This year, Dr Johanna Wolf, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory , completed a three-month stay at the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence as part of the Max Planck Law international exchanges programme. The visit, which took place from May to July, enabled her to pursue her research while remaining fully employed by her home Max Planck Institute, with travel and housing support provided by Max Planck Law.
Founded in 1972, the EUI holds a distinctive position within European research, with professors employed directly by the institute while doctoral researchers are supported by their respective Member States. Johanna observed that ‘the Department of Law, which is our partner department, sits together with the Department of History in the beautiful Villa Salviati. Alongside them, there are Political and Social Sciences, Economics, and the Robert Schuman Centre, which runs a lot of EU-related projects’.
Her stay coincided with a period of institutional reform under the presidency of Professor Dr Patrizia Nanz. Johanna attended one of the open consultation events organized as part of this process, noting the attempt to involve all members of the academic community in discussions on the institute’s future direction. As she explained, ‘it is meant to be a bottom-up process: change driven by the whole community, rather than just handed down from the top … it was inspiring to see’.
Working conditions proved highly favourable. Johanna described the library as ‘a dream—vast resources, lots of open access, and a really supportive infrastructure’. Researchers may choose between library spaces and individual desks, and the volume of seminars, talks, and guest lectures provides extensive opportunities for intellectual exchange.
Administrative arrangements were similarly efficient. ‘From registration to getting an email address and finding a place to live, the institute takes care of you. There’s even a housing office to help with the search’, Johanna noted. She added that researchers with families would find the stay ‘very doable’, with an on-site kindergarten and a neighbouring Canadian school offering an international environment.
Reflecting on the overall experience, Johanna’s assessment was very positive. ‘Looking back, I’d say the stay was incredibly valuable: both for the chance to work in such an inspiring environment and to meet so many excellent researchers. Florence itself, of course, isn’t a bad setting either’.