Abstract
The paper presents the main implications of federal studies for contemporary societies and connects them with the work and the very raison d’être of Eurac Research. It starts by showing how much the organization and the development of Eurac Research itself resemble a federal structure. Subsequently, the key importance of federalism and its principles is shown regarding the territory in which Eurac Research operates, the Autonomous province of Bolzano/Bozen (South Tyrol), whose history and current autonomy are the quintessence of federal attitude. Finally, it explores the global trends of federalism in theory and practice, explaining why manifestations of the federal principle are becoming increasingly popular when designing contemporary institutional settings.