Centre de Recherches Interdisciplinaires pour la Solidarité et l’Innovation Sociale (CERISIS)

The CERISIS - Interdisciplinary Research Center for Solidarity and Social Innovation - was founded in 1995 in Hainaut by the UCL. This center is composed of economists, sociologists and psychologists gathered in three research teams working in the fields of social economy, teaching as well as social and professional integration. 

The work of the CERISIS integrates four objectives :
· To develop scientific knowledge within the three fields of research, in collaboration with the national and international scientific community;
· To articulate scientific relevance and social relevance by means of researches centered on the analysis of the processes leading to social inequalities and on the mechanisms of solidarity between social groups, institutions and areas;
· To develop each of the three approaches (economic, sociological and psychological) in an interdisciplinary process;
· To concretely associate the socioeconomic actors to the research process and to examine with these partners how to support processes carrying effective forms of solidarity.

Social and professional integration team
In the third domain of research, the analysis deals with processes, which on the one hand support social and professional integration of people deprived of work and, on the other hand, facilitate the maintenance in employment of vulnerable workers such as unqualified youngsters and older workers. The analysis is based on psychosocial processes and focuses on the stigmatisation and discrimination that unemployed people may experience.

Social economy team
The "third sector and social policy" team deals with socio – economic logics of “not for profit organisations” (cooperatives, charities…). It examines the articulations of these organisations with public policies, the market and the community. We investigate the role of these kinds of organisations in comparison with business and public bodies in several fields such as socio-professional integration, social services or social entrepreneurship.

Educational team
In the area of teaching, two main research questions are raised. First, in which ways are social inequalities and segregations linked to the regulation of educational systems? And second, how pedagogic norms and lifelong learning can transform the work of the teachers? Alongside these research topics, other studies are run dealing for example with links between school and family, indicators of educational system, with affirmative action or with professional integration of youngsters leaving secondary school.

CERISIS is one of the founding members of EMES and its representative, Marthe Nyssens, has been the coordinator of the PERSE project. Additionally, CERISIS has participated in the  TS&Employment, EMES, Child care and UNDP-BRC projects.