Institute of State and Law of the Czech Academy of Sciences

What Institute of State and Law of the Czech Academy of Sciences does

The Institute of State and Law of the Czech Academy of Sciences (Ústav státu a práva AV ČR, v. v. i.) is a public research institution founded in 1955 and headquartered at Národní 18, Prague. It is the premier non-university center for legal research in the Czech Republic, organized into five scientific departments covering theory and history of law, public law and sustainability, law and global responsibility, tort/medical law and ethics, and the law of research, emerging technologies and artificial intelligence (TRAIL), plus the Research Law Centre (RLC). The institute operates a portfolio of academic publishing assets, namely three peer-reviewed journals (Právník, The Lawyer Quarterly, and the SCOPUS-indexed Journal of Medical Law and Bioethics), alongside books and e-books on topics such as biometric data protection, profiling and automated decision-making, and the Law on the Right to Digital Services. Its library services operate legal research databases (CLAN for article bibliography; ASEP for institutional publications) with interlibrary lending and reprographic services.

The institute's business model is institutional rather than commercial. It is funded through Czech Academy of Sciences institutional support and competitive grants (e.g., the ERC CZ 'Climate Law Under Pressure' project, 2025-2027), with no external shareholders, private equity, or commercial pricing. Revenue streams include expert legal opinions supplied to government ministries, courts, and public institutions under its statutory mandate, alongside grant-funded research projects and international cooperation. The customer base comprises the Czech and international academic and research community, government and public administration, and law students and practitioners. The institute hosts the Czech national committees of the International Academy of Comparative Law (IACL) and the International Association of Legal Science (IALS), and participates in the Academy of Sciences' research programs (Strategie AV21), Veletrh vědy science fairs, and the Dvorana vědy public outreach program.

Name

Institute of State and Law of the Czech Academy of Sciences

Legal name

Ústav státu a práva Akademie věd České republiky, v. v. i.

Website

https://ilaw.cas.cz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Institute of State and Law of the Czech Academy of Sciences is a Prague-based public research institution, founded in 1955, conducting legal scholarship across AI regulation, climate law, medical law, international law, and legal theory, serving government, academia, and legal practitioners through expert opinions and peer-reviewed journals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Legal Counsel and Prosecution (922130)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHAIAJ

Law School Research Centers & Institutes (e.g., Law & Economics, Human Rights)

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Law Schools

SECONDARYEDAGAFAG

Law & Legal Studies Scholarly Publishing

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/Academic & Scholarly Publishing (Journals, Monographs)

SECONDARYMPAJACAA

Legal & Regulatory Publishing (Case Law, Statutes, Treatises)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Professional & Legal Publishing (Standards, Compliance, Reference)

SECONDARYEDAGAGAB

Legal Reference (Statutes, Case Law, Practice Guides)

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/Professional & Technical Reference Publishing

SECONDARYHLAJACAJ

Public Health Law, Legal Counsel & Regulatory Affairs Offices

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Health Policy, Regulation & Compliance Authorities

Keywords

• Legal research
• Academic publishing
• Expert legal opinions
• Scholarly journals
• Public research

Headquarters

HQ city

Prague

HQ country

Czechia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Institutional funding: Public research institution funded primarily through the Czech Academy of Sciences as a public research institution (veřejná výzkumná instituce). Receives institutional support and operates within the framework of national research programs.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Institute of State and Law is a public research institution that conducts fundamental legal scholarship, publishes three peer-reviewed academic journals (Právník, The Lawyer Quarterly, Journal of Medical Law and Bioethics), produces books and e-books on legal topics, and provides expert legal opinions to Czech government bodies, courts, and public institutions. It operates through five specialized research departments covering theory and history of law, public law and sustainability, law and global responsibility, tort and medical law, and law of research/emerging technologies/AI, and supports doctoral and postdoctoral academic degree programs.

