The research group “ReDePol” (acronym for “Religion, Law and Politics”) was created as a channel for the dissemination and intercommunication of all research and transfer activities related to the study of the legal regime of the religious factor - understood as an integral element of culture and collective identity - and its political and social consequences.
Despite the traditional difficulties in defining what is religious, it is undeniable that what is religious refers to man’s relationship with transcendence, a relationship that initially involves an act of rational and free acceptance by man, which is the act of faith. Thus the act of faith is the first and fundamental characteristic of the religious fact in today’s societies. Alongside this, religion has other essential components: doctrinal (beliefs), cultural (rituals) and moral (ethical behaviour). If we add to this the fact that the externalisation of human acts is an anthropological necessity, religion acquires a social dimension because it originates precisely in a human act (the act of faith). In other words, man has always proceeded in association for the expression and exercise of his religious feelings. Consequently, the religious phenomenon, which has its origin in an internal act, acquires a social or community dimension, which as such a society needs a juridical order to structure it [Ubi societas, ibi ius]. The juridical relevance of the religious fact is inscribed in its social significance. Religion operates in civil society, relates to other non-religious citizens, is subject to civil authorities... Consequently, the religious phenomenon is of public relevance for state law both in terms of foreseeing the civil consequences of religious behaviour, its relations with other members of the political community outside one’s own religion, or the subjection of confessions or groups of believers to state rules. This legal system is the object of study of the science of State Ecclesiastical Law. However, the religious phenomenon is not exhausted in its legal treatment, but must also be covered by the study of other social and human disciplines (psychology, anthropology, politics, philosophy, education, etc.).
For this reason, this group was created with the aim of incorporating specialists from these disciplines, in order to complete a vision of the religious phenomenon from a global perspective.
Corpus linguistics (CL), with its decidedly empirical approach to language research, has greatly enriched previous paradigms to the point of becoming an obligatory methodological reference in the current landscape of linguistic studies.
We are interested in highlighting two strands, one dealing with developments in corpus linguistics and the other focusing on its applications. Like other empirical research within linguistics, LC research straddles the humanities and the social sciences, on the basis of computational linguistics. From the humanities it takes its primary interest in the study of language in its multiple aspects, from the social sciences it has taken a large part of its methodology based on quantification (mathematics, statistics, etc.), and from computer science, the development of increasingly sophisticated analytical tools. In this respect, the methodologies used in LC, far from being static, continue to evolve and incorporate important developments, whether through the creation of increasingly sophisticated software packages in ad hoc corpus research, the creation of specific portals, or the creation of tools focused on a variety of research tasks.
Research on LC developments is related to qualitative analysis methods, to textual annotation and to the use of quantitative analysis. In addition, some recent computer science developments, such as so-called sentiment analysis or opinion mining, have turned their interest to the analysis of large amounts of data on the web (big data).
In terms of applications, corpus linguistics has no limits, its great strength being the investigation of large databases that the analyst cannot manipulate effectively through manual analysis. LC is now being applied to any area of linguistic research, be it digital genres of any kind or non-digital genres. In the case of non-digital genres, the solution necessarily involves digitisation, since LC necessarily operates on digitised texts. However, although LC is the fundamental methodology for many researchers, it does not dispense with qualitative or manual analysis, and in its scientific production it is articulated in synergies with other approaches. It is very difficult today to conceive of a dictionary or a grammar without corpus research. But beyond lexicography and phraseology, which have grown hand in hand with the corpus, we find applications in all types of linguistic analysis, whether pragmatic or discursive, including, more recently, stylistic analysis. Not forgetting applications to the acquisition and teaching of second languages, or research into specialised languages. Nor should we forget the invaluable contribution of LC to translatology, given that the corpus is a fundamental tool for translators. There are real networks of researchers working on specific aspects.
However, returning to the starting point, we are interested in focusing our research on those aspects that evaluate the strength of proposals based on techniques developed within corpus linguistics in research on different fronts.
The scientific debate on the legitimacy and limits of the criminal law of dangerousness has not ceased to grow in our country in recent years. And in this respect, the notable prominence that this model of approaching the fight against crime is acquiring in the framework of comparative law is undoubtedly a determining factor. Spanish criminal law is by no means alien to this trend, and a good example of this are some of the new features included in the LO 1/2015, reforming the Código Penal:
- The scope of application of probation is extended.
- Relevant aspects such as the review regime of the new revisable permanent prison sentence are made dependent on parameters of dangerousness.
- The possibility of registering genetic profiles of persons convicted of serious crimes in the police DNA database is introduced as an accessory penalty, as long as it can be concluded that there is a serious risk of reoffending.
