www.ilaw.cas.cz

The Institute´s principal mission, as defined by the Institute´s Statute adopted in accordance with The Public Research Institutions Act, is to conduct general legal research, contribute to disseminating and applying its results and promote the development of the research resources. 

Since 1 January 2007, the Institute of State and Law of the Academy Sciences of the Czech Republic has had  the legal form of a public research institution (veřejná výzkumná instituce, abbreviated v. v. i.) under The Public Research Institutions Act (no. 341/2005 of the Czech Republic Law Collection). The Institute retains its own legal personality and continues to operate within the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic which is its statutory founder.

The Institute explores wide range of topics. The key research priorities are set out in a multiannual research programme whose goals are consequently implemented by specific research projects carried out by the Institute´s researchers. The current research programme focuses on the application of EU law after the Czech Republic´s accession to the EU, EU legislative procedures, human rights´ protection in constitutional law, and recent trends in legal informatics. In general, attention is not restricted only to “classical“ branches of national and international law, but it also covers emerging interdisciplinary areas such as medical or internet law. In many cases, research projects are supported by grants from national and international research funding agencies.

In addition to research stricto sensu, the Institute organises and coorganises conferences or meetings on current legal problems, and it assumes various editorial tasks, the most important being the editing of Právník. Furthermore, the Institute still plays a minor role in the national legal education: in the joint cooperation with the University of West Bohemia Law School, it offers a PhD programme in jurisprudence. A permanent commission set up within the Institute is also directly involved in awarding the DSc., doctor scientiarum, degree in social and human sciencies by the Academy of Sciences. The Institute has traditionally provided legal consultancy and expertise to state authorities and private sector.