Professor Schiek is the first legal scholar in Ireland to secure an ERC Advanced Grant.

She has received funding for a project entitled RIGHTS-TO-UNITE. The project aims to generate a new socio-legal theory of European integration, covering the EU and its neighbours, and to explore its viability through qualitative research.

Led by Professor Schiek, the researchers will investigate whether and how citizens experience European integration through liberal/economic rights, social rights and digital rights, gauging in how far EU derived rights support democratic, socially equitable and inclusive societies.

The research will focus on four EU countries (Ireland, Czechia, Greece and Sweden) and four neighbourhood states (Northern Ireland, Norway, North Macedonia and Georgia).

Professor Schiek said: “It is a great honour being awarded a prestigious ERC Advanced Grant.

“As the Synott Family Chair in EU Law at UCC, I have developed a research programme on renewing European integration through citizens’ rights, which is at the heart of the new Centre for European Integration, which is recognised as a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence.

“The ERC funding enables me to lead theoretical and empirical enquiry for a new socio-legal theory on European Union law, with a large international team, while expanding EU legal research into smaller EU Member States and EU neighbourhood states.”

Professor Mark Poustie, dean of the School of Law UCC, said: “Many congratulations to Dagmar on securing this very prestigious ERC research grant. Dagmar’s project builds on the work of the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence which she established.

“The project will enable significantly greater international research networking and impact across a number of EU countries and neighbours.”

Professor John Cryan, vice president for research and innovation UCC, said: “Congratulations to Dagmar on securing a highly competitive and prestigious ERC Award.

“I welcome, in particular, the opportunities that this award will offer her to expand her research team and further develop the international impact of her work.

“Her project on a new theory of EU law will place citizens at the centre of EU derived rights and I look forward to hearing about the impactful outcomes from this research in due course.”