Michiel A Heldeweg (1957) is an emeritus professor of Law, Governance & Technology at the University of Twente (UT), in the Department of Governance & Technology for Sustainability/CSTM. He is also extraordinary professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Aruba, in the chair of General Legal Theory & Practice (Algemene rechtswetenschappen).
In Twente, Heldeweg is chairman of the UT Committee of Scientific Integrity, and member of the BMS/UT Academic Advisory Board.
Heldeweg is a member of the Netherlands Institute of Governance (NIG), an associate senior member of the Ius Commune Research School (ICOS), a partner to the Netherlands Institute for Law and Governance (NILG), and member of the European Sustainable Energy Innovation Alliance (Eseia) Working Group (4) on Energy Governance, Business Models and Legal Frameworks.

Heldeweg obtained his LL.M. (Dutch Public law) and MA (Law & Public Administration) at Groningen University (1985/1987), and his PhD at the University of Maastricht (1993) on safeguards concerning input of technical expertise in standard setting, particularly in environmental licensing.

Heldeweg’s research is focused on legal design of smart & resilient rules & regimes fostering technological and governance innovation, such as through experimental regulation, institutional change and smart regulatory governance (e.g. meta-regulation, principle-based rules, and public/private certification). His research relates especially to legal governance of sustainability transitions, such as through community (energy) initiatives. In his work Heldeweg combines doctrinal legal study with regulatory and institutional (legal) theory, especially with a view on supporting collective action towards just and sustainable outcomes.

Aside from his work at the University of Twente, Heldeweg is honorary judge at the District Court of Overijssel (Administrative bench). He was visiting professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Aruba (April 2011- Nov. 2021), the Faculty of Law of the University of Sydney (Centre for Climate and Environmental law - Dec. 2011- Feb. 2012) and the Faculty of Law of Exeter University (May-July 2017).
Heldeweg is member of the editorial board of Competition and Regulation in Network Industries (CRNI), of the Journal Laws, of the journal Technology & Regulation, and of the NILG book series on Market, Government & Law.

Expertise

  • Social Sciences

    • Governance
    • Approach
    • Design
    • Legislation
    • Markets
    • Public Private Partnerships
    • Organizations
  • Computer Science

    • Transitions

Organisations

Ancillary activities

  • University of ArubaExtraordinary profesorship

Heldeweg’s research is focused on the (methodology of) legal design of smart & resilient rules & regimes fostering technological and governance innovation, such as through experimental regulation, institutional change and smart regulatory governance (e.g. meta-regulation, principle-based rules, and public/private certification). His research relates especially to legal governance of the energy transition, such as in community energy initiatives, and to responsible development and use of robotics, such as drones. In his work Heldeweg combines doctrinal legal study with regulatory and institutional (legal) theory.

Currently Heldeweg is a promotor to 14 PhD research projects.

Publications

2024

Financing and Business Models for Scaling Up Sustainable Business Networks—Building a Circular Economy (2024)Circular Economy and Sustainability, 4, 1655-1667. Muzamwese, T. C., Heldeweg, M. A. & Franco-Garcia, L.https://doi.org/10.1007/s43615-024-00348-8Untangling the complexity of local water management during armed conflict: Comparative case studies from the Middle East (2024)[Thesis › PhD Thesis - Research UT, graduation UT]. University of Twente. Schillinger, J.https://doi.org/10.3990/1.9789036561211Enterprise development through networks: a case study of PETRECOZIM and the beverages sector networks in Zimbabwe (2024)Cleaner and Circular Bioeconomy, 7. Article 100071. Muzamwese, T. C., Heldeweg, M. A. & Franco-Garcia, L.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clcb.2023.100071Industrial clusters as a vehicle for circular economy transition: A case study of networks in four industrial clusters in Zimbabwe (2024)Journal of cleaner production, 447. Article 141479. Muzamwese, T. C., Franco-Garcia, L. & Heldeweg, M.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.141479Suing states for their responsibility for climate change-related damage caused by non-state actors in the European context (2024)Católica Law Review, 8(1), 109-136. Elagouz, M., Heldeweg, M. & Matera, C.https://doi.org/10.34632/catolicalawreview.2024.16063Developing SATIN, a Sustainability Assessment Tool for Textile Industry (2024)[Contribution to conference › Paper] 3rd Sustainable Textile and Fashion Congress, STFC 2024. Lujan Ornelas, C., Franco-Garcia, M.-L., Heldeweg, M. & Bressers, H.The role of sustainable business networks in promoting a Circular Economy in Africa—A systematic literature review (2024)Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environment, 13(1). Article e506. Muzamwese, T. C., Franco-Garcia, L. & Heldeweg, M. A.https://doi.org/10.1002/wene.506

Other contributions

Dasom Lee, David Hess, Michiel Heldeweg (2022). Safety and privacy regulations for unmanned aerial vehicles: A multiple comparative analysis. Technology in Society 71(2022) 102079.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2022.102079 (10 pp)

Research profiles

In teaching Heldeweg has been involved, since 1999 in teaching (Public) Law & Regulation in bachelor and master programmes of Public Administration, European Studies, (International) Business Administration, Health Science, Civil Engineering, Clinical Medicine, and the Master in Environmental and Energy Management (MEEM); mostly on subjects of public law, legal governance, government & markets, risk regulation, law & smart regulation, regulating robotics and drones, legal design and environmental law.

Courses academic year 2024/2025

Courses in the current academic year are added at the moment they are finalised in the Osiris system. Therefore it is possible that the list is not yet complete for the whole academic year.

Courses academic year 2023/2024

Address

University of Twente

Ravelijn (building no. 10), room 1133
Hallenweg 17
7522 NH Enschede
Netherlands

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Organisations

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