2011 was a particularly important year for the United Nations University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies as the Institute celebrated its first ten years of existence. This tenth anniversary provides a unique opportunity to take stock of the past and to look forward to the future.

Looking back to 2001 when it started its activities, UNU-CRIS can be pleased with its remarkable record to date. Over the years, the Institute has generated an impressive academic output and has gained significant reputation as a leading actor in studying regional integration and regional governance.

In view of its encouraging performance, UNU-CRIS now has the ambition to capitalise the past achievements and continue to grow as a leading institute with global impact and strong local roots. In this regard, UNU-CRIS contemplates two major challenges ahead. First, it has the ambition to re-think the scope of its research and identify new areas where its contribution can make the difference, while deepening research and understanding of the topics and areas presently studied. Secondly, UNU-CRIS will devote efforts to improving its local anchorage as well as global presence and visibility. Taking advantage of the vast amount of communication media available today, it will have to adapt its knowledge dissemination strategies.

Luk Van Langenhove
Director UNU-CRIS