Maison des Sciences Humaines de l'ULB

What Maison des Sciences Humaines de l'ULB does

Maison des Sciences Humaines de l'ULB (MSH-ULB) is an interdisciplinary research hosting and support structure within the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), created in 2015 on the initiative of Rector Didier Viviers. It coordinates more than 230 researchers across seven integrated and affiliated teams spanning Latin American studies (AmericaS), the experience of war (CREG), East Asian studies (EASt), modernism and the avant-garde (MODERNITAS), the Arab and Muslim worlds (OMAM), digital humanities (Ratio DH), and gender/sexuality studies (STRIGES). The institution's primary purpose is to provide shared infrastructure, international visiting programs, postdoctoral fellowships, and event programming (SMMAC seminars, Midis de la MSH, the annual Spring of Social Sciences) for humanities and social sciences researchers affiliated with ULB.

MSH-ULB operates the QuaDiHum centre of excellence in quantitative and digital humanities, which combines Ratio DH (research), Lectio DH (training), and Praesto DH (technical support). Its technology infrastructure includes SPARQuLb, a data ecosystem for hosting humanities project databases built in collaboration with ULB's Department of Libraries and Scientific Information, and TAMI, an automatic handwriting extraction tool for historical document digitization. The MSH disseminates research through the Échos du monde podcast, the MSH Talks video series, ULB Editions publications, and the Genre(s) & Sexualité(s) book collection led by the STRIGES team.

The institution is publicly funded through ULB's core allocation and supplemented by competitive grants from the European Research Council (e.g., the ERC Synergy Grant CLOSER project on MENA political party systems, 2026–2029), Belgian National Fund for Scientific Research (FNRS/FWO), and internal MSH seed-money grants. All seminars, conferences, and publications are free to access; there is no commercial pricing model. International research partnerships span the Euro-Mediterranean University network (Tunisia, Morocco, Lebanon, Palestine, Egypt, Italy, France), the Erasmus Phoenix Consortium, and the EU-funded FEMENA project on female entrepreneurship in Asia.

Name

Maison des Sciences Humaines de l'ULB

Legal name

Maison des Sciences Humaines de l'ULB

Website

https://msh.ulb.ac.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Maison des Sciences Humaines de l'ULB (MSH-ULB) is a publicly funded interdisciplinary research hosting structure at the Université libre de Bruxelles, coordinating 230+ researchers across seven humanities and social sciences teams and providing visiting programs, digital humanities infrastructure, and grant-funded project support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Research Center

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Archives, Libraries & Institutional Access Platforms (MPAJAMAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Interdisciplinary & Multidisciplinary Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAI)

Keywords

• Interdisciplinary humanities research
• Social sciences research
• Digital humanities infrastructure
• Academic research collaboration
• International academic exchange

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Public University Funding: Core funding from Université libre de Bruxelles as part of the university's general dynamic and European research landscape.
2. ERC Synergy Grants: European Research Council funding for large-scale collaborative research projects, such as the CLOSER project on political party systems in the Middle East.
3. Seed-Money Grants: Internal MSH seed-money grants supporting early-stage research projects, such as the grant received by Cai Chen (2022-2023).
4. FNRS/FWO Research Funding: Belgian National Fund for Scientific Research funding supporting team projects such as the Gender and Mediation project on Belgian literature reception.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

MSH-ULB is a structure for hosting and supporting interdisciplinary research in humanities and social sciences. It coordinates integrated and affiliated research teams, runs regular seminars and conferences, produces podcasts and video content, distributes scholarly publications, and provides digital humanities infrastructure and international visiting programs for the academic community.

Product overview

The Maison des Sciences Humaines de l'ULB (MSH-ULB) is a structure for hosting and supporting interdisciplinary research in the humanities and social sciences. It operates as an umbrella organization comprising five integrated research teams (AmericaS, CREG, EASt, MODERNITAS, OMAM, Ratio DH) and multiple affiliated teams (CDP, CTP, CIERL, CReA-Patrimoine, STRIGES). The MSH offers academic programs including the SMMAC seminar series, The Stories We Tell program, and produces the Échos du monde podcast and MSH Talks video series. Research outputs are disseminated through the Genre(s) & Sexualité(s) book collection. The institution fosters international academic exchange and welcomes visiting professors and researchers from around the world.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OMAM (Observatoire des Mondes Arabes et Musulmans): Transdisciplinary centre for research and study on cross-cutting issues across the Arab and Muslim Worlds
• Ratio DH
• STRIGES
• EASt
• AmericaS
• CREG
• MODERNITAS

Products and services

• AmericaS Research center dedicated to Latin American and North American Studies at ULB, continuing the long-standing tradition of American studies at the university.
• CREG (Centre for Research on the Experience of War) Research center that approaches war-related phenomena through the question of experience, studying how individuals and groups experience war.
• EASt (ULB Centre for East Asian Studies) Research center dedicated to the study of East Asia at the Université libre de Bruxelles.
• MODERNITAS (Modernism and Avant-Garde Studies) Research center that explores concepts of modernity through interdisciplinary collaborative research projects between humanities and natural sciences.
• OMAM (Observatoire des Mondes Arabes et Musulmans) Transdisciplinary centre for research and study on cross-cutting issues across the Arab and Muslim Worlds, covering regions of North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East, Arabian Peninsula, and Central Asia.
• Ratio DH (Digital Humanities) Research center for digital humanities, concerned with the application of quantitative and numerical methods to data and research questions in the humanities.
• STRIGES (Structure de recherche interdisciplinaire sur le genre, l'égalité et la sexualité) Interdisciplinary research structure on gender, equality, and sexuality, federating researchers from eight faculties at ULB.
• SMMAC (Séminaire des Mondes Musulmans et Arabes Contemporains) Seminar series focusing on contemporary Arab and Muslim worlds, hosting conferences and lectures by scholars on topics related to the MENA region.
• The Stories We Tell Annual program featuring conversations, poetry, music, and films exploring Palestinian worlds and contemporary social issues.
• Échos du monde Podcast Monthly podcast produced by Maison des Sciences Humaines exploring topics in humanities and social sciences.
• MSH Talks Video series featuring episodes showcasing research, conferences, and scholarly discussions at MSH-ULB.
• Genre(s) & Sexualité(s) Collection Book collection published by Éditions de l'Université de Bruxelles, led by the STRIGES team, featuring interdisciplinary works in gender and sexuality studies.

