The project "Invigorating Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy for a Resilient Europe" (InvigoratEU) was submitted in response to the HORIZON-CL2-2023-DEMOCRACY-01 call. Its aim is to analyze the prospects for the enlargement of the European Union (EU) in the context of the state of European integration, as well as threats and challenges caused mainly by Russian military aggression against Ukraine and tensions in the EU's neighbouring countries. Cooperation with the countries of the Eastern Neighbourhood and the Western Balkans will be explored with regard to the strengthening of the neighbourhood policy and improving enlargement prospects. Emphasis will be placed on the key variables of Europe's resilience to disturbances and crises which determine the neighbourhood policy and the chances of further enlargement of the EU. A group of researchers from the Jagiellonian University will conduct in partnership with the Finnish Institute of International Affairs research within Work Package 8: Security and defence in the EU's neighbourhood. Prof. Artur Gruszczak is a coordinator of this work package, and Professors Magdalena Góra, Joanna Dyduch, and Piotr Bajor, as well as Doctors Agata Mazurkiewicz and Maciej Stępka are members of the research team. The total amount of the grant is 2,996,577 EUR, and the Jagiellonian University’s share is 86 500 EUR.

The project „EU Glocal Counter-Terrorism” (EU-GLOCTER) was approved as part of the HORIZON-MSCA-2022-DN-01 action. Its objective is to establish doctoral networks based on partnerships of organisations from different sectors across Europe and beyond. 

The project aims to forge a new integrated network of industry-academia partners, which will train doctoral students using cutting edge resources at leading research institutions, universities and think thanks throughout the EU and globally. The research programme involves world-leading social scientists (political science, criminology, sociology, security studies, and law) in combination with think thanks and industry partners and will combine basic research in order to develop critical thinking and problem-based learning methodologies at the academic-policy-making interface that will be applied to develop innovative counter-terrorism methods.

Jagiellonian Unviersity is a partner in a consortium led by Dublin City University. Prof. Artur Gruszczak is a coordinator of the programme on behalf of Jagiellonian University. The total amount of the grant is 2,679,076 EUR, and the Jagiellonian University’s share is 226,512 EUR.

Following the Prelude BIS 3 competition, the National Science Centre has selected for funding a research project entitled Citizen Participation as a Tool for Strengthening Democracy (DEC-2022/47/O/HS5/02440). Integrating three research perspectives (law, political science and sociology), the project aims to answer four research questions. First, is citizen participation a tool that strengthens or weakens representative democracy, and to what extent does the development of different forms of citizen decision-making in public affairs alter the traditional model of the democratic system? Second, does the use of participatory mechanisms help to prevent conflicts between different social groups and between the public and the government, or, on the contrary, does it generate such conflicts or increase the risk of their development? Thirdly, does citizen participation increase trust in public institutions, or is it an expression of citizens' distrust of those in power? Fourth, is the right to citizen participation a fundamental right rooted in human dignity, and is it sufficiently protected and guaranteed by constitutional and international rules? The implementation of the project is divided into three stages. The first stage (theoretical) aims at reconstructing the philosophical and political assumptions of citizen participation and confronting these assumptions with those underlying the idea of democracy. The second stage (normative) aims to compare how selected institutions of citizen participation and the individual's right to decide on public affairs are regulated in national and international law. The third stage (empirical) will compare the practice of participatory institutions in different models of civil society. The in-depth research will cover citizen participation institutions in the United States of America, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom, but cooperation with experts from four other countries, namely the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and France, will allow for consideration of the broader context of the functioning of participatory institutions, including the specificities of Western European and Central and Eastern European societies and countries. The research will also take into account institutions yet to be designed, using modern technologies of citizen participation in the creation and application of law. The project involves international cooperation with six foreign research centres, including consultations with academic experts and practitioners representing NGOs and public institutions working in the field of citizen participation. The Principal Investigator is Prof. Monika Florczak-Wątor, and the member of the research team is Wojciech Firek, a doctoral student at the Doctoral School in Social Sciences at the Jagiellonian University. Project duration 2023-2027, amount PLN 440,181.00.

The Foundation for Polish Science has selected the research project "Rule of Law and Independent Judiciary: Major Challenges for Ukraine and Poland in the Context of Integration with the European Union". The aim of the project is to integrate the Polish and Ukrainian academic communities around common challenges regarding the need for judicial reform involving analogous institutions, including the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court and the National Judicial Council. The implementation of judicial reform and the restoration of the rule of law is a prerequisite for both countries to be a part of the community of free and democratic members of the European Union. The project is based on the premise that in-depth academic discussion must precede significant policy reform in order to prepare an optimal and robust conceptual framework. The project will involve Ukrainian and Polish scholars as well as legal practitioners (in particular judges), representatives of NGOs, policy makers, and law students. Planned activities include the organisation of a series of Polish-Ukrainian academic seminars and guest lectures, as well as a concluding international conference. Research cooperation will also be initiated between Polish and Ukrainian students, who will prepare their first papers and conference presentations under the supervision of experienced scholars from both countries. The project will result in scientific publications and allow the formulation of concrete recommendations for further action by policy makers in both countries. The project leaders are FDL researchers Professor Monika Florczak-Wątor from Jagiellonian University and Associate Professor Kristina Trykhlib from Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University in Kharkiv. Project period: 1.09.2023-31.08.2024, amount of funding: PLN 268 800.