The Institute for Information Law (IViR), operational since 1986 and officially established in 1989 by decree of the UvA Board of Directors, is the oldest research institute within the Faculty of Law of the University of Amsterdam (UvA), and is one of the largest research centres in the field of information law in the world. IViR engages in cutting-edge research to advance the development of information law.
Mission
The Institute’s mission is to further the development of information law within a legal framework that accommodates the needs and interests of the information society, its citizens and its industries in a just and balanced way, while respecting fundamental rights and democratic freedoms. Information law thus normatively integrates the law relating to the production, marketing, distribution and use of information
Strategic goals
In pursuit of its mission IViR has set three strategic goals:
- produce cutting edge scholarship;
- conceive and develop legal concepts and doctrine that suit the requirements of the information society and help define the information policy agenda;
- promote the paradigm of information law scholarship worldwide.
Research strategy
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.
IViR initiates research only on the conditions that a new project is situated within the domain defined in its research program. Secondly, it should tackle an important research question of scientific value, and, thirdly, the research should have potential impact on the shaping of the information society. Following these principles, commissioned research contributes both to producing scientific excellence and societal relevance.
For more information on IViR’s research see ‘Rethinking the Rules for an Information Society in Flux’: IViR Research Program 2018-2023
Financing
IViR is embedded within the Faculty of Law of the University of Amsterdam and as such the institute’s research program is publicly financed (eerste geldstroom). IViR also participates in various research projects specifically financed by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) and the European Union (tweede geldstroom). A third source of financing is commissioned research (derde geldstroom), usually for governmental organisations, such as the Dutch government, the Council of Europe, the European Parliament and Commission, the OECD, WIPO, etc.
Occasionally, research is commissioned by non-governmental organisations or private actors. All research activities undertaken by IViR conform to the Declaration of Scientific Independence of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and the relevant European principles on research integrity. IViR, therefore, refrains from providing consultancy services.
Foundation IViR-fund
Based on its statutes, the purpose of the foundation IViR-fund is to acquire and manage funds with by activities of the Institute for Information Law of the University of Amsterdam, and all things related to it, are supported.
The assets of the foundation comes from donations.