Thus, the foundation for a new institutional partnership in legal education and research has been laid. The MoU was signed by Prof. Dr. Gralf-Peter Calliess, Director of the Institute for Commercial Law (Institut für Handelsrecht) at the University of Bremen, and Prof. Dr. Ignacio Tirado, Secretary-General of UNIDROIT, during a virtual signing ceremony held on 11 May 2026. The ceremony was also attended by Dr Nicholas Mouttotos from the University of Bremen, and UNIDROIT Legal Officer Dr Philine Wehling.

A Partnership Rooted in Shared Intellectual Mission
The signing marks a significant milestone for the University of Bremen's Faculty of Law and its commitment to transnational legal scholarship. The agreement establishes a framework for a broad range of joint academic activities, including cooperation in research, teaching, and scholarly exchange. It will support, inter alia, UNIDROIT's contribution to the University's master program in Transnational Law, further strengthening the program’s international and comparative dimensions. More broadly, it will facilitate academic activities under the UNIDROIT Academy, contributing to the dissemination of UNIDROIT's legislative work and to the development of transnational private law. The MoU opens concrete new avenues for this program, including access to the UNIDROIT Scholarship and Internship Programme, and collaborative research between Bremen scholars and UNIDROIT's Secretariat.

The Institute of Commercial Law
At the heart of this partnership stands the University of Bremen's Institute of Commercial Law (Institut für Handelsrecht), directed by Professor Calliess alongside Prof. Dr Patrick C. Leyens, LL.M. (London). The Institute's current research agenda maps directly onto UNIDROIT's 2026–2028 Work Programme, from international commercial contracts, to digital business law and civil liability, as well as corporate sustainability due diligence in global value chains, and capital markets regulation. This alignment makes the collaboration a natural extension of work already underway on both sides.

Remarks at the Signing Ceremony
During the signing ceremony, Professor Calliess expressed his appreciation for the conclusion of the agreement and highlighted the University of Bremen's strong commitment to transnational legal scholarship, particularly in the field of commercial law. As Director of the Institute for Commercial Law, he emphasized the significant synergies that the cooperation would generate for research both within the Institute's ongoing work and across the broader Faculty, alongside teaching on issues relating to the internationalization and transnationalization of business and law. He noted in particular the direct alignment between the Institute's research agenda and UNIDROIT's current legislative program, and expressed confidence that the partnership would enrich both the Faculty's scholarly output and the learning experience of students across the LL.B. and Master in Transnational Law programs.
Professor Tirado described the agreement as an important step in expanding cooperation between UNIDROIT and German academic institutions, reaffirming UNIDROIT's longstanding commitment to fostering international academic networks and promoting the harmonization and modernization of private law through sustained collaboration with universities, scholars, and research centers worldwide.

Signing in UNIDROIT's Centennial Year
This MoU is signed in a year of particular historical significance. On 20 April 2026, UNIDROIT celebrated its centenary — one hundred years since its foundation under the League of Nations in Rome. To conclude this agreement in UNIDROIT's centennial year reflects a shared conviction that the work of legal harmonization is as urgent today as it was in 1926 — and that universities and intergovernmental institutions must work together to meet that challenge.