Quantifiable outcome

• 230+ researchers hosted across integrated and affiliated teams
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FEMENA (EU-funded project)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025EASt members Pierre Petit, Asuncion Fresnoza-Flot and Vanessa Frangville represent ULB in the EU-funded FEMENA project on female entrepreneurship in Asia.
• European Erasmus Phoenix Consortium (Spain, Belgium, Poland, Italy, France, Finland, Germany, Portugal, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Jihane Sfeir coordinates this student and staff mobility project between Northern (European) and Southern (Arab) universities, facilitating academic exchange across the Mediterranean.
• Université de La Manouba (Tunisia)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Collaboration through the Euro-Mediterranean University (UEM) program, supported by the Bernheim Foundation, aimed at transmitting knowledge on Mediterranean mutations and facilitating student exchange between European and Arab universities.
• Université d'Aix-Marseille (France)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Partner in Euro-Mediterranean University (UEM) program, collaborating on Mediterranean studies and student mobility.
• Université de Birzeit (Palestine)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Partner in Euro-Mediterranean University (UEM) program, facilitating academic exchange with Palestinian higher education.
• Université al Akhawayn (Morocco)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Partner in Euro-Mediterranean University (UEM) program, supporting Moroccan-European academic collaboration.
• Université Saint-Joseph (Lebanon)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Partner in Euro-Mediterranean University (UEM) program, facilitating Lebanese-European academic exchange.
• Lebanese American University (Lebanon)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Partner in Euro-Mediterranean University (UEM) program, supporting USAC-linked academic collaboration.
• Université de Luiss (Italy)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Partner in Euro-Mediterranean University (UEM) program, collaborating on Mediterranean studies from Italian perspective.
• Université Française d'Egypte (Egypt)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Partner in Euro-Mediterranean University (UEM) program, supporting Egyptian-French academic collaboration.
• Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Grenoble (France)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Partner in Euro-Mediterranean University (UEM) program, supporting political science student exchange.
• Le Labexmed (France)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Collaborating laboratory in Euro-Mediterranean University (UEM) program, supporting Mediterranean research excellence.
• Le MuCEM (France)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Museum partner in Euro-Mediterranean University (UEM) program, providing cultural heritage expertise.
• Le Centre Jacques Berque (Morocco)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Research center partner in Morocco, supporting Euro-Mediterranean academic collaboration.
• EACA Erasmus+ Capacity Building Partners (Universities in Italy, Germany, France, Spain)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerULB is a partner in a project led by Université Paris 1 to develop doctoral training in humanities and social sciences for Tunisian universities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen (IWM Vienna): Independent institute for advanced study in the humanities and social sciences, hosting international visiting fellows. Comparable in hosting model and interdisciplinary humanities focus, though operating outside a university parent.
• Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study (NIAS): Dutch institute for advanced study hosting interdisciplinary research fellows. Comparable in mission (interdisciplinary humanities/social sciences), visiting-fellow model, and small-staff hosting-platform structure.
• Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study (SCAS): Nordic institute for advanced study in the humanities and social sciences hosting international visiting scholars. Comparable in mission, scale, and visiting-fellow program model.
• Institut d'Études Avancées d'Aix-Marseille (IMéRA): University-based Institute for Advanced Study hosting international visiting fellows and interdisciplinary research projects. Closely comparable in function (residential fellows, structured research programs, French-speaking Mediterranean academic context) and similar in size to MSH-ULB.
• Maison des Sciences de l'Homme (MSH Paris): The original French model for interdisciplinary humanities and social sciences research hosting platforms. Directly comparable in mission, structure (hosting integrated and affiliated research teams), and public-university affiliation, though substantially larger in scale.

Broad incumbents

• Berlin Social Science Center (WZB): German independent research institute for social sciences. Comparable in interdisciplinary social-science research focus and visiting-scholar engagement, though substantially larger and broader in research scope.
• Max Weber Stiftung: German foundation operating institutes for humanities research worldwide. Comparable in promoting international humanities collaboration and hosting visiting scholars, but operating at much broader geographic and structural scale.
• College de France: Prestigious French higher-education and research institution hosting internationally renowned scholars. Comparable in hosting public lectures and visiting scholars across humanities, though operating at much larger scale and broader scientific scope.

Regional players

• Ghent University Centre for Humanities: Belgian university-based interdisciplinary humanities platform. Comparable in mission and Belgian academic context, serving as a regional alternative for humanities research hosting in Flanders.
• KU Leuven Institute for the Humanities: Belgian university-based humanities research institute at KU Leuven. Comparable as a Belgian university-based interdisciplinary humanities platform, but operating in a different linguistic and institutional context (Dutch-speaking).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/omamulb
• YouTubemsh.ulb.ac.be/en/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/Maison-des-Sciences-Humaines-577409785743448
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maison-des-sciences-humaines-de-l-ulb
• Instagraminstagram.com/maisonscienceshumainesulb

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Maison des Sciences Humaines de l'ULB