The European University Institute (EUI) is an international postgraduate teaching and research institute, located near Florence, Italy. Set up in 1972 by the six founding Member States of the European Communities, its aim is to provide advanced academic training for doctoral and postdoctoral researchers and to foster research in the fields which are of particular interest for the development of Europe. Today, there are 23 contracting states to the EUI, and the Institute hosts an international community of more than 1100 people. The Institute is composed of four departments - Economics, History, Law, and Political and Social Sciences; the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies; the Max Weber Programme for Postdoctoral Studies; the Florence School of Transnational Governance; and the Historical Archives of the European Union. The Institute’s activities are supported by an academic staff of more than 200 individuals and an administrative staff of more than 300.