ELS connected

The ELS Lab at UU is part of a national network of law schools that organizes activities and pools resources to support individual scholars and research groups at Dutch law schools.

Utrecht University is one of five universities that has chosen Empirical Legal Studies as a focus area within the Secorplan Rechtsgeleerdheid (Secure Plan for Law). The Empirical Legal Studies project is a national collaboration between: 

• Utrecht University
• Leiden University (see Empirical Legal Studies Lab, Universiteit Leiden)
• Erasmus University Rotterdam (see Erasmus Centre of Emprical Legal Studies, ECELS)
• University of Groningen (see Groningen Centre for Empirical Legal Research)
• VU Amsterdam 

This national collaboration has led, among other things, to the establishment of the Netherlands Academy for Empirical Legal Studies (ELS Academy) in 2021. The ELS Academy is a national research school that brings together, educates, and supports (aspiring) empirical legal researchers.

From 2025-2026, all Dutch law faculties will participate in and contribute to the ELS Academy's research training programme. In addition to the universities mentioned above, the following are now also affiliated:

• University of Amsterdam (see Center for Law and Behavior)
• Maastricht Universiteit (see Law and Tech Lab)
• Wageningen University and Research (seePeople of the Law Group)
• Tilburg University 
• Radboud University 

In addition, there are national and international associations that play a central role in empirical legal research: 

• European Society for Empirical Legal Studies
• Vereniging voor Sociaalwetenschappelijke bestudering van het Recht (VSR)
• Socio-Legal Studies Association (SLSA)
• Law & Society Association (LSA)