University College Cork (UCC) has teamed up with law firm Matheson to launch a new sponsorship that the university says is aimed at supporting a culture of innovation.

The UCC and Matheson Innovation Partnership will support the creation of a new lectureship and scholarship, as well as a series of lectures and collaborative events covering law, technology and innovation.

Under the initiative, there will be a new lectureship, the Matheson Lecturer in Law, Innovation and Technology, designed to bring deep expertise in the area of law and technology – including areas such as artificial intelligence (AI) and disruptive technologies.

The lecturer will also undertake inter-disciplinary research in fields such as data analytics and computer science.

Research

A Matheson Scholarship in Law, Innovation and Technology will see at least one PhD scholar conduct research in the area, and analyse the impact of innovation and technology on aspects of the legal profession.

The scholar will be supported by the Matheson lecturer, along with other colleagues in the UCC School of Law.

There will also be a ‘hackathon’ – a legal technology event bringing together participants combining legal, technology, and business expertise to mix innovative ideas and emerging technologies. This will be open to students, as well as professionals in areas of law, technology, and business.

‘Culture of innovation’

Michael Jackson (managing partner, Matheson) described the UCC partnership as “an exciting opportunity” to complement the work the firm was doing in its Digital Economy Group, a cross-departmental group it has set up to provide “practical and commercial” legal solutions to clients.

"Legal practice is constantly evolving, and embracing a culture of innovation is key to meeting the complex challenges that can arise,” he stated.

He added that the UCC partnership would showcase the benefits of collaboration between business and academia.

Professor Mark Poustie (Dean of the School of Law, UCC) said that the new lectureship and scholarship would provide much-needed and mutually beneficial capacity to explore the legal implications of AI and disruptive technologies.

The School of Law will start the recruitment process for the Matheson Lecturer “as soon as possible”, with the PhD Scholarship to be launched after recruitment of the lecturer.