- The regime of suspension of the execution of the custodial sentence is revised, expressly conditioning the imposition of numerous rules of conduct to criteria of the dangerousness of the offender.
- Finally, some types of offences have been reformulated and others newly created have been incorporated - including offences that elevate mere preparatory acts to the category of a criminal offence - in which it is possible to detect a clear influence of the characteristics of the criminal law of dangerousness and so-called Preventive Justice. Along the same lines, Real Decreto (Royal Decree) 1110/2015 creates the Central Register of Sex Offenders.
The aim of the research group on the Criminal Law of Dangerousness is to study this growing political-legislative trend centred on the idea of public safety and the objective of combating the criminal dangerousness of offenders to the utmost with a predominance of innocuous mechanisms. To this end, we analyse, from a general perspective, the basis of this model and highlight its limits from the point of view of the guarantee principles that should govern the fight against crime in a State governed by the rule of law; and in turn, and on the basis of the above, we examine the various aspects and institutions of positive law already referred to that constitute manifestations of this criminal law paradigm.
The research initially focuses on the projection of this legislative trend in the framework of crimes against sexual freedom and gender violence, although it is subsequently extended to other areas of crime, such as crimes of terrorism or public disorder, which are also clearly affected by the criminal law model of dangerousness.
All of this is approached from a dogmatic and political-criminal perspective and without losing sight of the reference to comparative law, and specifically the Anglo-American, German and Italian criminal legal systems.
DATS is a Research Group attached to the University Research Institute on Traffic and Road Safety (INTRAS). The research group was created in 1995 and is formed by professors and researchers of renowned prestige.
The aim of the DATS Group is focused on Consulting, Research, Development, Innovation, Training and Dissemination Projects in the fields of Transport, Traffic, Mobility and Road Safety.
It develops its projects both for administrations and institutions as well as for companies, whether public or private, national or international, in order to respond to the needs of its clients, as well as in general to solve the social problems represented by traffic accidents, poverty and environmental degradation across the world, with special attention to developing countries.
Therefore, one of the main activities is the accompaniment in the diagnosis of problems and detection of opportunities, as well as the definition of solutions and strategies to guide decision-making.
The work of the DATS Group has contributed to increase knowledge in the field. In this sense, the group has made an effort to disseminate findings through books, articles in scientific journals and/or scientific and outreaching conferences. Likewise, the group has actively participated in and with mass media with the aim of communicating and raising public awareness.
Consequently, the following services are included in its Service Charter:
- Preparation/Drafting of Strategic Plans for Transport, Logistics, Sustainable Mobility, Local and Urban Planning, Road and Workplace Safety (in-itinere and in-mission accidents).
- Definition, development and implementation of interventions, measures and counter-measures in the fields of Transport, Mobility and Road Safety.
- Legislative, Regulatory and Normative development.
- Deployment of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS).
- Assessment and recruitment, especially of drivers, both positive and negative, including the development of instruments to achieve these goals.
- Design and teaching of training and education programmes, as well as the necessary teaching tools and resources (including those based on technologies such as Virtual Reality, especially simulators, and Augmented Reality). It is aimed at scholars, professionals, technicians and users/citizens in general.
- Creation of communication and advertising campaigns, including Corporate Social Marketing campaigns.
- Evaluation of Plans, Programmes and interventions, including those related to legislative, regulatory and normative development (Legislative Assessment).
The aim of the research group is to analyse the economic and social behaviour of economic and social agents, from an interdisciplinary perspective based on methodologies of economic analysis, game theory, quantitative, experimental and computational methods.
Currently, global security concerns (terrorism, disputes over natural resources, financial instability, organised crime, cyber-threats, etc.) have undergone a great transformation and are considered to be challenges to the security of states and to humanity, and are considered to be of similar importance to traditional military threats to international peace and security. There is growing and legitimate concern in countries and regions characterised by constitutional and democratic political systems (as it is the case in Spain and Europe) about the repercussions that this security transformation, and consequently the means that states are implementing to defend and protect their citizens from new threats, has on the citizens' and non-nationals' fundamental rights in the countries that adopt them.
This is a natural concern, since both security and freedom, the protection of individuals as well as compliance with the legal system and international rights obligations assumed by states, are common goods that must be preserved in a balanced way.
From this perspective, the research team presented here deals specifically with a real problem in our society, namely how states' responses to certain threats (specifically the responses - regulatory and political action - to armed conflict, terrorism, cyber-threats, organised crime and espionage) are affecting the guarantee of citizens' public liberties (specifically privacy, communications confidentiality, personal freedom and other related rights such as freedom from torture, freedom of expression, freedom of association, freedom to demonstrate and procedural laws). This is with the intention of carrying out a series of proposals for approaches, regulations and public policies aimed at contributing to the resolution of the problems that this affectation may entail, both for the protection and security of individuals’ effectiveness as well as for the constitutional guarantee of their rights. Keywords: rights and freedom.
