COAST Opening ceremony

COAST Law Center will conduct research on legal issues related to the ocean, climate, and the green transition. The center has now been officially opened. – This is an important milestone for the university, says UiB Rector Margareth Hagen.

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Rektor ved UiB gratulerer senterleder Ignacio Herrera Anchustegui
On October 28, COAST Law Center at the Faculty of Law was officially inaugurated. During the opening, Rector Hagen congratulated Center Director Ignacio Herrera Anchustegui. Photo: Sigrid Vormeland, UiB

In her speech, Hagen emphasized the importance of legal research in addressing the climate crisis and rapid technological developments that put our societal structures under pressure.

– Law can no longer be a merely supportive discipline. It must emerge as a driving force for sustainable development, Hagen said in her opening speech.

She highlighted the need to develop legal frameworks that support green innovation and provide predictability for actors in the maritime sector.

– Improving the legal framework and infrastructure in Norwegian, Nordic, and international waters is a crucial prerequisite if we are to succeed in the green transition.

UiB-rektor Margareth Hagen taler under åpningen av COAST.
UiB-rektor Margareth Hagen var blant talerne under åpningsmarkeringen. Photo: Sigrid Vormeland, UiB

– Knowledge Where It Really Matters

Hagen further emphasized the importance of being proactive in establishing solid frameworks, rather than waiting until innovations are already in place.

– Without such coordination, efforts to scale up green maritime technologies risk being delayed and fragmented.

According to the UiB rector, COAST represents an important milestone for both the university and the broader academic and maritime community in Norway.

– With a dedicated focus on the legal frameworks governing the oceans, the marine environment, and maritime activities, COAST is uniquely positioned to advance knowledge where it really matters.

A Center for Forward-Looking and Interdisciplinary Research

The opening of COAST was part of the program for the Bergen Energy and Climate Law Days, held at the Faculty of Law on October 27–28. The conference brought together a wide range of international researchers to discuss climate and sustainability.

Sigrid Eskeland Schütz, Dean of the Faculty of Law, highlights that the center is specifically intended to create arenas for interdisciplinary collaboration and socially relevant research.

– COAST reflects our commitment to addressing some of the most pressing legal challenges of our time: climate change, the green transition, and the sustainable use of ocean resources, she says.

The center aims to serve as a hub for researchers, students, industry, and authorities, working on legal issues ranging from offshore energy and marine biodiversity to spatial planning and sustainable business models.

– I look forward to seeing how COAST will contribute and grow, forging new connections locally, nationally, and internationally, says Schütz.

Read more about the center’s ambitions here: Establishing a Center for Legal Research on the Ocean and the Green Transition.

Gruppebilde med Sigrid Eskland Schütz (dekan ved Det juridiske fakultet), Ignacio Herrera Anchustegui (leder av COAST-senteret), Ingrid Birce Müftüoglu (forskningsrådgiver tilknyttet COAST) og Margareth Hagen (rektor ved UiB).
From left: Sigrid Eskeland Schütz (Dean of the Faculty of Law), Ignacio Herrera Anchustegui (Director of the COAST Center), Ingrid Birce Müftüoglu (Research Advisor affiliated with COAST), and Margareth Hagen (Rector of UiB). Photo: Sigrid Vormeland, UiB

COAST Law Center

COAST is a research center focused on climate, energy, and sustainability law, with a thematic emphasis on the oceans, the marine environment, and maritime activities. The center hosts a leading research environment on legal frameworks and regulatory development for the green transition.

COAST is led by Professor Ignacio Herrera Anchustegui at the Faculty of Law.