Leiden University
Leiden University was founded in 1575 and is one of Europe’s leading international research universities. It has seven faculties in the arts, sciences and social sciences, spread over locations in Leiden and The Hague. The University has over 6,700 staff members and 28,130 students. The motto of the University is 'Praesidium Libertatis' – Bastion of Freedom.

Leiden University’s knowledge and expertise has a strong international focus. It has built strengths on important regions in the world such as Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. The University explores these regions from a wide range of perspectives: political, legal, cultural, environmental or historical.

Global developments and challenges are analyzed through an international perspective on law, governance, security, health and more. This expertise is further strengthened by strong links with international partners (NGOs, IGOs, UN organisations) in The Hague, city of international law, peace and justice.

The Asian collections at Leiden University’s Asian Library belong to the foremost collections on Asia worldwide. It holds the largest collection on Indonesia worldwide, and some of the foremost collections on South and Southeast Asia, China, Japan and Korea.

GIS Asie
GIS Asie (a.k.a. French Academic Network for Asian Studies) is a consortium of French-speaking research and higher education institutions working on and with Asia. It includes 22 institutions and 30 research units located in France, Europe and Asia (Tokyo, New Delhi & Pondicherry, Hong Kong, Bangkok). It has been active since 2013 with the support of the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and benefits from France’s long and rich tradition of Asian studies.

GIS Asie's goal is to bring together communities of scholars in social sciences and humanities on Asia, in order to promote dialogue and stimulate initiatives. The Network's aim is also to develop stronger links with European and international networks and institutions. GIS Asie is connected with the 2,750 members of the French Asia Network (Réseau Asie).

Activities of GIS Asie consist in:

• acting as a platform of dissemination for information relevant to the field of Asian studies;
• organizing the French International Conference of Asian Studies, every two years, a major event for researchers to share their results, thoughts and experience;
• fostering links between scientists, funding agencies, governmental institutions;
• participating in cultural and scientific events linked to Asian studies.

GIS Asie supports young researchers, doctoral and postdoctoral students in their training and research activities. It promotes outstanding research works, with PhD thesis awards and book prizes (ICAS-GIS Asie French book prize). It provides support for publishing prominent works on Asia (book series at Editions du CNRS).

International Institute for Asian Studies
The International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS) is a global Humanities and Social Sciences institute and a knowledge exchange platform, based in Leiden, the Netherlands, with programmes that engage Asian and other international partners. IIAS takes a thematic and multi-sectoral approach to the study of Asia and actively involves scholars and experts from different disciplines and regions in its activities. The Institute's current thematic research clusters are ‘Asian Heritages’, ‘Asian Cities’ and ‘Global Asia.

International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS)
Established in 1997, the International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS) is a global platform enabling individuals and institutions from different parts of the world to come together to exchange views on a variety of issues pertaining to Asia. Its Secretariat is hosted by the IIAS.

ICAS is an active accelerator of research. It is organised by local hosts (universities, organisations and cities) in cooperation with the ICAS Secretariat. ICAS offers the organising host a unique opportunity to profile itself in the global framework of Asian Studies. ICAS also connects in a dynamic way to the host city and attracts participants from all continents to engage in transsectoral dialogues on Asia that transcend boundaries between academic disciplines and geographic regions.