LOST research group

The work of the 'Law, Technology and Sustainability Transitions' research group (LOST) is based on driving values of sustainability transitions and protection of fundamental rights.

The group is especially interested in ways in which law can advance but also possibly slow down the integration of sustainability transitions into technological and digital transformation strategies. This integration responds to persistent global and local problems such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and associated injustice.

Sustainability transitions are radical and multidimensional processes of change towards an ecologically sustainable society that require changes across many production and consumption systems (energy, transport, food, housing, industry etc.). These changes may include challenging the existing market structures and geopolitics, enabling stakeholders to run more efficiently and sustainably at the same time, looking closer at the motives behind consumers’ pro-ecological behaviors. The research group also focuses on protecting fundamental rights in times of societal transformation.

Research group coordinators:

University lecturer Beata Mäihäniemi

Postdoctoral researcher Jouko Nuottila

Emails: firstname.lastname@ulapland.fi

The research group is aiming at influencing policy discussions at national, European Union and international level, increasing international cooperation of ULapland researchers, as well as advancing theoretical thinking in law for sustainability transitions.

This is done by increasing visibility and sharing research, collaborative projects, publications and events as well as making impactful sustainability transition research. Overall, the group aims at renewing law research and methodologies and changing policies and practices into more sustainable ones. 

Means to reach the objectives:

• Making impactful sustainability transition research
• Creating collaborative projects, publications and events
• Renewing law research and methodologies
• Increasing international cooperation of ULapland researchers
• Becoming an established research group, get visibility, produce collaborative research
• Positively impacting sustainability policies and practices at national, European Union and international levels

Abdelrazek Fouad, Doctoral Researcher on the topic Implications of implementing the Right to be Forgotten (RTBF) on AI, particularly regarding personal data and erasure. How to facilitate AI compliance with RTBF.

Ballardini Rosa, Professor, Intellectual Property Rights

Cadillo Chandler Dhanay, University Researcher, main areas of research include international IP Law, IPR & sustainability, multi-stakeholder collaboration, access to medicines, pharma regulation, bioeconomy, WTO law, comparative law.

Casi Corinna, Postdoctoral Researcher, research interests include Environmental Ethics, Environmental value pluralism, (Sámi) Indigenous traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), Decolonial thinking, Ecological Justice, Feminist approach to multispecies cohabitation.

Dermawan Artha, Doctoral Researcher with research interests in Intellectual Property Law, traditional knowledge of Indigenous and local communities, regulatory frameworks for the digitized music industry, and sustainable artificial intelligence systems.

Girardi Dino, Doctoral Researcher in Legal Informatics, focuses on the interdisciplinary aspects of the Open (Government) Data ecosystem.

Hansen Leena, University Researcher, main areas of research include Indigenous peoples’ rights, Sámi rights, and environmental human rights.

Kaave Piia, University Lecturer, research focuses on Proactive Law, Legal Design, Proactive, Sustainable, and Resilient Contracts, Law & Management and AI in these research areas.

Kaisto Janne, Professor, research focusing on the role of private law in the context of environmental sustainability and new technologies.

Kaunisvaara Mikko, Doctoral Researcher

Kovalainen Jaana, Doctoral Researcher, multidisciplinary research topics include access to patient rights, such as access to healthcare and health data, European Health Data Space (EHDS), legal design.

Kähkönen Juho, Researcher. Climate law, Arctic politics and just transition, especially in relation to the logistics and tourism industry.

Lu Zhuoyan, Doctoral Researcher

Mäihäniemi Beata, University Lecturer, docent in law and digitalisation, her expertise is in competition law, regulation of online platforms, data governance and circular economy.

Nuottila Jouko, Postdoc Researcher, research focusing on the themes of Law & Management, Collaborative Contracts, IPR & IP Management, Sustainability Transitions, Proactive Contracting, Agile Project Management

Nojonen Matti, Professor of Chinese society and culture, research how the Chinese Party-State builds a new governance system by relying on traditional Confucianism and Legalism.

Nystén-Haarala Soili, Professor

Obeng-Darko Nana, Researcher, research interests include energy law, sustainable energy transitions, renewable energy regulation, sustainability law and sustainable development research.

Onyango Tom, Doctoral Researcher

Penttinen Sirja-Leena, Associate Professor, research topics include International and European energy law, in particular the regulation of low-carbon energy transition, renewable energy, hydrogen, energy efficiency, (critical) transition minerals, new energy technologies, energy governance.

