University of Chicago Center in Paris

What University of Chicago Center in Paris does

The University of Chicago John W. Boyer Center in Paris is a private academic and research facility operated as a branch of the University of Chicago, located at 41 rue des Grands Moulins, 75013 Paris, France. Established in 2003 and renamed in 2023 following a $21.5 million naming gift, the Center serves as UChicago's teaching and research hub in Europe and a gateway to its scholarly networks in Africa and the Middle East. Its core service offerings are non-commercial: the Center hosts the largest collection of the College's quarter-long, faculty-led study abroad programs, the International Institute of Research in Paris (IIRP), a Research Residency Program, Graduate Students in Residence, and multiple fellowship opportunities (Lurcy, Sciences Po Exchange, EHESS Exchange, François Furet Travel Grant). It also runs Public Programming including the annual Theodore J. and Angèle Lowi Lecture.

The Center's revenue model is effectively non-transactional: core programs and services for UChicago students, faculty, and researchers are provided at no charge, with operating costs funded through university allocations, donor contributions (notably the $21.5M Boyer endowment), and research grants administered through the IIRP (grants up to $15,000 for one-year and $30,000 for two-year faculty projects, and Resident Faculty Fellowships up to $20,000). The only disclosed direct-revenue stream is external event venue rental in the new 25,000-square-foot facility (opened autumn 2024), which includes a 100-seat amphitheater, 10 classrooms, 28 offices, and four outdoor terraces. The Center is led by Sébastien Greppo (Assistant Dean and Executive Director), with Paolo Privitera as IIRP Faculty Director and Michèle Lowrie as Academic Director 2025-26 and Deputy Faculty Director.

The IIRP has supported 189 faculty grant projects since 2014 (93 catalogued for 2022-2026), and more than 5,000 UChicago students have studied abroad in Paris since establishment. Partnerships span Sciences Po, EHESS, INRAE, CERN, Gran Sasso Science Institute, Rijksmuseum, American University in Cairo, Brain Research Africa Initiative, and others, supporting research in archaeology (A3RD/Deep Learning AI for qanat mapping), dark matter (DAMIC-M), brain health, HIV prevention, Chinese bronzes, and comparative politics.

Name

University of Chicago Center in Paris

Legal name

The University of Chicago John W. Boyer Center in Paris

Website

https://centerinparis.uchicago.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The University of Chicago Center in Paris is the university's European teaching and research hub, hosting the largest collection of quarter-long faculty-led study abroad programs, the International Institute of Research in Paris (IIRP), fellowships, and public programming for UChicago students, faculty, and partners across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Study Abroad and International Research Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHABAI

International & Global Research Universities (Multi-Campus/International Footprint)

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Private Research Universities

SECONDARYEDAHABAA

Comprehensive Doctoral Research Universities (Multi-Disciplinary)

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Private Research Universities

SECONDARYEDAIAIAF

Research & Lab-Based Short-Term Programs (Undergraduate/Graduate)

Education/International Education & Study Abroad/International Summer/Winter Schools & Short-Term Academic Programs

Keywords

• Study abroad programs
• International research institute
• Faculty research grants
• Academic residency fellowships
• Public academic programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The University of Chicago Center in Paris operates an international academic and research hub that delivers faculty-led Study Abroad programs, hosts graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and faculty in residence, and administers research grants and fellowships through its International Institute of Research in Paris (IIRP). It also runs public programming and rents event spaces from a 25,000 square foot facility in Paris's 13th arrondissement, serving as a gateway connecting the university to scholarly networks across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

