The Bruno Simma Competence Centre for International Legal Practice was established by Thomas Burri in the fall 2026 as part of the Institute for Legal Studies and Legal Practice (IRP, Institut für Rechtswissenschaft und Rechtspraxis) at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland.
A deep commitment to the international rule of law underlies the Simma Centre. The international legal order, even though far from perfect, is the only system capable of delivering long-term stability and justice for all. At the Simma Centre, we believe in mutual trust, reliability, and honesty as the foundations of international law. While we are aware of the central role of states in international law, we look beyond narrowly defined nations and appreciate every human individual on their own.
At the Simma Centre, we experience international law through practice and are driven by curiosity and the will to innovate. Fundamental research, human skills, and a wide international network inform our work. From our home base in St. Gallen, Switzerland, we cover a wide area of practice, including arbitration, international dispute settlement, the law and ethics of emerging technologies, international humanitarian law and human rights law, and the EU’s internal market and international relations – and continuously seek to expand our practice. In the past, we collaborated with various branches of government, including the Swiss departments of foreign affairs and defence, several major listed companies, and private practitioners, for instance, at Seven Summits Arbitration and Boldozer Consulting.
Our research at the Simma Centre combines traditional legal methods with modern social science, including quantitative and qualitative methods. We attract funding from independent research foundations and industry. We support practice through legal opinions and advice on litigation and policy processes, all on a strong basis of international law and European law. At the University of St. Gallen, we collaborate in particular with two newly established centers, namely, the Center for Geopolitics and Strategic Management and the Center for Law and Technology. A number of affiliates support the Centre. They share our values, collaborate with us, and contribute to the university programs, in particular, the Master of Arts in International Law (MIL).
At the Simma Centre, we cultivate kindness and seek to inspire students to engage with international law. In the medium term, we aim to offer a place for international law students to get together, conduct research for their theses, and be affiliated with in the long run.
The Bruno Simma Competence Centre for International Legal Practice is named in honour of Bruno Simma, who is currently a judge at the Iran-US Claims Tribunal in The Hague and previously was a judge at the International Court of Justice.
Judge Simma’s international legal practice has spanned more than half a century, combining academic research and rigour with flourishing practical engagement. It inspired the foundation of the Competence Centre which, like Judge Simma, combines rigorous research with practical engagement aiming beyond geographical borders.
Born in Quierschied near Saarbrücken during WWII, Simma grew up in Bludenz, a town in Vorarlberg, Austria, 50km away from St. Gallen. Simma previously held a professorship at the University of Innsbruck and subsequently the chair of international law at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich as well as a professorship at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Judge Simma arbitrated some of the most prominent international disputes, wrote numerous influential opinions at the International Court of Justice, and authored a lasting oeuvre of international law, including seminal books such as the Commentary on the UN Charter. He regularly visits St. Gallen to interact with students and faculty.