The LISITT group was set up in 1989 with the aim of filling the existing gap in Spain in the area of telematics applications in the field of traffic and transport. Its initial activities were focused on the execution of international research and development projects within the European ESPRIT and DRIVE programmes of the 2nd Framework Programme of the European Union.
Since its origins, LISITT has specialised in the study and development of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), covering technological, organisational and strategic aspects. LISITT has been carrying out projects for more than 20 years for national traffic and transport administrations, including the Directorate General of Traffic, the Ministry of Public Works and its regional counterparts in the Basque and Catalan Governments. LISITT is currently a multidisciplinary group (Physics, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Telecommunications Engineering, Mathematics, Geography) that brings together more than 60 professionals, all of them university graduates, including civil servants, contracted teachers and its own research staff, and has established itself as a reference group in consultancy on telematics applied to transport, in the development of ITS systems, and strategic consultancy on management issues and the development of traffic systems.
The work carried out since its origins has consolidated LISITT as a Spanish reference group in consultancy on telematics applied to transport, in the development of ITS systems, and strategic consultancy on management, development and maintenance of traffic systems for administrations, as reflected by the fact that LISITT has been participating for more than 10 years as expert advisors representing the Directorate-General for Traffic in different national and international standardisation committees and in European working groups on ITS systems, including the World Committee for Standardisation in ITS systems ISO/TC204, the European Committee for Standardisation of ITS systems CEN/TC278 and the Spanish Committee for Telematics applied to transport and road traffic AEN/CTN 159. The role played by LISITT in the creation, assistance and monitoring of the Euro-regional SERTI project (1995 - 2006), the Euro-regional ARTS project (1997 - 2006) and the European EasyWay project (2007-2013) should also be highlighted.
Apart from these consultancy activities in the standardisation groups in the field of ITS systems, LISITT's most important projects are grouped around the following topics:
- Consultancy to traffic administrations on coordination and organisation of international traffic control and management projects.
- Technical assistance to public administrations in traffic management and information systems.
- Study, development and maintenance of traffic information systems for public traffic administrations.
- Coordination and execution of R&D&I projects, both from the European Union and national calls for proposals.
- Analysis, design, construction and development of information systems for private companies.
- Computer security, data protection and privacy.
INNOMARK is a UVEG research group developing online activities with a methodological and thematic innovation in the study of marketing, while trying to comprehend preferential domains for commercial distribution and services. The work carried out by the group consists in answering research calls in these fields by mobilizing knowledge from the team’s more traditional work scenarios, such as consumer behaviour, brand, creation of value, company relations, innovation and tourism. Said topics set the group’s main research lines. INOMARK’s experience and consolidation as a team is backed by the participation of its members in more than 30 different R+D projects financed in public calls, as well as particularly relevant R+D contracts with Companies and / or Administrations in which economic realities or business problematics related to ICTs, retail trade, tourist business, segmentation or satisfaction are analysed. The research quality and the relevance of the group’s results can be seen in its multiple contributions to congresses (more than 100 works presented in international forums), as well as in its publications. More than 80 researches were published on international magazines, many of which were also included in the JCR (Annals of Tourism Research, Tourism Management, Journal of Chemometrics, Industrial Management & Data Systems, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Industrial Marketing Management, Service Industries Journal, Journal of Consumer Behavior, International Journal of Hospitality Management, Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Journal of Services Marketing, etc.), ISI databases, the SJR or databases such as ABI INFORM, EMERALD Reviews, etc.
