JURiB launches four new projects
JURiB was launched in 2025 with three projects examining the legal implications of the sustainability agenda from a business, public sector and international perspective. With the four new grants, the initiative is being expanded further, reinforcing the national effort to advance legal research and education on the implications of society’s green transition.
The new projects relate to one or more of JURiB’s five thematic areas and range from ESG regulation and sustainable investment to the circular economy, insurance practices related to construction defects, and the development of an inter-university moot court programme on climate and sustainability. The projects share a common commitment to combining research and education. Alongside generating new legal knowledge, they will help strengthen and enhance teaching on sustainability and the green transition.
On our website, we will be showcasing the projects’ research questions, activities, and expected contributions to research and education throughout the autumn. In the meantime, you can find a brief introduction to the four projects and their partner institutions below.
Less is more? Regulatory Simplification and the case of ESG rules governing the Investment Value Chain
The project will investigate how ESG regulation of the financial sector can be simplified and made more effective without compromising the policy goals underpinning the sustainability transition. The significant expansion of regulation and increasing complexity in recent years may impose unnecessary administrative burdens and heighten the risk of greenwashing. The project seeks to generate new knowledge on how ESG regulation can be simplified while at the same time continue to facilitate the mobilisation of capital for sustainable investment. It will also contribute to the development of legal and commercial law education, helping to strengthen future expertise in this field.
The project is a collaboration between Aarhus University, the University of Copenhagen and the University of Southern Denmark and is led by Associate Professor Niels Skovmand Rasmussen (SDU).
Sustainability and Intellectual Property in the Circular Economy - From Linear Protection to Circular Regulation
The project focuses on the relationship between intellectual property law and the EU’s new Right to Repair rules. It will examine how intellectual property rights affect opportunities to repair, reuse and upcycle products, and whether they may hinder the green transition. The aim is to generate new knowledge and identify solutions that can remove unintended legal barriers and support the transition to a more circular economy, in which products are repaired, reused and kept in circulation for longer. The project’s findings will be incorporated into teaching across key areas of legal education, including intellectual property law, contract law, fundamental rights and EU law.
The project is a collaboration between Copenhagen Business School, the University of Copenhagen and Aarhus University, and is led by Associate Professor Sarah Maria Denta (CBS).
Towards Sustainable and Circular Insurance Practices: Legal Challenges and Opportunities in Addressing Construction Defects
The project aims to generate new knowledge on how regulation and insurance practices can facilitate circular approaches to construction defects. This could help keep valuable construction materials in use for longer through greater reuse and recycling. The project will identify both barriers to and opportunities for more sustainable approaches to addressing construction defects, while also strengthening teaching across the participating institutions in areas such as construction law, insurance law and strategic contracting.
The project is a collaboration between the University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen Business School and the University of Southern Denmark, and is led by Associate Professor Marlene Louise Buch Andersen (UCPH).
Cross-University Moot Court Programme on Climate and Sustainability
The project aims to strengthen law students’ ability to address the complex legal challenges arising from the green transition. Sustainability cuts across traditional legal boundaries and requires lawyers who can navigate different areas of law, levels of governance and types of actors. To meet this challenge, the project will develop a cross-university, ECTS-bearing moot court programme in which students engage with real-world sustainability-related issues through practice-based learning. The aim is to develop innovative teaching methods that better equip future lawyers to support the green transition.
The project is a collaboration between the University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen Business School, Aarhus University and the University of Southern Denmark, and is led by Associate Professor Sune Klinge (UCPH).
A further call for proposals for new JURiB projects is expected to open in spring 2027.