The Research Programme, set up in 1981, aims to explore Byzantium's relations with the world of the Balkans during Late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages, focusing on the following areas: policy, economy, culture, geography and social movements. The Programme has developed strong ties with the Serbian Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the Romanian Institute for Southeast European Studies, the Russian Academy of Sciences and the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS).