Kalmar municipality and Linnaeus University invests SEK 300 million on new law educations and research in law
Kalmar municipality and Linnaeus University have agreed to make a large investment to develop a new academic field with basis in Kalmar. Law will become a strong education and research field at the university and support the growth potential of the Linnaeus region.
Linnaeus University and Kalmar municipality enters a joint investment comprising at least SEK 300 million over 10 years. Kalmar municipality contributes with SEK 100 million and the university with SEK 200 million. The collaboration was presented last Friday by the chair of the municipal board Johan Persson (S) in his speech at the inauguration ceremony at Universitetskajen.
The trade and industry, the welfare sector, and civil society have an increasingly large need for judicial and legal expertise to be able to develop in a strong and secure way, and the global sustainability challenges and digitalisation have increasingly high demands for action-based knowledge. Education, lifelong learning and research are key pillars in meeting societal challenges.
“The development in the eastern Linnaeus region is going well right now, but the development of the trade and industry as well as the establishment of authorities bring an increased need for legal competence. This is a long-term investment for regional development”, says Johan Persson (S), chair of the municipal board.
The joint investment involves that the established areas of strength at Linnaeus University will be supplemented with law education and research in law. At least two new programmes will start in the upcoming four years and the objective is to offer a legal science programme for the future, with first admission in 2027.
The environment will be built successively, starting next year. Ten years from now, the number of law students at Linnaeus University will have increased to over 700, twice the current level.
“It is too early to talk about a law faculty, but this collaboration gives us the opportunity to develop one of Sweden’s sharpest and most interesting legal environments”, says vice-chancellor Peter Aronsson.
The investment means that a strong research environment can be established and the competence that is gathered will make up the basis for new courses and programmes. The university will design new, modern judicial training in collaboration with international partners within, among others, EUniWell.