Donation strengthens private law research at Uppsala University
Professor Laila Zackariasson at the Department of Law will receive funding for four years and the opportunity to employ an additional doctoral student. Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt
The Ackordscentralen Foundation has donated a total of SEK 7 million to the Department of Law and Private Law Professor Laila Zackariasson’s research in property law and insolvency law. Through this donation, Uppsala University’s strong research in these areas will get a welcome boost.
Bertil Hult, chair of the board for Accordcentralen. Photo: Anneli Waara
“It is of course very pleasing and demonstrates the social relevance of law. Uppsala University’s research in this area is strong, and we now have the opportunity to develop it even further,” says Anna Singer, Dean of the Faculty of Law.
Property law and insolvency law are part of the private law research area. Insolvency law and much of property law is concerned with cases where natural and legal persons are unable to pay their debts. They deal with matters related to measures in the event of insolvency, for example in bankruptcy.
Free, long-term funding
Professor Laila Zackariasson at Uppsala University’s Department of Law will receive funding for four years and the opportunity to employ an additional doctoral student. She has not yet decided exactly what direction her research will take.
“This is free, long-term funding and there are many interesting project ideas in the pipeline. The announcement of the donation came as a very positive surprise! It will now be possible to try out some of my project ideas openly and unconditionally and also discover new ones along the way. I can focus more on research in the future, and that’s fantastic,” she says.
A beneficial contribution
For the Foundation, funding a professorial chair is something new and exciting. The purpose of the Foundation is to promote initiatives and projects that create and maintain profitable companies, and after several contacts and discussions, the board of the Foundation came to the conclusion that this time it wanted to support cutting-edge research more unconditionally.
“It’s something new for us to make such a big commitment, it’s hugely exciting. New knowledge in this area is often cited in judgments, and thus quickly has an impact on the practice of law. So the probability is high that the funds will make a very beneficial contribution,” says chair of the board Bertil Hult.
“We’re also hoping that it will encourage research in this traditional and very socially relevant area of law. There are always trends concerning what is popular to support, both in terms of students’ specialisation choices and research funding, and the risk is that less glamorous areas can get left behind,” says Professor Rolf Dotevall, board member responsible for support to research.
Anneli Waara
Facts in brief:
Ackordscentralen is an organisation specialising in insolvency law that has been helping large and small companies with payments or profitability problems to develop, improve or restructure their operations since 1857.
The independent Ackordscentralen Foundation aims to promote such processes of change in the business sector and public administration, with the intention of creating and upholding efficient and profitable companies, and promoting research and education in matters related to the Foundation’s purpose.
Find out more:
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