Current MICS Research Projects

• Researchers: Christina Peristeridou
   
• Funding institution: Dutch Research Council (Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijke Onderzoek/NWO
   
• Duration: June 2025-June 2026
   
• Short description: With her research project, called ‘Beam me up, Scotty! Effective participation to virtual criminal proceedings’, Christina aims to understand what conditions virtual criminal proceedings should have in order to ensure effective participation. “I follow a human-centred approach to the law and try to understand effective participation from the point of view of the defendants. We don’t have much research on how defendants actually perceive fairness when they participate online, so I will interview (ex-)defendants in the Netherlands and England that have participated to online hearings. Did they experience the proceeding as fair? Could they actually explain themselves adequately? Did they feel like the judge could see who they are? Did they feel intimidated and disengaged?”. 
  Another part of her methodology is to look at the existing socio-legal research on virtual presence. “By looking at psychology, sociology, and public architecture, I want to investigate the difference between physical presence and online presence, and see how existing research from non-legal fields could be used for formulating legal requirements.”

• Researchers: Laurie Ritzen & Suzan van der Aa (co-coordinators & authors); Christina Peristeridou, Alice Giannini, Camila Ugaz Heudebert, Elvira Loibl & Johannes Keiler (co-authors). With help of Floortje Stijnen & Cristian Rusu (student-assistants)
   
• Funding institution: WODC
   
• Duration: 10 months (deadline for submission of draft report = January 2026; expected publication date = 12 May 2026)
   
• Short description: Commissioned research project (funded by WODC), involving research methods such as: desk research, case law review; interviews with practitioners and legal scholars; vignette study (public prosecutors and judges); legal comparative study (involving Cyprus, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Malta, Portugal and Austria). 
  The aim of this project is to research how ‘femicide’ or the gender-related killing of a woman or girl is currently dealt with in Dutch criminal law practice. Although ‘femicide’ is not a legal concept in the Netherlands, we aim to see if Dutch legal practice shows signs of explicit or implicit recognition and acknowledgement of the concept nonetheless and whether the fact that a case that could be qualified as ‘femicide’ impacts sentencing. With the help of research methods such as a desk research, quantitative case law review, interviews with practitioners and legal scholars, a vignette study, a legal comparative study (Malta, Italy, Cyprus, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Portugal) we aim to answer the following central research question:
  To what extent is femicide recognized, acknowledged, framed and legally assessed in Dutch legal practice, and to what extent are gender-related aspects used in the legal assessment and sentencing of cases involving (attempted) murder and manslaughter of women?

• Researchers: Anrike Visser; H. Konstantin Jänicke
   
• Partner institutions: Maastricht Centre for Arts and Culture, Conservation and Heritage, Maastricht University, Universiteit van Amsterda, Maastricht University, Law and Tech Lab, Brightlands Institute for Smart Society, Maastricht University, ABN AMRO, Rabobank, Brightlands Smart Services Campus, Lege Artis, ArtTactic, Medical Data Works B.V., Leastfixedpoint Software, Sprint Eins GmbH, Trends4FI/FIU, Trends4FI/Ministry of Justice and Security, Trends4FI/FIOD Science, Trends4FI/Police, Netherlands Public Prosecution Service
   
• Funding institution: Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NWO)
   
• Duration: 01.01.2024 - 31.12.2027
   
• Short description: Crimes involving high-value unique goods, such as luxury items and works of art, have evolved in one surprising way: where the lure for criminals once lay in stealing or forging such objects, it now lies in transforming them into financialised assets, for instance to obscure transactions, launder money, hide or transport wealth, and evade sanctions.
  The project combines qualitative and quantitative research into the assetization of high-value artworks (including crypto art and NFTs) and expensive (pre-owned) watches with the promising method of financial crime scripting to reveal how (non-banking) financial services and legal arbitrage practices facilitate dangerous schemes of subversive crime.

• Researchers: Jill Coster van Voorhout, Martijn Scheltema, Marcel Worring, Drona Khandai, Yarin Eski, Frank Pijpers, Suzan van der Aa, Menno Dolman, Mike Lees, Zeno Geradts, Ana Barros, Huub Dijstelbloem

  
   

• Funding institution: Dutch Research Council (NWO) through the research programme Research along Routes by Consortia (NWA-ORC)§
   
• Duration: 2024-ongoing
   

• Short description: COMCRIM is an interdisciplinary research project that studies crimes that undermine democracy and the rule of law (rechtsstaat-ondermijnende criminaliteit, or ondermijning) in and via the Netherlands. The project is conducted by a unique public-private consortium of 22 partners, including four universities, ministries, banks, law enforcement and intelligence agencies, NGOs, and network organisations. With over 28 researchers from more than nine disciplines, COMCRIM explores the systemic drivers of organised crime and develops proactive, evidence-based interventions that foster resilience of democracy and the rule of law. 