Product overview

The University of Chicago John W. Boyer Center in Paris is a unified academic research and educational hub offering a comprehensive portfolio of programs. The core offering is the Center itself, which houses the International Institute of Research in Paris (IIRP) as its research arm. Key programs include Study Abroad programs (the largest collection of quarter-long faculty-led programs), the Research Residency Program, Graduate Students in Residence, and various Fellowship Opportunities (Lurcy, Sciences Po Exchange, EHESS Exchange, François Furet Travel Grant). The IIRP provides Resident Faculty Fellowships and Faculty Grants supporting collaborative research. The Center also offers Public Programming and Events including the annual Theodore J. and Angèle Lowi Lecture. A searchable IIRP Grants Database catalogs 93 funded research projects. Event Spaces with modern facilities are available for external event hosting. The new facility opened in autumn 2024 with 25,000 square feet including 10 classrooms, multifunction spaces, amphitheater seating 100, 28 offices, and outdoor terraces.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Study Abroad Programs Quarter-long, faculty-led study abroad programs that transport the University of Chicago College's undergraduate curriculum to Paris, covering subjects from art history and urban studies to astronomy. Designed for UChicago undergraduates seeking international academic experiences.
• Research Residency Program Program inviting UChicago faculty, postdoctoral scholars, and graduate students to conduct research in Paris at the Center, with access to research resources, office space, and an international research community.
• Fellowship Opportunities Internal and external funding opportunities for UChicago graduate students including the Lurcy Fellowship, Sciences Po Exchange Fellowship (Euro equivalent of $12,500 for 2-3 quarters plus $2,000 travel allowance), EHESS Exchange Fellowship (Euro equivalent of $12,000 for up to six months plus roundtrip travel), the François Furet Travel Grant, and external awards such as the Fulbright Program and Chateaubriand Fellowship.
• Resident Faculty Fellowships Program providing grants of up to $20,000 to support month-long residencies at the IIRP for University of Chicago scholars engaged in collaborative research with colleagues from institutions across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Funded primarily by the Office of the Provost with co-funding from the College and multiple academic divisions.
• IIRP Faculty Grants Grants supporting UChicago faculty research programs and scholarly networks in Paris and throughout Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Awards of up to $15,000 for one-year projects and up to $30,000 for two-year projects are available, administered through the InfoReady Funding Portal.
• Graduate Students in Residence Program for UChicago graduate students pursuing research at the Center in Paris with access to office space, interactive technology, and staff support, benefiting from proximity to the French National Library (BnF) and Paris archives.
• Public Programming and Events Seminars, conferences, and public events promoting open dialogue and debate on policy, science, and art topics, including the annual Theodore J. and Angèle Lowi Lecture. Open to UChicago students, faculty, alumni, partner institutions, and the general public.
• Event Spaces (Venue Rental) State-of-the-art event facilities including an amphitheater, great room, seminar rooms, vertical campus of classrooms, gardens, and terraces available for external event hosting. Pricing available in a separate guide. The Center is located directly above a Metro stop in Paris's 13th arrondissement.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,000+ students have studied abroad in Paris
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

42 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor and core.

