What CERLIS does

CERLIS (Centre de Recherche sur les Liens Sociaux) is a French public social sciences research laboratory operating as UMR 8070 under the joint supervision of Université Paris Cité, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, and CNRS. Founded in 1998 and based in Paris, the laboratory is dedicated to empirical and pluridisciplinary sociology research, organized around six thematic axes: Culture, Médias et Sociabilités; Éducation, Socialisation et Âges de la vie; Famille, Individualisation et Institutions; Travail, Classes et Styles de vie; Numérique; and Rapports de Genre. Its research portfolio includes multiple Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) funded projects (Art-e-Fact, Kappa, Claspop, Elias, Musicovid, Quantiself), coordination of the Réseau MAGE research network on labor and gender, and participation in the LabEx ICCA excellence consortium. The laboratory also hosts doctoral students, co-directs academic programs including the Master Sociologie d'Enquête and École Doctorale 623, and organizes scientific seminars, study days, and colloquia.

CERLIS has no commercial products or services and operates a non-profit revenue model. Funding flows from institutional allocations provided by its three parent tutelles (Université Paris Cité, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, CNRS) and from competitive research grants awarded by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) and similar French public research bodies. Outputs are disseminated through academic channels including the HAL open-access repository, the quarterly newsletter LIENS, scientific conferences, and collaborative research networks. The laboratory does not have enterprise customers, transactional pricing, or go-to-market motions; its stakeholder community consists of researchers, professors, doctoral candidates, and the broader French academic sociology community.

The entity's technology stack reflects its research mission rather than commercial software development: empirical social research methodologies, survey design and data processing support (coordinated by an in-house Ingénieure d'études), and digital sociology research on socio-digital platforms. CERLIS maintains no proprietary software products, no APIs, no commercial AI/ML capabilities, and no patents or trademarks; its differentiation rests on research reputation, institutional affiliation, and the talent of its affiliated researchers.

Name

CERLIS

Legal name

CERLIS - Le Centre de Recherche sur les Liens Sociaux

Website

https://cerlis.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CERLIS is a French public social sciences research laboratory (UMR 8070) jointly supervised by Université Paris Cité, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, and CNRS, conducting empirical sociology research across six thematic axes and hosting multiple ANR-funded projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Research Funding: CERLIS operates as a public research laboratory (UMR 8070) funded through institutional tutelles: Université Paris Cité, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, and CNRS. Funding comes from government research allocations and ANR (Agence Nationale de la Recherche) project grants.

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CERLIS is a public social sciences research laboratory that conducts empirical and pluridisciplinary sociological research on social ties and linkages in society. It is organized around six thematic axes: culture/media/socialization, education/socialization/life stages, family/individualization/institutions, work/classes/lifestyles, digital studies, and gender relations. The laboratory also delivers doctoral training, organizes scientific events (colloquia, study days, seminars), and publishes the quarterly journal LIENS.

Product overview

CERLIS (Centre de Recherche sur les Liens Sociaux) is a social sciences research laboratory (UMR 8070) affiliated with Université Paris Cité, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, and CNRS. It does not offer commercial products or services; instead, it conducts interdisciplinary sociological research across areas including culture/media/sociabilities, education/socialization/life stages, family/individualization/institutions, work/classes/lifestyles, digital studies, and gender relations. The laboratory organizes seminars, study days, conferences, and publishes the quarterly journal 'Liens' as part of its scientific dissemination activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Regular publication of journal issues (LIENS quarterly publication)
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Université Paris CitécoreOthersPrimary institutional tutelle (overseeing institution) of CERLIS UMR 8070, providing academic oversight and research infrastructure.
• Université Sorbonne NouvellecoreOthersPrimary institutional tutelle (overseeing institution) of CERLIS UMR 8070, providing academic oversight and research infrastructure.
• CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)coreOthersNational research center as institutional tutelle, providing national research framework and funding coordination for CERLIS UMR 8070.
• ANR (Agence Nationale de la Recherche) - Art-e-FactmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerANR-funded research project on art and artifacts, one of several ANR projects hosted by CERLIS researchers.
• ANR (Agence Nationale de la Recherche) - KappamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerANR-funded research project hosted by CERLIS, part of the laboratory's active research portfolio.
• LabEx ICCA (Laboratoire d'Excellence ICCA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExcellence Laboratory initiative in arts, cultures, and artistic creations that CERLIS participates in.
• Réseau MAGE (Marché du Travail et Genre)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch network on labor market and gender coordinated by CERLIS researchers, contributing to interdisciplinary research collaboration.
• GIS-GESTES (Groupe d'études sur le travail et la santé au travail)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch group on work and occupational health co-organizing events with CERLIS researchers, including doctoral conferences on occupational health.
• Plateforme d'Enquête sur la Formation et la Vie Étudiante (PERF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSurvey platform at Université Paris Cité conducting research on student formation and life, collaborating with CERLIS researchers.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• LAVUE – Laboratoire Architecture Ville Urbanisme Environnement: Large CNRS UMR covering urban sociology and spatial studies. Broader in scope but comparable governance model and Parisian anchor, with potential overlap on socialization and family/institution axes.

Direct peers

• CEMS – Centre d'études des mouvements sociaux: EHESS-affiliated sociology UMR (UMR 8044) studying social movements and collective action. Comparable as a French social science research unit with strong empirical orientation and shared doctoral networks with CERLIS.
• Centre Max Weber: UMR 5283 CNRS sociology lab based in Lyon (ENS de Lyon). Directly comparable as a CNRS UMR in sociology, with similar empirical, pluridisciplinary approach and ANR funding model, serving as a regional counterpart to CERLIS.
• Centre de Sociologie de l'Innovation (CSI): UMR 9217 at Mines Paris – PSL, focused on sociology of innovation and technology. Comparable as a Paris-based CNRS sociology lab with empirical methodology and strong ANR project portfolio, overlapping with CERLIS's digital and work-research axes.
• ISP – Institut des Sciences sociales du Politique: UMR 7220 CNRS lab at ENS Paris-Saclay focused on political and social sociology. Comparable as a French CNRS sociology research unit with empirical approach and doctoral training, competing for overlapping ANR themes.
• CRESPPA – Centre de Recherches Sociologiques et Politiques de Paris: UMR 7217 CNRS lab covering sociology of politics, gender, and labor, with strong overlap on CERLIS's Travail/Classes/Styles de vie and gender axes. Comparable in scale, governance under CNRS, and event/programming cadence.
• Centre de Sociologie Européenne (CSE): UMR 8042 affiliated with EHESS and CNRS, conducting empirical sociology in Paris. Directly comparable as a French CNRS social sciences research lab of similar scale and methodology, and a natural collaborator/competitor for ANR grants and doctoral placement.

Regional players

• Centre Émile Bernheim (CEB): Inter-university sociology research center at Université libre de Bruxelles. Comparable as a Benelux academic sociology research unit with similar empirical methodology, relevant as a cross-border collaboration partner for CERLIS's work-classes-lifestyles axis.
• PACTE – Laboratoire de Sciences Sociales: UMR 5194 CNRS political science/sociology lab in Grenoble. Comparable French public research unit with multidisciplinary social science scope, though regionally anchored outside Paris and competing for overlapping ANR themes.
• LISST – Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire Solidarités, Sociétés, Territoires: UMR 5193 CNRS interdisciplinary social sciences lab in Toulouse. Comparable as a French CNRS social sciences research unit with empirical methodology, relevant for collaboration on socialization and inequalities axes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cerlis-socio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CERLIS