Background

Why at the University of Zurich? Why at the Chair of Prof. Loacker?

The Faculty of Law at the University of Zurich has a long-standing tradition of engaging with the extensive subject area of "technology and law". Karl Oftinger had already seen this topic as a central focus of activity (cf. the volume Revolution der Technik - Evolutionen des Rechts dedicated to him in 1969). Since then, the importance and dimension of this research area have increased in a way that was hardly foreseeable at the time. This is evidenced not least by numerous other research centres within and outside the faculty, such as the ITSL, the CIPCO or theETH Risk Center and the UZH Blockchain Center. The UZH therefore offers itself in various aspects to being home of the CIRR.

The CIRR has several thematic touch points with the existing research centres. Nevertheless, the focus of the CIRR is more strongly directed towards those technological innovations in which digitisation is often only one aspect among many, and, the CIRR turns very specifically to questions of risk responsibility and the economic distribution of risk. In this respect, the thematic focus of the CIRR is complementary, but not congruent with the existing institutions.

Prof. Loacker's chair, which has been in existence since 2018, reflects all of the CIRR's areas of investigation in its research and teaching. This applies in particular to the areas of tort law, insurance law, comparative and private international law as well as business law in general. Another focus of the chair is dedicated to the legal implications of modern reproductive medicine, with regard to which the chair is embedded to the university research priority programHuman Reproduction Reloaded.

Integration within the faculty group "Civil Law & Civil Procedural Law"

Like the chair, the CIRR is firmly rooted within the faculty group "Civil Law and Civil Procedure Law". This is underlined not only by the object of research of the CIRR, but also by its existing cooperation partners within the department, with whom the PIRR publication series is published.

These internal cooperation partners include (in alphabetical order):

Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Andrea Büchler
Chair of Private Law and Comparative Law

Prof. Dr. Walter Boente
Chair of Private Law

Prof. Dr. Alessia Dedual, LL.M.
Chair of Private Law with focus on the Law of Obligations, Comparative Law and Law and Economics

Prof. Dr. Lorenz Droese
Chair of Civil Procedure and Private Law

Prof. Dr. Roger Rudolph
Chair of Labour and Private Law