• John W. Boyer (Center namesake)flagshipOthers · 1 January 2023John W. Boyer, former Dean of the College (1992-2023), is the namesake of the Center. He was deeply involved in founding the original Center in Paris in 2003 and was instrumental in expanding international study opportunities for students.
• Republic of AustriaminorOthersAwarded John W. Boyer the Cross of Honor for Science and Art, First Class (2004) and the Austrian State Prize for Modern History (2006). Boyer is a Corresponding Member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
• University of ViennaminorOthersAwarded John W. Boyer an honorary doctorate in 2015 in recognition of his scholarly work on the Habsburg Empire.
• Fulbright ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExternal fellowship opportunity open to graduate students who wish to become Research Residents at the Center in Paris. Part of a non-comprehensive list of internal funding opportunities.
• Chateaubriand FellowshipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExternal fellowship opportunity for graduate students pursuing research at the Center in Paris, providing Euro equivalent funding plus travel allowance.
• Sciences Po (Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExchange fellowship for PhD candidates with research projects in academic disciplines represented at Sciences Po. Award: Euro equivalent of $12,500 for 2-3 quarters plus $2,000 travel allowance.
• EHESS (École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExchange fellowship for PhD candidates in Social Sciences whose dissertation projects require study and research in Paris. Award: Euro equivalent of $12,000 for up to six months plus roundtrip travel.
• Office of the Provost (University of Chicago)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary funder of the IIRP Resident Faculty Fellowships program and IIRP Faculty Grants. Co-funding from College and multiple divisions including Arts & Humanities, Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, and Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering.
• Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'alimentation et l'Environnement (INRAE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench research partner for the AI-Assisted Archaeological Remains Detection (A3RD) project, collaborating on mapping qanat systems using Deep Learning AI.
• Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa (EAMENA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in A3RD project network along with UK-based universities, working to map subterranean water supply systems (qanats) across arid regions.
• Gran Sasso Science Institute (Italy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating institution with the DAMIC-M dark matter experiment, establishing IIRP as headquarters for the international collaboration's European activities.
• Gran Sasso National Laboratory (Italy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaboratory site in the French Alps where the DAMIC-M experiment is located, searching for Dark Matter particles with unprecedented sensitivity.
• Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner museum for the Chinese Bronzes research project, housing important Chinese bronze collections for provenance, dating, and stylistic analysis research.
• Musée Cernuschi (Paris)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner museum for Chinese bronzes research, participating in ongoing research project under the Center for Research on East Asian Civilizations, Paris.
• Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst (Cologne)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner museum for Chinese bronzes research, housing Shang, Zhou, and later Chinese bronze artifacts for provenance and technical studies.
• AMERICA 2026 / Paris 8coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerANR-funded project administered through Paris 8, collaborating on international seminars focused on the global origins and legacies of the American Revolution.
• Karla Scherer Center for the Study of American CulturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUChicago center administering the American Program at the Center in Paris, organizing collaborations on American cultural studies.
• Global Brain Health Institute (Dublin)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Brain Health for Women project, contributing to international work group examining multi-level dementia risk factors.
• Barcelona Beta Brain Research CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Brain Health for Women project, contributing expertise on women's brain health research.
• Women's Brain Foundation (Basel)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Brain Health for Women project, focused on women's brain health and dementia research.
• Université Paris CitécoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench university partner in Brain Health for Women collaboration, contributing to international research network.
• American University in CairocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Brain Health for Women project, contributing Middle East and Africa regional perspective.
• Brain Research Africa Initiative (Cameroon)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Brain Health for Women project, contributing African continent perspective to dementia research.
• Paris Cité UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with University of Chicago investigators on HIV Prevention research among migrant women, addressing multilevel complexity of prevention.
• Studio GangcoreTechnology or IntegrationArchitecture firm that designed the new Center in Paris facility, creating state-of-the-art academic spaces.
• University of Navarra (Pamplona, Spain)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating university for validating novel cancer targets in radio-immunotherapy research collaboration.
• Department of Economics, University of SalentominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in The Wealth of Nations @ 250 project celebrating Adam Smith's work, contributing to economic thought discussions.
• Department of Social and Political Sciences, Bocconi UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Wealth of Nations @ 250 project, contributing to international academic network.
• PHARE, Université Sorbonne-PanthéonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench partner in Wealth of Nations @ 250 project, hosting academic events and workshops.
• Centre de Recherches Historiques, EHESSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Wealth of Nations @ 250 project, contributing historical research expertise.
• Institut d'Études Scientifiques (Cern)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in quantum physics research collaborations hosted at the IIRP.
• PhilMath (France)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench philosophy of mathematics group, collaborating on foundations of mathematics conference at the Paris Center.
• SPHERE (France)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench research group in philosophy and history of science, collaborating on mathematics and logic research.
• Taiwanese/Chinese Buddhist NGO (Namibia and Madagascar)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Chinese Buddhism in Africa research, with campuses in Namibia and Madagascar where the PI conducted ethnographic research.
• French National Library (BnF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor resource for research projects requiring archival access, including manuscripts on Moroccan Sufi traditions.
• Qarawiyyin Collection (Fez)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchive in Fez housing manuscripts for research on 18th-century Moroccan Sufi traditions.
• Institute of Politics (UChicago)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts annual expert fellow in U.S. politics and public policy at the Center, leading seminars and panel discussions on pressing political issues.
• Center for Effective Government (UChicago)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Democratic Solutions Gatherings project, engaging scholars and practitioners on democracy vulnerabilities.
• Chicago Center on Democracy (UChicago)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Democratic Solutions Gatherings, organizing convenings on democracy with global network of practitioners and scholars.
• Chicago Center for Contemporary Theory (3CT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganizer of Global Capitalisms series of events, featuring workshops and public panels with international scholars.
• UGrenoble Alpes INNOVACScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench partner in QUANTUM CASINO 2050 project, developing interactive theatre production about quantum technology.
• Neubauer Collegium for Culture and SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPotential future funder for German-Jewish archives digitization project, building on existing collaborative work.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Sciences Po (Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris): France's premier political science and social sciences university based in Paris. Comparable as a major European research and teaching institution in Paris; partnership already exists via exchange fellowship for PhD candidates.
• École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS): Leading French research institution in social sciences based in Paris. Directly comparable as a Paris-based advanced research institute and existing partner of the Center via the EHESS Exchange Fellowship for doctoral research.

Direct peers

• Boston University Paris: Boston University's Paris study abroad program with classroom space and faculty-led instruction. Directly comparable as a US university's Paris-based study abroad center.
• University of Pennsylvania Paris Center: UPenn's academic center in Paris offering study abroad, research, and faculty engagement. Comparable as another Ivy League-equivalent US private research university operating a Paris hub with similar study abroad and research missions.
• Columbia Maison Française: Columbia University's Paris-based academic center offering programming, residencies, and events. Directly comparable as a top-tier US private research university's European hub with similar study abroad and intellectual exchange missions.
• NYU Paris: New York University's Paris campus for study abroad and academic programming. Closely comparable to UChicago's Center as a major US private research university's European center serving undergraduate study abroad and faculty research.
• Harvard Center for European Studies: Harvard University's European-focused research center with extensive European academic partnerships. Comparable as a top US private research university's European-focused academic hub with faculty grant and fellowship programs.
• American University of Paris: An independent US-accredited university located entirely in Paris offering undergraduate and graduate programs. Highly comparable as a US-style higher education institution physically based in Paris serving international students.
• Reid Hall (Columbia Global Centers Paris): Columbia's historic Paris center for advanced research, arts programming, and faculty/student exchange. Operates in the same niche — US private research university's research and cultural hub in Paris — and competes for faculty projects, fellowships, and partner institutions.
• Stanford in Paris: Stanford's Paris study abroad and research center. Comparable as a leading US private research university operating an academic presence in Paris for undergraduate and faculty engagement.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@UChicagoParis
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uchicagoparis

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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