Centre de Recherches en Droit Pénal - CRDP

What Centre de Recherches en Droit Pénal - CRDP does

Centre de Recherches en Droit Pénal (CRDP) is an academic research center operating within the Faculty of Law and Criminology at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) in Brussels, Belgium. Founded in 2018 and currently directed by Mona Giacometti (succeeding Damien Scalia, who served from 2019 to 2024), the center is staffed by approximately 30 researchers, professors, post-doctoral fellows, doctoral candidates, and assistants covering the full spectrum of criminal law — domestic, European, and international — as well as criminal procedure, criminology, social criminal law, business criminal law, transitional justice, and penitentiary law. CRDP delivers 15+ courses through ULB's official degree programs and contributes to interdisciplinary certificates such as JUTRA (transitional justice, co-organized with UCLouvain and RCN Justice & Démocratie).

The center's outputs are primarily scholarly: over 50 named publications spanning 2002–2024 including manuals, commentaries, journal articles, and edited volumes distributed through established legal publishers (Larcier, Kluwer, Anthémis, Dalloz, Helbing Lichtenhahn). CRDP members participate directly in Belgian governmental reform commissions (notably the commission for the reform of the Code of criminal procedure) and serve as experts for bodies such as the Council of Europe, providing institutional embeddedness in legislative and judicial advisory processes.

CRDP is not a commercial entity and operates as a non-commercial university research center. Revenue mechanics rely on institutional research funding from the Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique (FNRS), Wallonia-Brussels International (WBI), and Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles (FWB), supplemented by ULB academic salaries and modest event participation fees (e.g., summer university student rate €200; Triptyques €240/€360). Distribution is academic: ULB courses, open-access activity reports, scholarly publishing, and co-organized international events such as the Université d'été (with Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and Université d'Artois) and the Siracusa International Criminal Law Course. The primary audiences are ULB law students (Master's and doctoral), legal scholars, and practicing judges, prosecutors, and defense lawyers.

Name

Centre de Recherches en Droit Pénal - CRDP

Legal name

Centre de Recherches en Droit Pénal

Website

https://crdp-ulb.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CRDP is an academic research center at ULB's Faculty of Law and Criminology in Brussels, specializing in criminal law, criminal procedure, and criminology. It serves law students, scholars, and legal professionals through 15+ courses, scholarly publications, and interdisciplinary certificate programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Legal Research & Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Law School Continuing Legal Education (CLE) & Executive Programs (EDAHAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Legal & Compliance (CLE, Paralegal CE) (EDAAALAB)

Keywords

• Criminal law research
• Legal education
• Academic publications
• Criminology studies
• Transitional justice

Headquarters

HQ city

Bruxelles

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Research funding and institutional support: The CRDP operates as a university research center at ULB and receives institutional support and research grants from public and academic funding bodies, including the Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique (FNRS) and Wallonia-Brussels International (WBI).

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CRDP is an academic research center within the Faculty of Law and Criminology at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) specializing in criminal law, criminal procedure, international criminal law, and European criminal law. It conducts scholarly research, delivers graduate-level courses and certificates (including the JUTRA transitional justice program), publishes academic works through established legal publishers, and organizes international conferences, summer universities, and triptyques lecture series.

