Research at the Charles Dumoulin Institute initially focused on contract law, in its domestic and international dimension, there previously being only one post-graduate diploma on that subject (the DEA in contract law). However, research themes have been diversified with the advent of new research and professional diplomas within the Jean Monnet Faculty. The existence of new diplomas explains the fact that Professors with varied expertise have been sought, whose centre of interest was not necessarily contract law. Despite the diversity of the subjects studied, they can both intersect and complete one another, giving them a common international and European focus.

Today, the Institute is thus a private law centre, where research has extended to several disciplines around three main themes: contract law, business law and ethics, and property and estate law. The international and European dimension of research, in all of these areas, is essential. These changes justified renaming the institute the Institut Droit, Ethique, Patrimoine (IDEP) in 2010.

Today, the Institute has gained international recognition, enabling members to take part in research on European contract law within a network of excellence, to partake in national, European and international workgroups and to issue numerous communications both in France and abroad.