The research focus “Internationalization and Europeanization of Law” takes into account the fact that national law is becoming increasingly networked in the course of the internationalization and Europeanization of law and at the same time follows on from developments in the legal sciences themselves. The interfaces between national, international and European law are analyzed. In addition, comparative perspectives between the different national legal systems are of central importance. Research projects relate, for example, to “The Fiscal Constitution of the European Union under the European Recovery Plan” (OeNB) or “Neutrality in Comparative Law”.
The research focus “The Law of the Future” addresses social challenges for which the law will increasingly provide regulatory answers in the coming years, particularly in the areas of digitalization and sustainability. The interaction of these challenges also plays a special role. In any case, the upcoming legal developments also require legal innovations that go beyond the respective area and generally concern new legal concepts. It is dedicated to the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss as well as the law of digitalization and automation and artificial intelligence and the interfaces between the two areas. Current research projects at the interface between sustainability and digitalization include “ESTRAL -Ecological and Safe TRAffic systems by digitizing Law (FFG)” and “KASSA.AST – Cooperative Automated Shared Services at Motorway Connection Points”.
The research focus “Health and Law” addresses the interface between health and law within the framework of interfaculty cooperation with the Faculties of Medicine and Psychotherapy Science. Research activities within this research focus include medical criminal law and victim protection law, mediation and the legal framework for the situation of patients. Specific research projects relate to the “Cultures Of Victimology” (EU COST Action) or “Developments on the right to euthanasia”.
The research focus “Interaction of Theory and Practice in Law” ensures application-oriented research at the interface of theory and practice, for example on the legal foundations of specific socio-political issues. This research focus covers a wide range of topics from all areas of law (in particular civil and corporate law, criminal law and public law). This research focus ensures the professional prerequisite for the other research focuses, which relate to specific and current socio-political developments. Concrete research projects relate to “Case law dialog in civil law” or “Austrian lien law”.