The Institute of Multilevel Comparison (IMC) was set up at CeAS in 2015 within the framework of the cooperation between Università degli studi Roma Tre and Southwest Jiaotong University, in execution of the respective agreement between the two Universites. IMC operates in the larger framework of the advancement of relationships between European Union and China, inter-cultural dialogue between peoples and world peace. IMC pursues research in fields of mutual interest of both parties, including topics such as Intercultural Communication, Humanities, EU-China relations, International relations, Social, Economic and Legal Studies, as well as other topics however connected with the educational, scientific and cultural objectives pursued by each party. IMC has been recognized by the Chinese Ministry of Education as a Research Unit on the National Level and receives an annual budget to carry out activities. The activities of IMC are carried out with joint organisation of conferences, seminars, workshops, master degree and/or other university (graduate and post-graduate) courses; research activities and publications (translations of academic and scientific works from Chinese into Italian and form Italian into Chinese). IMC encourages joint exchanges and activities like the exchange of scientific material (publications, papers) and other types of exchange (as for instance mutual linkages to the websites of both Parties, the Chinese being https://sfl.swjtu.edu.cn/info/1170/1261.htm); the participation in joint editorial and publishing activities, either in printing or on line. Since IMC in China is hosted since 2017 at the Jean Monnet Chair of Governance, SWJTU, it offers PhD scholarships on EU-Studies. Another partner of the IMC is Witten/Herdecke University, Germany, with the China Competence Center, and Hunan Normal University, with the Jean Monnet Chair "EU-Studies: Multilevel experiences from the EU integration process, from EU intercultural and multilingual communication and cooperation" and the "International Chinese Studies Centre".

The organs of the Institute are the “European Journal of Chinese Studies” (EJCS), and the “European Journal of Sinology” (EJS). These two journals are the so far single journals dedicated to a multilevel comparison of China and Europe, and to an introduction of Chinese culture, especially literature, philosophy, history, and society to Europe.

IMC also engage in the translation of texts/documents/materials respectively into Chinese, Italian, English and other European languages, with regard to topics of common interest for both parties having specially regard to their utilization as teaching materials.

Moreover, the Institute will foster joint participation to research programmes, e.g. programmes promoted by the European Commission or by other bodies or foundations, and it will engage in the co-ordination of proposals directed to the acquisition of funds for the realisation of structures and the implementation of research and/or training projects.

Among its main objectives, IMC will promote and sustain the mobility of researchers and teachers of both Parties; the mobility of young researchers, eventually granted, involved in post-graduated programmes. In particular, the Institute will organize conferences, seminars, workshops and the like, to be held alternatively, at the joint initiative of the Parties, respectively in Rome (Università Roma Tre) and ­­­in Chengdu (Southwest Jiaotong University) on topics such as stated above. It will also engage in courses of lectures lasting not less than two weeks, to be held alternatively at the joint initiative of the Parties, respectively in Rome (Università Roma Tre) and ­­­in Chengdu (Southwest Jiaotong University) on topics such as stated above.