PIUP is a federal structure composed of five research teams each maintaining its individuality, independence and own activities (concerning documentation and scientific presentations).
Its activities cover three principal areas
Scientific and financial support at symposiums, study days and seminars organised by the centres individually or jointly between themselves and/or with a third party, in the form of a generous budgetary allocation
Improvement in the management of documentation areas by means of a sharing policy for certain works and collections, prevention of duplication of efforts, interconnection of centres, creation of a website (in progress)