Noria is an independent, non-profit research center in the social sciences and humanities, providing a space for researchers to produce and disseminate field-based work.
In a context marked by the spread of misinformation and oversimplified knowledge, Noria defends independent and rigorous research as an essential lever for producing critical knowledge and advancing social justice.
Both a research space and a support structure, Noria develops research programs, builds networks among researchers from diverse backgrounds, strengthens their capacities, and organizes the dissemination of their work to academic and non-academic audiences.
Noria thus aims to reduce the inequalities in access to resources, networks, and visibility that shape the production of knowledge today.
Our activities
Research
We develop research programs grounded in the local realities of the regions we study. Our work focuses on major issues related to political, social, environmental and economic crises, exploring their impacts and long-term dynamics. These programs constitute spaces for research production in which researchers can develop their work, collaborate, and engage in collective dynamics.
In this framework, we identify and support researchers from diverse backgrounds by integrating them into an international solidarity network and structuring transnational working spaces.
Outreach and dissemination
In line with its commitment to opening social science research to the widest possible audience without compromising academic standards, Noria aims to bring its research to diverse publics — academics, professionals, policymakers, and the general public — in order to contribute to public debate and foster collective reflection on the major crises of our time.
Training
We offer training and guidance for young researchers, introducing them to the profession of research and the craft of social sciences. Our programs provide them with the tools and methods necessary for conducting rigorous fieldwork and producing high-quality research.
Missions
Supporting the production of independent research
Noria’s work is guided by a set of core values and ethics put in place in order to guarantee that our research meets the highest standards of rigor and impartiality.
Advocating for the craft of research
Noria promotes a specific tradecraft in conducting fieldwork, a method premised upon long-term immersion, empiricism, peer-dialogue, and peer-review.
Supporting and structuring open research spaces
Noria provides researchers with adapted conditions for producing their work and integrates them into collective dynamics and an international network. In doing so, we work to reduce inequalities in access to the resources, networks, and working conditions that shape the production of knowledge today.
Bringing academic standards of research into the public sphere.
Noria aims to bridge the divides that have traditionally kept academic research from reaching both lay audiences and relevant policy communities. We believe scholarly voices must be amplified in order to improve understanding of world affairs, and that they constitute a critical resource in the fight against disinformation.
Pushing knowledge forward and promoting inclusivity.
Noria supports the publication, visibility, and circulation of research by developing accessible and innovative dissemination formats. It is also committed to promoting inclusive approaches by fostering collaborations with researchers from diverse backgrounds and contributing to broadening access to research as a profession.
Our team
Core team
