Research

Research profile

The wide range of research conducted at our Faculty is reflected, among other things, in the large number of specialized institutes with distinct research focuses (e.g. medical law, European human rights protection), which enable modern and intensive research in almost all areas of law. Almost every chair is assigned its own institute with one or more research areas, some of which are unique in Germany. By taking this approach, the Faculty of Law is able to identify emerging trends in the legal field at an early stage, that are of great societal relevance and likely to give rise to significant legal challenges in the future.  

A key characteristic of the Faculty´s research is that it not only examines questions of national law, but also considers comparative law and international dimensions. It ensures both foundational and practice-oriented research and continuously seeks exchange with other disciplines and societal stakeholders.

The Faculty of Law thus promotes and supports the application and further development of the law not only in legal practice, but also to a significant extent in politics and society.

The Faculty of Law’s research is dedicated in particular to six major research fields, which are interconnected by numerous cross-cutting themes:

Digitalization

Today, digitalization affects practically all economic sectors and areas of life. The beginning of the 21st century is characterized by a comprehensive digital transformation, which is referred to as the "4th Industrial Revolution" and brings profound changes as well as numerous opportunities. Driven by a high pace of innovation, it is shaping the media as well as public and private communication through social media, and is increasingly also influencing the world of work, healthcare, law enforcement, administration, political discourse and many other fields. The challenges range from the foundations and limits of intellectual property rights and data and privacy protection in the information society to the question of whether, and to what extent, further development of regulation and supervision is needed in a world characterized by increasing digitalization and globalization. The law must accompany these rapid economic and social developments and provide a normative framework for them. However, it must also allow space for innovation and ensure that socially valuable progress and citizens´ rights to freedom are not unduly restricted by over-regulation. This can only succeed if legal professionals broaden their disciplinary horizons and gain a basic understanding of the non-legal aspects of regulation, and if this understanding is also integrated in their teaching.

Human Rights

The Faculty of Law in Cologne has focused on European human rights protection, without neglecting non-European perpectives. The recognition that human rights play a role not only in international law and European law, but are also gaining significance in all other legal disciplines, has long been established in Cologne. In fact, there is no legal branch in Cologne that does not conduct research on human rights issues. The spectrum ranges from "classical" international law and European law to constitutional and administrative law, international criminal law, European criminal law, international criminal justice, legal history, family, commercial and corporate law, international private and procedural law, religious law and labour law. With the Academy for Europen Human Rights Protection, the Institute for International Peace and Security Law and the International Investment Law Centre Cologne, the Faculty of Law provides institutions that offer important structural prerequisites for research into human rights issues in specific contexts.

Internationalization of the law

From on an early stage, the Faculty of Law has addressed legal issues arising from increasing international interdependencies of individuals, societies, institutions and states. With its large number of experts in international and European law, the Faculty probably has a unique concentration of specialists in Germany, whose institutes cover the field of international and European law as comprehensively as possible. In particular, the Institute for Air and Space Law, the Institute for International Peace and Security Law, and the International Investment Law Centre Cologne (IILCC) are pioneers in this field. Alongside numerous other institutes dealing with private law aspects of internationalization (e.g. questions such as the development of European private law or transnational commercial law), the Institute for International and Foreign Private Law has been one of the most prominent of its kind in Germany for over 65 years. The Institute for Foreign and International Criminal Law has am equally long tradition conducting research in comparative criminal law, European criminal law and international criminal law since 1961.

Commercial law

In Cologne, a notable emphasis has consistently been placed on identifying of areas of key impotance for both commercial enterprises and the promotion of economic and social cohesion within a social market economy. The Institute for Labour and Commercial Law, a leading institution in this field, continues the valuable yet rare tradition of integrating economically significant disciplines of labour, commercial and social law. Furthermore, a significant number of institutes, some of which are regarded as leaders in their respective fields, such as the Institute for German and European Labour and Social Law (IDEAS), address these domains and their national and international concerns pertaining to financial, corporate, competition and regulatory law. This research is complemented by work in medical, health and insurance law, as well as in the law governing liberal professions, all of which are also highly important from an economic perspective. Procedural law aspects are covered in particular by the Institute for Procedural Law and Insolvency Law. Although this present research focus is rooted in the domain of private law, its influence extends far beyond, encompassing related fields such as administrative economic law, energy law, environmental law, tax and accounting law, and commercial criminal law.

Foundations of Law

Legal research is virtually impossible without an understanding of its foundations. For this reason, three institutes alone (the Institute for Modern History of Private Law, German and Rhenish Legal History, the Institute for Historical Comparative Law and the Institute for Roman Law) investigate the historical foundations of law from antiquity to the modern era. Basic research at our Faculty also encompasses both an examination of the legal-philosophical, legal-political and legal-theoretical foundations of our legal system (e.g. in the Seminar for Political Philosophy and Legal Policy or at the Institute for Religious Law) and criminology, which, as an interdisciplinary, empirical science, examines the effectiveness of criminal law interventions as well as the behaviour of offenders, victims, the general public and the institutions of social control.

State and citizens

The Faculty of Law continues to regard the study of the relationship between the citizen and the state as the mission entrusted to it when the University of Cologne was founded. The core areas of constitutional and administrative law, alongside public commercial law and ecclesiastical law, have historically been central to its research. In this context, the Institute for German and European Science Law is likely unique.

At the University of Cologne, good research practice is regarded as a prerequisite for research and teaching at the highest level. The central principles for good research practice at the University of Cologne are set out in the "Guidelines of the University of Cologne on Good Research Practice of 25 January, 2022" (Official Bulletins 8/2022). Further information on good research practice at the University of Cologne can be found at https://uni-koeln.de/en/research/at-a-glance/academic-principles/safeguarding-good-research-practice.

The ombudsman for hearing allegations of academic misconduct is Professor Dr Frank Neubacher M.A.