The Imre Samu Institute of Linguistics (ISIL) was founded to perform linguistic tasks as part of a network of transboundary Hungarian institutes of linguistics (Termini Network System) working together with the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA), holding an accordance with MTA's ideology, goals and transboundary relationship system. The ISIL is an integrated part of the Hungarian Media and Information Center (HMIC) and performs its task as the Linguistics Committee of this institute.

The ISIL is at the same time an autonomic organization with its own right for decision-making, which includes the Hungarian Institutes of Linguistics of Austria, Slovenia and Croatia – leaded each by their own regional vice-presidents – and forming its strategies in accordance with these institutes. As an inter-regional center ISIL is not only encouraging and supporting the researches of these autonomic regions, it also takes part in the transboundary tasks together with the network of institutes for linguistics, and also holds as its goal the attainment of mutual European purposes.

Since 1995 Austria is a member of the European Union. In the province of Burgenland the Austrian, Croatian, Hungarian and gipsy ethnic groups are living side by side in peace for centuries, so this fact signalizes not only a linguistic and cultural versatility of the province, but also gives an opportunity to the mutual fulfillment of the overall concepts of ISIL.

By the scientific works of the institute we wish to draw attention to the integrative power of cultures and languages, to the cultivation and preservation of linguistic versatility — to the asset, which is an integral part of the cultural heritage of this region. Preservation of language and identity is a mutual responsibility of the inhabitants of the region.