Product overview

The Institute of State and Law of the Czech Academy of Sciences is a public research institution that does not operate a unified software product or platform. Its offerings consist of academic publishing (three peer-reviewed journals: Právník, The Lawyer Quarterly, and Časopis zdravotnického práva a bioetiky), printed and electronic books on legal topics, library and online database services (CLAN, ASEP), and research services including expert opinions and grant-funded research projects. The institute's research activities focus on emerging technology law, particularly AI regulation, data protection, and digital services law, conducted through specialized departments like the TRAIL (Law of Research, Emerging Technologies and AI) and the Research Law Centre (RLC).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Lawyer Quarterly Peer-reviewed international legal journal published quarterly in English covering comparative law, EU law, and international legal topics, freely accessible globally.
• Časopis zdravotnického práva a bioetiky (Journal of Medical Law and Bioethics) Peer-reviewed scientific journal focused on medical law and bioethics, indexed in SCOPUS and RIV databases, providing open access to all published articles in PDF format.
• Právník Long-standing Czech legal journal published by the institute covering all areas of legal science.
• Profilování a automatizované rozhodování e-book Electronic book on profiling and automated decision-making in relation to human rights and fundamental freedoms, authored by Eva Fialová, Ján Matejka, and Vojen Güttler, available for download or purchase.
• Biometric Data and Its Specific Legal Protection Book addressing legal protection of biometric data in the digital age, authored by Ján Matejka, Alžběta Krausová, and Vojen Güttler, available for download or purchase.
• Zákon o právu na digitální služby Book on the Law on the Right to Digital Services authored by Ján Matejka and Pavel Mates and published by Leges, authored by researchers of the institute.
• Institute Library and Online Services Scientific library providing electronic catalogues, bibliographic databases (CLAN for article bibliography, ASEP for institutional publications), interlibrary loan services, and reprographic services to researchers and the public.
• Scientific Research and Expert Opinions Legal research services including expert opinions for government and public institutions, grant-funded research projects, and international cooperation in legal scholarship.
• Department of Law of Research, Emerging Technologies and Artificial Intelligence (TRAIL) Research department focusing on legal and institutional conditions for scientific research, technological innovations, and use of new technologies in democratic rule of law, with particular focus on AI law, data protection, and digital infrastructure.
• Research Law Centre (RLC) Centre for research law, development and innovation providing infrastructure and research services on the legal aspects of research, development, and innovation.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Institute of State and Law of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (Ústav štátu a práva SAV)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025Ústav státu a práva AV ČR and Ústav štátu a práva SAV signed a cooperation agreement on December 1, 2025 to deepen existing long-term collaboration. The agreement establishes a framework for strengthened academic and scientific ties between employees of both institutions, emphasizing interdisciplinary exchange of experiences, knowledge, and research approaches. Cooperation includes exchange of information about planned activities and mutual enrichment of research approaches.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT): Intergovernmental organization producing comparative private-law research and instruments. Comparable in producing scholarly legal outputs and engaging with international dispute resolution, as the Czech institute's Department of Law and Global Responsibility does.
• European University Institute (EUI) - Law Department: Pan-European postgraduate academic institution producing high-impact legal scholarship. Comparable in research-publishing orientation but operates at substantially larger scale and with broader EU-wide mandate.
• Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition: Specialized Max Planck institute covering IP, data, and technology law. Overlaps with the Czech institute's TRAIL department on AI/data/biometric legal questions, but operates at significantly larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• Hague Academy of International Law: Centrally positioned international legal research and teaching institution. Overlaps with the Czech institute on international law research and Ph.D.-level legal education, but at a much larger global scale and historic pedigree.

Direct peers

• Institute for Legal Studies of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences: Hungarian Academy of Sciences centre for legal studies. Comparable as a Central European public research institution conducting interdisciplinary legal scholarship with international cooperation and public-policy advisory roles.
• Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law: A large German non-university legal research institute under the Max Planck Society. It is the closest international analog to the Czech institute in mission: fundamental legal research, scholarly publishing, and government-facing expertise in private, comparative, and international law.
• Institute of Law of the Polish Academy of Sciences: Polish Academy of Sciences' legal research unit, operating with a similar mandate of fundamental legal research, scholarly publishing, and public-administration expert opinions. Closest regional peer in terms of structure and CEE positioning.
• Institute of State and Law of the Slovak Academy of Sciences: Direct sister institution under the Slovak Academy of Sciences, with whom the Czech institute signed a renewed cooperation agreement in December 2025. Mirrors the structure, mandate, and publishing activity of the Czech institute within Slovakia.

Emerging players

• Central European University (CEU) - Legal Studies: Central European graduate institution with strong legal studies and human rights programs. Comparable in regional positioning for advanced legal research and doctoral training across Central Europe.
• Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies: KU Leuven research centre producing scholarly output on global governance, climate, and AI regulation. Comparable in cutting-edge, policy-relevant legal research scope, though university-anchored rather than academy-of-sciences-anchored.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/uspavcr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institute-of-state-and-law-of-the-academy-of-sciences-of-the-czech-republic

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Institute of State and Law of the Czech Academy of Sciences