Following a decision dated December 20, 2024, ESSEC Business School is joining the CNRS (French National Center for Scientific Research) and CY Cergy Paris University as the primary supervisory institution of the THEMA research laboratory (UMR 8184). This development marks a new milestone in ESSEC’s commitment to academic excellence and research.
ESSEC has been a member of CY Alliance since 2013: this is a partnership led by CY Cergy Paris University, and involves fifteen other local higher education institutions. At the core of this project is the CY Initiative, which was awarded an I-SITE (Initiative Science-Innovation-Territory-Economy) grant by the French government in 2022. Its aim is to contribute to the emergence of a world-class, research-intensive, international higher education cluster and campus in the Cergy region.
CY Alliance is a member of EUTOPIA, one of the 17 winning projects throughout Europe in the “European Universities Initiative”, launched by the European Commission to build a European Education Area. The founding members of EUTOPIA are Vrije Universiteit Brussel, CY Cergy Paris Université, University of Gothenburg, University of Ljubljana, Pompeu Fabra University, and the University of Warwick.
The CY Initiative is a partner of Fulbright, through an annual exchange program which hosts American students, scholars, and researchers in one of the CY Initiative partner establishments, and supports PhD students during their stays in American universities and research institutes.
CY Advanced Studies was created to develop scientific collaborations between its researchers and the international scientific community, in the fields of modeling sciences, experimental sciences, and social sciences. The institute supports the development of ambitious, innovative, and high-level scientific projects through the organization of international scientific events and collaborations with foreign researchers.
THEMA (Théorie Économique, Modélisation et Applications) is a leading French research center in economics, finance, and management. Jointly operated by CY Cergy Paris Université, ESSEC Business School, and the CNRS, THEMA brings together a vibrant community of around 120 members, including permanent faculty, PhD students, postdoctoral fellows, as well as administrative and technical staff.
Founded in 1993 and recognized as a CNRS Joint Research Unit (UMR) since 1997, THEMA has built a strong international reputation for academic excellence. Its research is widely published in top-tier peer-reviewed journals, and its members consistently secure competitive external funding for their projects.
THEMA is committed to advancing frontier research that contributes to major scientific debates while maintaining a strong connection to real-world public policy challenges. Its work combines theoretical modeling, empirical analysis, and interdisciplinary approaches to address complex economic, managerial, and societal issues. The center also serves as a dynamic intellectual hub, regularly hosting international conferences, workshops, and seminar series that attract leading scholars from around the world.
The relationship between ESSEC Business School and THEMA has strengthened significantly over time. Since 2010, an increasing number of ESSEC professors have joined THEMA, contributing actively to its development. In 2024, ESSEC became the main supervisory institution of the center. Today, more than 20 ESSEC professors and 15 PhD students are members of THEMA, playing a key role in its research activities, doctoral program, seminar series, and overall governance.
Research institutions are increasingly prioritizing ethical issues, gender equality, and the responsible use of data. ESSEC is no exception, and our Behavioral Research Lab and our research projects ensure that researchers consider ethical implications when working with human participants.
Since January 2020, Radu Vranceanu, Professor of Economics, has served as ESSEC’s Referent for the French Office for Research Integrity (OFIS). His second term began in 2023.
