The University of St.Gallen at a glance

Under the direction of Prof. Dr. Monika Simmler (Criminal Law) and Prof. Dr Kuno Schedler (Public Management), the project has been investigating the use of smart technologies in policing and criminal justice since 2019 - focusing on the balance between security and the protection of fundamental rights.

Research shows: Even seemingly simple algorithmic systems encroach deeply on fundamental rights. “Smart Criminal Justice” makes these interventions visible, creates transparency in a previously opaque area and promotes social discourse. The findings are more relevant today than ever before - because new technologies such as deepfakes or AI-supported sentencing are constantly raising new legal questions.

Initiated by Dr. Fabian Takacs, Anna Burch and Prof. Dr. Karolin Frankenberger (IfB-HSG) as well as Prof. Dr. Simon Mayer and Prof. Dr. Andrei Ciortea (ICS-HSG), the interdisciplinary lab develops innovative, practical solutions for the transformation of our economy towards a sustainable circular system.

Projects such as the “Circular Tarp”, have been launched together with the Zurich cult label FREITAG, which aims to breathe a real second life into bags made from used lorry tarpaulins with a new, fully recyclable mono-material tarpaulin. This makes a closed material cycle possible for the first time. The Circular Lab is providing technical, financial and conceptual support for this project - a prime example of CE innovations that work on an industrial scale.

In collaboration with the international provider of access solutions, dormakaba, the study by Prof. Dr Florian Wettstein, Dr Isabel Ebert and Laura Neufeldt-Schoeller of the Institute for Business Ethics (IWE-HSG) uncovered systemic traceability challenges and ethical dilemmas associated with cobalt from the Democratic Republic of Congo. One of the key findings of the study was that avoiding cobalt from the DRC is neither realistic nor ethically justifiable - instead, meaningful measures are required on the ground.

As a result, dormakaba joined the important initiative "The Hub for Child Labour Prevention and Remediation" in 2024, which is led by Save the Children and The Center for Child Rights and Business. The initiative helps to free children from dangerous mining conditions and support families with education, healthcare and sustainable income alternatives.