  
  We focus on the business model behind organised crime, which relies on people, money, and infrastructure. Our core research areas are human trafficking, money laundering, and corruption. All three are organised crimes in themselves and serve as strategic entry points to detect the forced commission of other crimes, the whitewashing of criminal proceeds, and the interweaving of underworld and upperworld actors. Using unconventional data sources such as banking records, we develop methods for proactive detection, follow financial flows, and map criminal networks. We assess the intended and unintended effects of interventions at the micro-, meso-, and macro-level, with particular attention to economic impact and the dynamics between perpetrators, victims, and facilitators.

• Researchers: Donna Yates (Partner/ WP Leader)
   
• Partner institutions: Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK)
   
• Funding institution: HORIZON-WIDERA-2023-ACCESS-02-01-Twinning Bottom-Up
   
• Duration: 3 years
   
• Short description: The REVITALISER Project is dedicated to enhancing the capabilities of the ECoE in protecting archaeological sites from illegal excavations and looting across the EMMENA region. By fostering strategic collaborations with world-class institutions—Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK), and Maastricht University (UM)—the project integrates cutting-edge technologies like Earth Observation (EO), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Machine Learning (ML) with expertise in cultural property protection, criminology, and policy development. This interdisciplinary approach aims to bridge the research gap between Cyprus and Europe while positioning the ECoE as a leader in safeguarding cultural heritage.

https://revitaliser.eu/

• Researchers: André Klip (Project leader), Gaetano Ancona (Project manager)
   
• Partner institutions: District Court of Amsterdam, University of Bonn, John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, University of Burgos
   
• Funding institution: European Commission
   
• Duration: 2 years (1 July 2023 - 31 August 2025)
   
• Short description: The MR2.0 project aims to promote the efficient and consistent application of judicial cooperation instruments within the European Union, specifically those that have implications for individual liberty. The research is focused on practical problems that might arise when the national authorities of Member States have to choose between more than one instrument of cooperation. The method is to, via questionnaire, examine the cases of the Partner countries - the Netherlands, Germany, Poland and Spain - in order to understand how judicial authorities address the issue and propose possible solutions. MR2.0 intends to develop common solutions and, where applicable, propose recommendations to the EU and/or Member States. The project is a continuation of two previous projects coordinated by Maastricht University and the District Court of Amsterdam, ImprovEAW and InAbsentiEAW.

https://mutualrecognitionnextlevel.eu/home

• Researchers: Donna Yates (Vice Chair)
   
• Funding institution: COST
   
• Duration: 4 years
   
• Short description: This Action seeks to establish a network of excellence that integrates, harmonizes, and disseminates existing knowledge while fostering the development of innovative services and tools to enhance cultural property protection across Europe and beyond. To realize these goals, the initiative unites experts from diverse disciplines, including archaeology, engineering, law, social sciences, and humanities, and sectors such as academia, industry, research, civil society, and public institutions.

• Researchers: Alice Giannini, Giulio Mecacci, Pim Haselager, Mindy Duffourc, Raphaël M. Gellert
   
• Partner institutions: Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University
   
• Funding institution: Collaboration budget Radboud University – Maastricht University
   
• Duration: 1 year (December 2025 - December 2026)
   
• Short description: Empathic houses are “smart home health technologies” (SHHTs)1 which are able to monitor their residents and react to their needs by providing personalized care.2 Properly designed, they will reduce the overall risks of harm of vulnerable individuals (for example by intervening in situations of risk, such as an accidental fall), and this might call for reconsideration of liability models. Apropos, caregivers and healthcare institutions see empathic houses as a way to complement their legal obligation to a duty of care. However, one needs to balance this justification with the (elderly) individuals’ rights and needs, such as their right to privacy and self-determination. In this project we aim to investigate the ethical and legal implications of household caretaking for vulnerable groups living in empathic homes. We will do so within the broader context of responsible innovation, using a value-sensitive design methodology, and provide actionable insight to inform institutional and technical decision making and design.

