Introduction
Since 2025, research is spearheaded by our large research group BRIDGE, the Brussels Research Institute on Development, Governance and Empowerment, through Law. BRIDGE's research is grounded in the belief that private and economic law can be powerful tools to promote development, enhance governance, and foster empowerment.
Take a look at our research platform for ongoing and past research
Research focus
Each BRIDGE member not only pursues their own research within the broad field of private and/or economic law but also seeks collaboration; first, intradisciplinary collaboration within the group and second, interdisciplinary collaboration with external partners.
These collaborations are built around six research lines developed independently but also exploring the intersections with other lines.
Our research lines are as follows:
Sustainable and Ethical Financing rethinks money creation, ethics, and global finance
Emerging Dynamics in International Economic Law and Policy analyses evolving trade law and global power shifts
The Multiple Dimensions of Entrepreneurship explores law’s role in shaping sustainable and social enterprise
Digitalization and Access to Justice examines contemporary challenges to adjudication and access to justice: Home | DIKE VUB
Sustainability and Vulnerability studies how the law can protect equality and addresses issues of vulnerability across legal domains
Estate Planning and Notarial Law investigates fair and inclusive wealth management.
Research projects
Some examples of past research are offered below.
EU funded research
Completed
CREA2: Conflict Resolution with Equitative Algorithms 2
EU644 – Justice Programme (JUST)
Marco Giacalone & Elisabeth Alofs
2022-2024
SCAN II: Small Claims Analysis Net II
EU643 – Justice Programme (JUST)
Marco Giacalone & Kim Van der Borght
2022-2024
Ongoing
CREA3: Conflict Resolution with EquitativeAlgorithms 3
Marco Giacalone & Elisabeth Alofs
EU683 –JusticeProgramme (JUST)
2024-2026IDEA: I-tools to Design and Enhance Access to justice
EU681 – Justice Programme (JUST)
Marco Giacalone - Jachin Van Doninck
2024-2026BIRTH registration that tells the full STORY
IOFCOFUN1 - MSCA COFUND IMPACT
Elisabeth Alofs, Tim Opgenhaffen & Nishat Hyder-Rahman
2024-2026- DEUCE: Digitalising European Uncontested Claims Enforcement
EU676 – Justice Programme (JUST)
Marco Giacalone 2024-2026
FWO funded research projects
Ongoing
Farmers as Plant Breeders: Legal Mechanisms to Foster Farmers' Innovation
FWOALL1069
Koen Byttebier, Kim Van der Borght & Saurav Ghimire (2023-2026)
Disability-neutral unwanted interventions. Aligning involuntary treatment and guardianship with the CRPD
FWOAL1106
Tim Opgenhaffen (2024 - 2027)
EUTOPIA funded research
Connected research community
Sustainable European private international law (SEPIL)
Jachin Van Doninck, Jerca Kramberger-Skerl (University of Ljubljana) and University of Gothenburg (2022-ongoing)
China Scholarship Council funded research
Ongoing
The fate of illegal evidence in civil proceedings: a comparative examination of European and Chinese evidentiary standards
Jachin Van Doninck & He Qi (2023 - ongoing)
- The governance of Artificial Intelligence between standardisation and private autonomy: the role of the soft law in the digital
Marco Giacalone & Simeng Chen (2024 - ongoing)
VUB Research Council (OZR) funded research
Completed
Sustainability in civil adjudication
OZR3761
Jachin Van Doninck (2021-2025)
Ongoing
The impact of the UN-Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on decisions at the beginning and the end of life
OZR4150 – OZR VUB (TT)
Tim Opgenhaffen (2023-2026)
OZR-ZAP 0,1 FTE
Marco Giacalone
Government agency work
Completed
De aanduiding van de juridische of andere mogelijkheden ten gevolgen van de versnippering van de wetgevende bevoegdheden inzake jeugdbescherming
BRGEOZ385 – GGC
Elisabeth Alofs & Sofie de Bus (2020-2022)
Evaluatie van de wet van 30 juli 2013 tot oprichting van een Familie- en Jeugdrechtbank
COP2681
Elisabeth Alofs, Jachin Van Doninck & Sofie de Bus (ism ULB, 2022-2025)
Juridisch-empirische studie betreffende vermogensoverdracht bij wettelijk samenwonen, huwelijk, echtscheiding en overlijden in België vanuit een genderperspectief
IGVM/BS/CONV.22-13 - IGVM
Elisabeth Alofs, Yves Henri Leleu (ULiège) & Chloé Harmel (2022-2025)
Evaluatie van titel 9 van de wet van 18 juni 2018 tot bevordering van alternatieve vormen van geschillenoplossing
FOD124
Jachin Van Doninck, Elisabeth Alofs & Anna Maria Wilmot (2022-2024)
Governance challenges of sustainable transition processes with focus on the Brussels Capital Region (Gosete)
Innoviris
Régine Feltkamp (2020-2022)
Study intellectual professions
FOD84
Régine Feltkamp, Michael Dooms, Caroline Buts & Jachin Van Doninck (2019-2021)