K.G. Jebsen Centre for the Law of the Sea

The KG Jebsen Centre for the Law of the Sea at the Faculty of Law at UiT is a collaborative project between UiT Arctic University of Norway, the Foundation and the Fridtjof Nansen Institute (FNI). The centre is one the biggest of its kind internationally.

Senteret er en del av Det juridiske fakultet, og har egen ledelse og administrasjon. I tillegg til 3 forskere ved FNI har om lag 10 fast vitenskapelige ansatte sin arbeidsdag ved senteret. I tillegg vil minst 2 postdoktorer, 17 doktorgradsstudenter og 8 masterstudenter være tilknyttet senteret i løpet av perioden 2013-2019.

National and international research on the law of the sea through four focus areas:

1. Stability and changes in the law of the sea
2. Protection of the marine environment: prevention and integration
3. Implementation and compliance
4. The Arctic

Local, national and international cooperation

Cooperation plays a central role in the centre’s activities. It includes interdisciplinary cooperation and cooperation with other legal research institutions in Norway and internationally. The centre has a national responsibility for advancing research on the law of the sea, and it will facilitate cooperation between researchers at the centre and researchers at the faculties of law in Oslo and Bergen.

The centre will build on ongoing cooperation with international partners and establish cooperation with new partners in connection with the development of its research projects. The Netherlands Institute for the Law of the Sea (NILOS) and scholars specialising in the law of the sea at Dalhousie University in Canada are key partners, and several other international researchers are also affiliated to the centre. The centre is very active internationally, organising and participating in international conferences.

This will not just be a centre run by and for researchers, it will also have good contact with user groups (business and industry, public authorities and interest groups) about research topics and findings.

Focus on young researchers

The centre will contribute to increasing national and international competence in the law of the sea. A large number of PhD students will write their doctoral theses on various topics relating to the law of the sea. In addition, many law students will have an opportunity for in-depth study of issues relating to the law of the sea through grant schemes for writing master’s theses.  The researchers at the centre will also teach in the five-year law programme and the one-year LLM programme on the law of the sea. The centre also organises summer schools, where lawyers and others who work on relevant issues in the public administration and the private sector, nationally and internationally, can come together.

Contribute to informed debate

The centre wishes to put Norway and legal science research firmly on the map by increasing and expanding our competence in matters relating to the law of the sea. The centre will engage in extensive scholarly publication activity and contribute new knowledge. This knowledge will be communicated to business and industry, public authorities and other relevant stakeholders. The centre will participate actively in public debate and help to ensure an informed debate.