During the second half 20th century, Geneva’s government created two centers of educational research: the Office of pedagogical research in 1958 and the Office of sociological research in 1965, the first in continuation of the chair of experimental pedagogy created in the twenties, the second in reference to international developments in educational research. School administration and politics had to refer to educational research and experts for taking decisions on educational matters in a period of profound reforms. In the particular Genevan case, the two above mentioned educational research centers, linked to contrasted international networks, made research and gave expertise. In the context of the symposium on “borrowing”, we ask the following questions: 1. To which international networks did the two offices refer? 2. What main contents were borrowed? 3. How were these contents adapted to local conditions? The study is based on analysis of the publications of the two offices: citation analysis; analysis of the contents; comparison of selected contents (mathematics and orthography in primary school for the Office of pedagogical research; analysis of student flows in secondary school for the Office of sociological analysis) with the way these same contents are treated in the international networks referred.