Product overview

Centre de Recherches en Droit Pénal (CRDP) is an academic research center at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) focused on criminal law and procedure. It offers educational programs in criminal law (courses, seminars, clinical programs), publishes research publications and journals, organizes conferences and summer schools, and maintains academic partnerships. It is not a technology product company but rather a university-affiliated research and teaching entity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50 named scholarly publications by members spanning 2002–2024
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRDP co-organizes the interdisciplinary JUTRA certificate in transitional justice with UCLouvain and the NGO RCN Justice & Démocratie. This represents a formal academic co-development partnership with joint teaching and certification.
• Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) - Faculty of Law and CriminologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRDP is an internal research center of ULB's Faculty of Law and Criminology. It is structurally embedded within the faculty, with its members delivering official ULB courses and using ULB infrastructure.
• CDE (Centre de Droit Européen, ULB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDE is an internal research center at ULB focusing on European law. CRDP collaborates with CDE on joint research activities, shared events, and academic publications.
• Université Paris 1 Panthéon-SorbonnemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRDP co-organizes the annual summer university (Université d'été) with Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and Université d'Artois, focusing on the law of places of deprivation of liberty.
• Université d'ArtoismajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizes the annual summer university (Université d'été) with CRDP and Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne on the law governing places of deprivation of liberty.
• RCN Justice & DémocratiecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRCN Justice & Démocratie is an NGO that co-organizes the JUTRA transitional justice certificate program with CRDP and UCLouvain, contributing practical expertise in post-conflict justice.
• Siracusa International Institute for Criminal Justice and Human RightsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Siracusa Institute organizes the 24th International Criminal Law Course for Young Penalists, with CRDP members participating in the academic program and contributing to its faculty.
• Ligue des Droits Humains (LDH)supportingOthersLDH is a Belgian human rights organization listed as an Amici partner of the CRDP, indicating collaborative engagement in human rights and criminal justice advocacy.
• Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF)supportingOthersASF is an international NGO providing legal aid, listed as an Amici partner of the CRDP, suggesting collaborative activities in access to justice and legal assistance.
• SamiliasupportingOthersSamilia is a Belgian foundation focused on prison conditions and the rights of detainees. CRDP member Charles-Éric Clesse serves as administrator of Samilia.
• ARC - Strategic Litigation (ULB)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerARC is ULB's strategic litigation center. As a ULB internal partner listed in the Amici section, ARC collaborates with CRDP on strategic cases at the intersection of criminal law and human rights.
• Prison InsidersupportingOthersPrison Insider is a European observatory monitoring prison conditions. Listed as an Amici partner, indicating shared interest in penitentiary law research and reform.
• Stand Speak Rise Up! (SSRU)supportingOthersSSRU is a Luxembourg-based foundation focused on supporting survivors of sexual violence. CRDP member Charles-Éric Clesse serves on its advisory council.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Centre de droit pénal et de criminologie (CDPC): A criminal law and criminology research center at Université de Montréal. Directly comparable to CRDP as a university-affiliated academic center combining criminal law scholarship, teaching, and policy engagement in a French-language academic context.
• Centre de Recherche en Droit Pénal et Procédure Pénale — Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne: Criminal law and procedure research center at Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. Co-organizes the Université d'été with CRDP and Université d'Artois; comparable in mission (academic criminal law research, publication, teaching) and French-language academic positioning.
• Institut de Sciences Criminelles et de la Justice (ISCJ) — Université de Bordeaux: University research institute focused on criminal sciences and justice at Université de Bordeaux. Direct peer in the French academic criminal law landscape, with comparable functions in research, doctoral training, and engagement with criminal justice policy.
• Institut de Criminologie — Université de Lausanne: Swiss academic center for criminology and criminal law at Université de Lausanne. Direct peer in the French-speaking European academic criminal law community; comparable publication output, doctoral training, and policy engagement functions. Damien Scalia serves as Invited Professor there.
• Institut de Criminologie et de Droit Pénal (ICDP) — UCLouvain: UCLouvain's criminal law and criminology institute. CRDP's co-organizer of the JUTRA transitional justice certificate and its closest Belgian peer within the country's French-speaking academic ecosystem; both deliver courses, doctoral training, and criminal law research.
• Centre de Criminologie — Université de Liège: University of Liège's criminology center. Direct Belgian peer in the French-speaking academic ecosystem; comparable scope (criminal law and criminology research, teaching, doctoral training) and overlap with CRDP on Belgian criminal justice policy topics.

Broad incumbents

• Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law: Germany's flagship criminology and criminal law research institute. While broader in scope (including security studies) and substantially better resourced, it is a leading European academic reference for criminal law scholarship — directly comparable to CRDP's research and publication mission.
• Institute for European Criminal Law — University of Cologne: A well-established German academic institute focused on European criminal law. Comparable to CRDP in its EU criminal law expertise and publication activity, though operating within a larger German university ecosystem with greater resources.

Emerging players

• Siracusa International Institute for Criminal Justice and Human Rights: International institute running the annual International Criminal Law Course for Young Penalists, in which CRDP members participate. Comparable in mission (international criminal law training and convening) though operating as a dedicated international institute rather than a university research center.

Others

• RCN Justice & Démocratie: Belgian NGO focused on international criminal justice and transitional justice. Co-organizes the JUTRA transitional justice certificate with CRDP and UCLouvain. Comparable through shared mission in transitional justice and international criminal law, though operating as an NGO rather than a university research center.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centre-de-recherches-en-droit-p%C3%A9nal-crdp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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