACTE laboratories.
Since its first edition in 2016, the Sciences Po Grenoble–UGA research report has provided an annual overview of the knowledge-production activities of our School’s Faculty of Teaching and Research. This edition is no exception to that rule, but it marks a significant shift in perspective. Rather than a primarily descriptive report focused on the highlights of the past year, we sought to create a more analytical document, grounded in data and allowing for comparisons over time whenever relevant.
This new approach highlights our School’s successes while also bringing to light the challenges and issues that should inform our discussions on scientific policy in the years ahead.
The results for 2025 reflect our faculty’s dynamism. Despite its modest size, the faculty has demonstrated remarkable scientific activity. To cite just two indicators, 16 new doctoral dissertations were initiated under the supervision of its faculty members, and 94 publications were produced during the year.
The year 2025 was also marked by the arrival of 11 visiting professors, the launch of two major national initiatives (DEMOCIS and FORESEE), as well as the launch of our “Rendez-Vous de la Recherche” events and the drafting of a new Academic Recruitment Charter.
Finally, in 2025, we were able to strengthen our teaching and research faculty by hiring three new colleagues and promoting a fourth to the rank of University Professor.
However, these results should not obscure the challenges facing our School. It is indeed our responsibility to make research more appealing to graduate students, to anticipate the generational transition within our faculty in order to prepare for the institution’s future, to fully harness our scientific potential by channeling it into increasingly ambitious projects and publications, support our doctoral students in a particularly demanding academic job market, and—in an environment where the social sciences are sometimes called into question or challenged—reaffirm the need for research that is scientifically rigorous, free in its inquiry, and socially useful.
By highlighting both our achievements and the challenges that lie ahead, this report aims to contribute to the steering of our scientific policy. It reflects our School’s commitment to providing enhanced human, financial, and material support for research and reaffirms our ambition to make a culture of research an essential component of our identity and our vision for Education.
Gilles Bastin
Deputy Director and Vice President of Research
Archives
This report highlights publications and projects, as well as the launch of new initiatives, including the Sciences Po Grenoble-UGA webinars and the publication of blog posts. Against a backdrop of growing skepticism regarding the neutrality of faculty researchers and scientific knowledge, Sciences Po Grenoble-UGA decided to dedicate a series to scientific objectivity and neutrality. Research plays its part in society by fully participating in political, economic, legal, and social debates. This sixth annual research report was presented to the Scientific Committee on November 14, 2022, and to the Board of Directors on December 6, 2022.
The year 2020 was a very difficult one for teaching researchers, who had to switch all their teaching to distance learning, without having been prepared for it. Research activities have also been heavily impacted. The results of our survey show that while fieldwork and participation in conferences have been severely impacted, most Sciences Po Grenoble UGA lecturers have nevertheless managed to maintain a significant research activity, by adapting their methods and means of communication.
The theme of the 4th annual research report is the internationalization of research.
For Sciences Po Grenoble, 2018 was a year of consolidation and deepening of research. The three jointly supervised research laboratories—Pacte, CESICE, and CERDAP²—strengthened their research areas, particularly through collaborations with on-campus organizations and laboratories, through IDEX funding, and through their presence in the community. 2018 was also a year of celebration: Sciences Po Grenoble marked its 70th anniversary by highlighting various administrative and scientific figures who embody the vitality of our work; by showcasing the significant commitment of our researchers and faculty members to the campus’s scientific programs; and by promoting the expertise and regular contributions of Sciences Po Grenoble staff to local, national, and international media. Finally, Sciences Po Grenoble’s cooperation with its local community within the COMUE and with our partners at the University of Grenoble Alpes continued throughout 2018. The discussions held during that year led, one year later, to the decision to create the Integrated University—a new Université Grenoble Alpes, of which Sciences Po Grenoble is a component. Together with our partners, the social science research we conduct at Sciences Po Grenoble will inform discussions on the transformation of the state, as well as the analysis of public administration, organizations, and markets in the years to come.
This year’s second report includes, in addition to the faculty members on staff at the IEP, CNRS and FNSP researchers affiliated with the PACTE UMR. Closely linked to teaching—particularly at the master’s level—their contribution to the visibility of Sciences Po Grenoble’s research is crucial. The year 2017 was particularly fruitful for research: remaining fundamentally committed to the institution’s interdisciplinary approach, researchers and faculty members were awarded prestigious grants—including ERC, H2020, Cross-Disciplinary Programs (CDP), and the Initiatives for Strategic Research (IRS). As in the previous year, scholarly output was abundant and particularly prominent on the international stage. It has enriched teaching and Sciences Po Grenoble’s relationships with the wider community, as evidenced by numerous media appearances, contributions to The Conversation, and extensive engagement with civil society. The research themes most prominent in 2017 confirm just how closely the research conducted at Sciences Po Grenoble is linked to contemporary societal challenges. Thus, the research places a central focus on a wide variety of fields, such as the transformation of French political parties, social and employment policies, market creation, Big Data and data protection, as well as issues related to European integration and international organizations. Furthermore, Sciences Po Grenoble’s cooperation with its local community within the COMUE and with our partners at the University of Grenoble Alpes has continued and expanded. The connection to the local community, combined with a strong international outlook, is one of the hallmarks of the research conducted at Sciences Po Grenoble and in the three research laboratories under our joint supervision.
For the first time, this 1st report illustrates the richness of research at Sciences Po Grenoble, both in terms of discipline and in terms of multi- and multi-disciplinary activities. It shows that our institution is not only based on teaching, but is also a place where cooperation between research and teaching is strong and opens up new avenues for further development. This characteristic shows that Sciences Po Grenoble must play a major role in affirming and promoting the Humanities and Social Sciences on the Grenoble site.