PhDs legal aspects of the development of HVDC – Doctoral Network ‘Inter-oPEn'

A consortium of 8 universities forms the consortium ‘Inter-oPEn’ to work on the development of HVDC electricity networks. The consortium stands out for coupling the technical developments with the legal aspects in order to foster innovation in the energy sector. The project is funded by the European Union as a Marie Curie doctoral training network. At the University of Groningen, we have two 4-year PhD vacancies. The two PhDs will focus on energy law and technology law respectively.

Societal Challenge

Europe wants to build around 450 GW of offshore wind by 2050. In the future, the cables to connect offshore wind farms will not only transmit electricity directly to the shore of the coastal states, but also to other states or different ‘hubs’ of wind farms. Large, cross-border high voltage direct current (HVDC) electricity systems are needed for this. These systems must be interoperable and mutually compatible. The future interoperability of different network elements has an important societal impact in creating a cost-effective connection of the vast amount of offshore wind, and integration of the European electricity networks. This project has interoperability in HVDC networks as its core objective. For a simple explanation about HVDC grids and interoperability, watch this video, made by another project in which the University of Groningen also participates, which is working on resolving several short term issues in this field.

From a legal perspective, interoperability in HVDC systems has two components, namely an energy law and governance component, and a technology law component. They form two separate PhD trajectories. The project technology law is elaborated further below.

Open-source and closed-source IP models to support interoperability and information sharing

This individual research project within Inter-oPEn has three objectives: first, to identify whether the current legal frameworks allowing for open-source and closed-source software elements satisfy the needs of stakeholders enabling interconnectivity and interoperability; second, to investigate future legal models that can meet the needs of the different stakeholders; and third, to investigate ways that data can be shared in a way that satisfies fair competition rules. The methodology used will be a combination of doctrinal and empirical research. The overall result is to provide a critical study on the legal frameworks enabling interconnectivity and interoperability, with a particular focus on the interaction of open-source and closed-source software. The PhD researcher will be embedded in the Technology Law group and work closely together with the other RUG-based PhD student focusing on energy law.

Expectations and Results

An important feature of the Marie Curie Doctoral Framework is the use of doctoral training and secondments. Doctoral training events, organized on a rotating base with the consortium partners, allows the PhD students of the different individual projects to gain knowledge on the other aspects of their field of research. This means that the technical PhD students will gain knowledge on the legal perspectives, and the PhD students on the legal aspects will be provided with knowledge and insights on several technical aspects, in order to bridge the fields of law and technology. Next to doctoral training in theory, each researcher has 2 secondments, of 3 to 6 months each, to gain more experience in practice. Currently, the planned secondments are:

• RWTH Aachen: with the purpose to get insight into engineering aspects of interoperability/ information sharing
• CRESYM: with the purpose to use the CRESYM industrial network to get insight into how IT/IP aspects are handled in different companies and TSOs

  The output of both research projects is the same: next to a final dissertation, several peer-reviewed publications and participation in several conferences/dissemination events.

  Consortium

  Next to the University of Groningen, RWTH Aachen, KU Leuven, TU Delft, TU Braunschweig, KTH Sweden, Universitat Politecnica Catalunya (UPC) and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) are involved.

  Organization

  The University of Groningen is a research university with a global outlook, deeply rooted in Groningen, City of Talent. Quality has had top priority for four hundred years, and with success: the University is currently in or around the top 100 on several influential ranking lists.

  The Faculty of Law is building on a longstanding tradition of four centuries of quality legal research. It is an ambitious top-ranking faculty of law with both high-quality education and research, with a strong international orientation, firmly rooted in the North of The Netherlands. The faculty creates and shares knowledge through outstanding education and research, benefitting society. With more than 4000 students and 350 staff the faculty is heavily involved in educating students, both Dutch and international. The faculty is a modern, broad and international institution, educating students to become forward-looking, articulate and independent lawyers.

  The position will be integrated in the department of Transboundary Legal Studies. This department is home to two research groups on technology law: the Security, Technology & e-Privacy Research Group (STeP) and the IT law Group. These groups bring together a broad interdisciplinary team of researchers looking at digital transitions including in the energy field. This PhD will work closely with researchers in intellectual property issues.

  All PhD candidates participate in the Groningen Graduate School of Law. The GGSL organizes the education of Research Master students and PhD students in the Faculty of Law. The inspiring and stimulating research environment is evidenced by the last external research audit in 2022 that judged research of the faculty of outstanding quality and praised the GGSL for the way in which PhD students are supported and supervised from the start till the very end of the PhD. Qualifications

  We expect the candidate to have:

  • completed or be close to completing a Master's degree in law
  • ability to analyse and apply the relevant international, European and national regulatory framework of technology law, in connection with other environmental and social regulatory and policy aspects
  • independence and availability to travel and settle in the countries of the universities participating in the project and to carry out international academic activities
  • ability to understand and communicate in the language(s) relevant to the proposed doctoral research project
  • eagerness to publish international articles and write a dissertation
  • enthusiasm to work in an interdisciplinary research team
  • demonstrable competences as conceptual capacity, presenting, monitoring, planning and organizing
  • good social and communication skills
  • excellent command of English and academic writing skills.

    Candidates must also meet the following criteria:

    • be in the first four years after graduation of the masters’ degree
    • be of any nationality, but not having resided or carried out their main activity in the Netherlands for more than 1 year in the past 3 years
    • have not yet been awarded a PhD degree. Organisation Conditions of employment

      We offer you, following the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities:

      • a salary of € 2,872 gross per month in the first year, up to a maximum of € 3,670 gross per month in the fourth and final year for a full-time working week. Additional (family) allowances can be applicable depending on specific circumstances, in accordance with Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions (MSCA) conditions
      • a holiday allowance of 8% gross annual income and an 8.3% year-end bonus
      • a full-time position (1.0 FTE) for four years; first, you will get a temporary position of eighteen months with the option of renewal for another thirty months; prolongation of the contract is contingent on sufficient progress to indicate that successful completion of the PhD thesis within the contract period is to be expected. A PhD training programme is part of the agreement and you will be enrolled in the Graduate School of the Faculty of Law.

        Envisaged starting date: 1 October 2024