Pushina Olga, Doctoral Researcher

Riekkinen Juhana, University Lecturer

Salokannel Veera, Doctoral Researcher, studies biodiversity offsets and other environmental compensations from a legal point of view. Her research interests are linked to the debate on sustainability transitions, the polluter pays principle and the management of natural resources.

Schütte Béatrice, Postdoctoral Researcher, research topics include AI regulation, AI ethics, emotional AI, AI liability, sustainability.

Similä Jukka, Research Professor, his research topics include biodiversity, use of natural resources and role of law in sustainability transitions.

Singh Krittika, Doctoral Researcher, her research topics are law of the sea and deep sea mining, environmental impact assessments, public international law, due diligence, Arctic governance, indigenous rights.

Tikkanen Veli-Matti, Doctoral Researcher

Tuominen Tomi, University Lecturer, does research on the interface between capitalism and sustainability transitions, especially on the role of property rights in transitions.

van den Hoven van Genderen Rob, Senior Researcher, research areas include AI , robotics and AI Act in general, especially emotional AI, ethical and legal aspects, fundamental rights concerning AI.

Viikari Lotta, Professor

Bio-oils based polymeric composites; value chain from synthesis to additive manufacturing (ValueBioMat)

Funded by the Strategic Research Council, 2022–2025, consortium of 4 partners
Lead at the University of Lapland: Professor Rosa Ballardini

Currently plastics are produced mainly from fossil based raw materials and are not recycled to the full extent. The ValueBioMat project studies how we could make the whole value chain of plastic production and use more sustainable. How could the modern world make a comprehensive shift from fossil petrochemistry based polymeric materials to sustainable, renewable and carbon-binding ones, in order to enable resource efficient production and to foster re- and up-cycling of plastics?

In the ValueBioMat project, experts in fields ranging from chemistry to industrial engineering to law are seeking answers to this question. The project offers solutions based on the utilization of novel bio-based raw materials, especially plant oil derived materials. In addition of inventing novel materials, the research examines the merge of novel biopolymers with digital additive manufacturing technology. This new concept of using sustainable and renewable materials will have great socio-economic impacts; therefore, life cycle analysis, legal-ethical-policy issues and viable business models are co-created in collaboration with stakeholders, to speed up the application of bio-based and recycled plastics.

Ecosystem governance for sustainability transition: overcoming tensions in multistakeholder collaboration through law, policy, and innovation management (eColabor)

Funded by the Research Council of Finland, 2024–2028, consortium of 2 partners
Lead at the University of Lapland: Professor Rosa Ballardini

The eColabor project develops new knowledge on the legal, policy, and innovation management aspects of ecosystem governance to support system-level sustainability transition.

Through a trans-disciplinary research approach and a combination of conceptual, case study, workshop, and scenario building methods, the project aims to identify tensions in ecosystems, and develop novel governance models needed to address these tensions to support multi-stakeholder collaboration toward sustainability targets. Furthermore, the project aims to identify areas of private law and policy that inhibit such collaboration, and to propose concrete suggestions for policy revision and innovation management strategies that support ecosystemic collaboration for sustainable innovations.

The project generates applicable insights for ecosystem governance and supports efforts to align legal, policy, and innovation management tools for a sustainable future.

Digitisation of cultural heritage of minority communities for equity and renewed engagement (DIGICHer)

Funded by the Horizon Europe Program, 2024–2027, consortium of 11 partners
Lead at the University of Lapland: Professor Rosa Ballardini

Cultural heritage (CH) digitisation brought great opportunities to preserve, maintain and promote it. Yet, it also triggers challenges in terms of representation and content exhibition. This becomes particularly pressing in the context of CH of minorities.

Overall, this reduces participation and inclusion of minorities, hindering equitable representations of diverse values in digitisation, leading to increased risks of misuse of digital CH. DIGICHer tackles these challenges by providing new understanding on key legal and policy, socio-economic and technological factors governing digitisation of minorities’ CH.

Following the citizen science and co-creation approach DIGICHer develops a novel scalable framework and methods to promote equitable, diverse and inclusive practices, verified via user-centric approaches through pilots with minority groups in the EU. On these bases, it develops recommendations for policy and decision makers, as well as CH institutions, and delivers methods for decision support to monitor the field of digital heritage with specific regards to its diversity long-term.