A Chair is a research entity supported by funding to cover the costs of research activities, conferences, courses, workshops and remuneration of the Chairholders. Its main objective is to advance and disseminate knowledge, relying on the expertise of the incumbents and their collaborators.

Currently, the Dominican Center for Ethics and Spiritual Life (CDEVS) is made up of three chairs covering the major fields of theology: New Testament exegesis (the study of the Word), systematic theology (the study of the mystery of God), and moral theology (the study of action or, in other words, of faith as applied in the life of the believer).