The group members obtained recognition for their research trajectory. It’s worth highlighting the following achievements: 1 Awards for Excellence 2009 (Gallarza y Gil 2009), Tourism Review. 2 Best paper 2008 (Gil et al., 2008), Industrial Marketing Management. 3 Outstanding Paper Awards for Excellence 2010 (Gil et al., 2009) Industrial Management & Data Systens. 4 Premio AEMARK-ASEDAS 2011 (Ruiz-Molina et al., 2010). 5 Awards for Excellence 2013 (Gallarza et al., 2013), Tourism Review. 6. Premio AEMARK 2014, (Gallarza et al., 2013), Annals of Tourism Research. 7 Premio Mejor Tesis Doctoral área de marketing 1994 (Dr. Gil), Congreso Nacional de Marketing. 8 Premio Mejor Tesis Doctoral sobre Gestión de Calidad Total 1995, Club Gestión de Calidad (Dr. Gil). 9 Premio Investigación en Marketing ESIC-BANCAJA 2000 (Dr. Moliner). 10 Premios Extraordinarios Doctorados Universitat de València 1995 y 2011 (Dr. Gil and Dr. Fuentes). 11 Premio AEDEMO Investigación y Marketing 1994 (Dr. Gil). 12 Premio MK. Marketing y Ventas 1993 (Dr. Gil). 13 Premio Investigación Empresarial, Ayuntamiento de Torrent/Caixa Popular 2000 (Dr. Gil). 14 Premio "Turisme" Tesis Doctoral. AVT. Finalista 2003 (Dr. Gallarza). 15 Premio Junior Investigación y Marketing AEDEMO 1999 (Dr. Servera). 16 Premios Extraordinarios Licenciaturas de la Universitat de València 1987 y 1995 (Dr. Gil and Dr. Ruiz). 17 Premio Joven Economía 2003 Fundación General de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Dr. Ruiz). It’s finally worth underlining that to this day, Dr. Gil has directed 8 doctoral theses in INNOMARK’s core research lines. All the previously exposed facts are proof of a teamwork-based tradition and a sufficient critical mass to face any challenge in the field of academic research in marketing (considering its multidisciplinary nature), as it’s capable of mobilizing knowledge towards the resolution of current problems.
The research activity to be carried out by the "New Conflicts and Process" Research Group focuses on the study of the constant adaptation of procedural rules to the new conflicts generated in society, both by the economic crisis - which requires an interpretation of the legal system in accordance with the context in which it is applied - and by the growing evolution of legal relations through the information society, and, in general, by the massification of litigation.
The procedural instrument must be adequate to enable both individuals who bring cases before the courts and the courts to obtain and grant, respectively, judicial protection of rights and legitimate interests. The lack of adaptation of procedural rules to the new conflicts generated by today's society can be an obstacle to obtaining effective judicial protection (art. 24 EC), one of the fundamental rights enshrined in our Constitution. In civil proceedings, for example, there is an increasing tendency to socialise them, moving from individual proceedings between two opposing parties to proceedings for the defence of collective interests of general scope, the defence of which cannot, for practical reasons, be the responsibility of individual parties. As far as criminal proceedings are concerned, the planned reform of these requires the incorporation of the doctrine developed by the TC - and which has been the subject of detailed study by this research group.
This research group already has a long track record, backed up by nationally and internationally subsidised research projects, which have analysed issues such as techniques to improve the effectiveness of certain rights; the reform of civil procedure and its current application by legal professionals; the system of appeals before the high courts of justice, the reform of criminal procedure or the right to appeal in criminal procedure, the latter being the subject on which it is currently working.
The Research group to which this application refers is called “Sustainable development, global and regional governance, contemporary international and European order and values.” This is a subject on which the applicant Research group has been working for several years with the support of various regional, national and international research grants and projects.
In the current phase of development of the Research group’s activities, the focus is broadening from the perspective of environmental protection to the wider aspects of sustainable development, which includes three pillars: economic, social and environmental. This is an essential concern of contemporary international and European communities, whose constitutional foundations for the coming years have been set out in the document entitled “The Future We Want”, adopted at the Rio + 20 Summit on Environment and Development, held on June 2012 under the auspices of the United Nations. The main elements of the Research group’s activity, as its name suggests, are four.
Firstly, contents related to the paradigm on sustainable development in its international and European dimension, including, among other issues: the legal nature of the concept of sustainable development, the content of the notion of sustainable development in its economic, social, cultural and environmental aspects, the basic characteristics of the criterion of sustainability, issues linked to disparities in the development of peoples, the concept of common but differentiated responsibilities, the notions of developed countries, developing countries and emerging countries, as well as intergenerational justice.
Secondly, it will examine all the issues linked to global governance in the field of sustainable development, paying particular attention to the evolution of the international institutional framework, both at global level (institutions of the United Nations Organisation system) and at a regional level (Latin America, Africa, Asia, Antarctica, Arctic), proposals and implementations in the economic, social and enviromental fields in order to achieve sustainable development. In this context, particular attention will be paid to developments within the European Union and the Council of Europe.
Thirdly, as the Research group is mainly composed of internationalists specialised in Law and International Relations, particular attention will be paid, among other issues, to the impact of the concept of sustainable development in the various sectors of International Law (International economic law, International human rights law, International environmental law, International labour law), conceptual and normative developments at international and European level, with particular attention to new legal instruments that have been recently adopted and those that will be adopted in the coming years. The results of the research will be issued in scientific publications, whether articles in national or international indexed journals, or monographs published by publishers of excellence.
