Research

The Institute for Information Law (IViR), operational since 1986 and officially established in 1989 by decree of the University of Amsterdam (UvA) Executive Board, is the oldest research institute within the Faculty of Law. The institute is one the largest research centres in the field of information law in the world. IViR has a strong presence in European and international academic networks through a broad array of activities, regularly engages in national and international research collaborations, and collaborates with non-legal disciplines such as economics, communications science, computer science, philosophy, digital humanities and the arts.

Mission and vision
The institute’s mission is to further the development of information law into a balanced framework that accommodates the needs and interests of the information society while respecting fundamental rights and freedoms. Information law is a normative concept that integrates the law relating to the production, marketing, distribution and use of information. The essence of the information law paradigm is that formerly distinct issues and sectors, which are intrinsically connected or converging, are treated within a single and coherent normative framework. The institute has played a pioneering role in this approach, which has been followed at home and abroad.

The institute’s mission is reflected in its research strategy, which aims at producing scholarly output that lives up to rigorous academic standards, while feeding into societal discussions and policy debates on information law-related issues at the national, European and international levels. This “360 degree approach” towards research and valorization is reflected in IViR’s research strategy that values both cutting-edge scholarly publications and groundbreaking policy-oriented studies and reports.

See for more information about IViR’s research: