Established in 1965, the T.M.C. Asser Instituut is an internationally renowned centre of expertise in the fields of public international law, private international law and European law. As an interuniversity research institute for international and European law, the T.M.C. Asser Instituut strives for excellent fundamental and independent policy-oriented research. 


 It accomplishes its mission by organising critical and constructive reflection on international and European legal developments, at the interface of the worlds of academia, legal practice and governance. The knowledge generated is disseminated further by means of trainings, conferences and publications.

The Asser Institute occupies a unique position in The Hague’s international legal landscape and regularly collaborates with international organisations, NGOs, businesses, secondary schools and festival organisations based in the city. In its role as interuniversity institute, the Asser Institute acts as facilitator for international law and human rights research networks for all Dutch Law Schools such as the Netherlands Network for Human Rights Research.

We link our research to the overall theme of international and European law as a source of trust; we examine how law can contribute to the construction and cultivation of trust and trusting relations in a hyper-connected world.