The primary aim of the Young Academics Network (YAN) is to act as a forum for younger academics to express their views on matters of International, European and Comparative insolvency law and share their ideas. 

The YAN Website is a logical development of my experiences over the last two years. I received a growing number of requests for information and support from younger academics all over Europe, who are in the beginning of the writing process of their doctoral thesis in the area of International, European or Comparative Insolvency Law issues. I then contacted Myriam Mailly of the University of Lille 2 (France) and we agreed that it would be a challenging idea to create a form of a (virtual) network of a smaller group of academics who are working on their doctoral thesis and can exchange and share information, specific sources, possible opportunities for teaching or research abroad or apply for financial support for books or a grant to organise an event, etc… 

Such a network aims furthermore to overcome the limitations younger academics may feel by working in their home country with possibly only one or two colleagues understanding what the doctoral study is about. The establishment of YAN and its Website are the natural consequences of this initiative. During the last two years we have seen a growing interest among doctoral candidates to join the network and actively participate in exchanging sources and ideas, share developments and discuss topics related to each others work, and so on. The YAN Website will be supportive to the aims of the network. It is also opened for posting of articles  which are in the course of publication.

If you have any additional ideas or expectations, please do let us know  (contact: mailly.myriam@orange.fr.) so that the YAN Website can be extended accordingly. 

Participating in YAN will be beneficial for the development of your own study, for widening your network of contacts, for the chances it may bring to further your carrier, but most important of all for a better understanding and application of issues of International and European insolvency law.

Bob Wessels