Fourthly and finally, we will analyse the values that both the international community and the European Union consider necessary to govern their relations and therefore worthy of legal protection, both at international, European and national levels.
Continuing the tradition of the Research group, our activities will also include: participation in various research activities at transnational level, organisation of and participation in scientific conferences at international, European and national level, participation in the Meetings of the Parties on the International Conventions for the protection of the environment, contribution to the development of legal instruments in the status of international experts, membership in various bodies linked to the effective implementation of international and European standards in the field, etc.
Cotino (Director) has been the PI for three consecutive national projects on these issues, one focused on e-government (2005-2008), another on freedom and participation in the social web (2010-2012) and the current one on Open Government (2013-2015), a subject on which continuity is sought. The new R&D&I project of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness is pending resolution. It is entitled “The progress of Open Government. Constitutional legal regime of the implementation of transparency policies, access to information, open data, collaboration and participation, especially through ICTs and e-government” DER2015-65810-P (pending resolution). Cotino is also PI. The results are more than evident, both on the web and in hundreds of publications and papers. Besides some readjustments, this time the internationalisation is boosted by strengthening the foreign team. All the members of the team have worked and cooperated actively in recent years.
This UV group also includes two members who are not part of the Ministry’s project, two point researchers in Spain, Fernández Salmerón and Valero Torrijos, from Administrative Law.
The legal treatment of contents and freedoms on the Internet, liability of providers, hate speech, limits, censorship, etc. will continue to be addressed. On the other hand, given the relatively ethereal concept of open government and the predominance of other disciplines, a constitutional legal treatment is needed to legally decant, sediment and distil all these changes and advances that have just taken place in the last few years with respect to the contents of the concept of Open Government (transparency, participation, collaboration, open data, etc.) and its projection in the legal framework as well as the fundamental rights that are involved. Continuity is sought as we are at a crucial moment in the development of the Open Government. We are on the culmination of a process of fundamentalising the right to transparency and access to public information. This process has not been completed neither by the ECHR, nor the CJEU, nor, especially, by our Constitutional Court and Supreme Court. It is going to be especially important to analyse the interpretation by data protection authorities, transparency authorities, ombudsmen with jurisdiction over this area, and, of course, the ordinary and constitutional courts.
The aim is to analyse and monitor both the application of the transparency law and new administrative laws and reform of the law on re-use, the decree implementing the law on transparency, 2015, as well as the wave of regional laws in the 2013-2015 period in the autonomous community.
Beyond the mere normative analysis, it is a matter of taking into account the practical implementation and policies of open government policies, especially in Spain at the different town, region and state levels. It is a booming issue in 2015-16 in Spain. However, given the transnational nature of the phenomenon, it will also be monitored from a comparative and supranational European and Latin American perspective.
The aim is not only to analyse the constitutional legal development of open government, but also, as far as possible, to influence it on the different legal operators.
It has a solid experience in the dissemination of high quality legal content in classic formats (more than nine collective works and ten congresses), partly through www.derechotics.com or the Cyberlaw clinic and highly visible Twitter profiles of some of the members. In addition to generating and disseminating academic knowledge, it will be conducted an observatory of e-administration 2.0, an analysis of websites of Spanish and international reference; a document of practical legal recommendations and precautions.
The group works on the following lines of research:
- Social capital and territorial development: social networks, power elites and leadership in rural areas. In this line of research, the Social Media Analysis approach is used. This line of research is completed by the subject of crisis and resilience in local communities.
- Policies and strategies for local and territorial development in rural areas: socioeconomic transformation processes, new activities, actors in territorial management and territorial development policies.
- Business network and socio-productive systems in rural and intermediate areas: culture and business networks, innovation processes, social media and, generally speaking, factors that contribute to social and territorial capital and to the social and economic transformation processes.
- Public services in rural areas (education, health, social services, commercial activities, infrastructures, leisure, tourism and cultural facilities, etc.) as factors of demographic attraction, economic dynamization (incomes and labour market) and social cohesion.
- Vulnerabilities, social exclusion and (new) poverty in rural areas as a result of the crisis and the Welfare State withdrawal (reduction and/or disappearance of the social benefits, privatization and/or deregulation of public services, etc.).
- Social networks in the health field, with particular reference to rural areas.
The group’s vocation is to develop research that is as multidisciplinary as possible, approaching the issues at least from a legal, economic-financial and even sociological perspective. The main topics to be developed are insurance, pensions, but also issues related to people’s welfare that go beyond the above, such as dependency, life annuities, etc.