• Researchers: Alice Giannini
   
• Partner institutions: Privacy Network, StraLi for Strategic Litigation, RDUD (Rete Diritti Umani Digitali)
   
• Funding institution: European AI & Society Fund
   
• Duration: 1 March 2025 - 1 February 2026
   
• Short description: This project aims to increase transparency and accountability in the use of SARI (Automatic Image Recognition System) by law enforcement and judicial authorities in Italy. Through coordinated investigation, legal analysis, and advocacy, the project will document how SARI is deployed, assess its compliance with multiple legal frameworks, and develop accountability mechanisms to address potential rights violations.

• Researchers: Roland Moerland, Hans Nelen, Fallon van Kleef
   
• Funding institution: Politie en Wetenschap
   
• Duration: October 2024 tot en met October 2026
   
• Short description: Onderzoek naar grensoverschrijdende samenwerking is relatief schaars. Dat type onderzoek richt zich bovendien veelal op klassieke vormen van politiële en justitiële samenwerking en gaat aan financiële facetten van criminaliteit vaak voorbij. Zo blijkt uit recent onderzoek in Nederland naar de versterking van de aanpak van ondermijnende georganiseerde drugscriminaliteit dat de internationale grensoverschrijdende en financiële aspecten in de aanpak vrijwel onbelicht blijven en slechts marginale aandacht krijgen in een handvol anti-ondermijningsprojecten (Nelen e.a., 2023). Het doel van het recent gestarte onderzoek “Financieel Rechercheren over de Grens” (dat we gemakshalve hebben aangeduid met de herkenbare afkorting FROG) is om die lacune aan te vullen. De focus ligt op de samenwerking bij grensoverschrijdend financieel rechercheren tussen Duitsland, België en Nederland en de uitdagingen die daarmee gepaard gaan, om zo tot mogelijke verbeteringen en oplossingen te komen. Het onderzoek is gestart in het najaar van 2024 en heeft een looptijd van twee jaar. Het heeft een actiegericht karakter. Dit betekent dat de onderzoekers er niet alleen op uit zijn om informatie op te halen als onderdeel van de dataverzameling, maar ook dat zij op verschillende momenten tijdens en na het onderzoek inzichten en leerervaringen delen met de partijen die bij die dataverzameling betrokken zijn. De centrale vraag die uit de probleemstelling voortvloeit is de volgende: Hoe ziet de actuele grensoverschrijdende financiële recherche in de EMR eruit, welke factoren versterken, dan wel verzwakken de grensoverschrijdende samenwerking in dit opzicht en in welke richting kan deze evolueren?

• Researchers: Roland Moerland, Hans Nelen

  
   

• Funding institution: Gemeente Maastricht
   
• Duration: October 2024 tot en met Mei 2025
   
• Short description: Voorafgaand aan het opstellen van het plan van aanpak voor het Maastrichtse PmG programma is een probleemanalyse opgesteld om de situatie omtrent jeugdcriminaliteit in de gemeente Maastricht te duiden. Deze analyse geeft een eerste overzicht en vooral cijfermatig beeld van jeugdcriminaliteit in Maastricht. In het programmaplan wordt echter gesteld dat voor de aanpak meer zicht op de problematiek en de doelgroep vereist is: “Want goed zicht is noodzakelijk om te komen tot de meest passende en dus effectieve aanpak.” Inmiddels is het programma geïmplementeerd en zijn we twee jaar verder. De focus van het onderhavige onderzoek ligt dan ook op het verdiepen, verrijken en actualiseren van de initiële probleemanalyse die aan het plan van aanpak ten grondslag ligt om zodoende nuances aan te brengen, blinde vlekken te duiden of weg te werken en een concreter en scherper beeld te krijgen van jeugdcriminaliteit in de gemeente Maastricht. Het doel is om vanuit dit inzicht relevante aandachtpunten en handreikingen te formuleren ter onderbouwing van de nadere invulling van het Maastrichtse PmG programma. De centrale vraag is hoe jeugdcriminaliteit zich in de afgelopen jaren in de gemeente Maastricht heeft ontwikkeld en zich vandaag de dag manifesteert. Hoe zien de aard, ernst en dynamiek van de jeugdcriminaliteit in Maastricht er uit als het gaat om de kwetsbaarheid van jongeren om betrokken te raken bij drugsdelicten of andere vormen van ernstige criminaliteit?