 The six member states – Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands – signed a convention in 1972 establishing the EUI as a pillar for research and development.The EUI Convention entered into force in 1975, and the Instituted opened its doors to its first 70 researchers in 1976.Its mission, laid down in the 1970s, is to “foster the advancement of learning in fields which are of particular interest for the development of Europe”.