The World Trade Institute (WTI) is a center of advanced studies of the University of Bern. It is located in Bern, Switzerland and directed by Professor Thomas Cottier. It was founded in 1999 by the Universities of Bern, Fribourg and Neuchâtel within the framework of the BeNeFri convention, which calls for closer cooperation between the three universities of the Swiss Mittelland. The Institute is dedicated to capacity building and raising global awareness of international economic law and economics. It has close ties to the Institute of European and International Economic Law (IEW) at the University of Bern. The centre of excellence of the University of Bern (Switzerland) provides teaching, training, consulting and research in the field of International Trade Regulation. The WTI's flagship academic programme is the Master of International Law and Economics (MILE). The WTI hosts the national Centre of Competence in Research on International Trade Regulation. It shares its premises with the Department of Economic Law and induces close cooperation between the three institutions.