Ratio DH is a research center for digital humanities, the discipline concerned with the application of quantitative and numerical methods to data and research questions in the humanities.

It was set up in response to a real need at ULB (and more generally in French-speaking Belgium) to support humanities researchers in this direction. Ratio DH is accompanied by two other entities, dedicated to researcher training (Lectio DH) and technical support (Præsto DH), with which it forms the QuaDiHum (Quantitative and Digital Humanities) center of excellence.

Ratio DH has two objectives: firstly, to formalize existing collaborations around these tools and initiate new ones; secondly, to bring together specialists from different periods and disciplines, in order to launch discussions and reflections (methodological and epistemological) on the process of applying these techniques, which is not self-evident.

Ratio DH will also enable mutualization on several levels: firstly, in terms of expertise and visibility, and secondly, in terms of available technical tools. For example, research projects associated with Ratio DH can take advantage of tools implemented by the Praesto DH platform in close collaboration with the Department of Libraries and Scientific Information, such as SPARQuLb (a data ecosystem designed to host databases from humanities projects), the digitization service and TAMI (an automatic handwriting extraction tool).

The Latin term ratio that gives the center its name has a myriad of meanings that correspond well to the interdisciplinary and multi-faceted nature of the research center: “calculation”, “system”, “method”, “faculty of reasoning”, “explanation” and so on.

The center is supported by eleven promoters: Kenneth Bertrams (PhiSoc, MMC), Alain Delattre (LTC, Philixte), Sébastien de Valeriola (LTC, ReSIC, center coordinator), Marie Kervyn (PhiSoc, SociAMM), Florence Le Cam (LTC, ReSIC), Fabrice Preyat (LTC, Philixte), Vasiliki Saripanidi (PhiSoc, CReA-Patrimoine), Karel Van Haesebrouck (LTC, ReSIC), Alexis Wilkin (PhiSoc, SociAMM), Renaud Bardez (DBIS) and Anthony Leroy (DBIS).