By Mathias Pedersen, AAU Communication and Public Affairs
Photo: Per Feder, NG21

The project is led by Associate Professor Stine Piilgaard Porner Nielsen from the Department of Law, who has received a grant from Independent Research Fund Denmark under the Inge Lehmann Programme. The grant amounts to DKK 3,596,536 and funds the project from September 2026 to August 2030.

The aim of the project is to investigate how social rights at EU level are transformed into practice in the member states. As part of the research, the project will map the existing legal framework to identify both legal opportunities and barriers for EU citizens experiencing homelessness. It will also explore how these legal frameworks are implemented in practice.

Involving citizens and practitioners

The project includes non-Danish EU citizens residing in Denmark who are experiencing homelessness, as well as professionals from, among others, shelters and NGOs working to support this target group.

The research project contributes with new knowledge about the mechanisms influencing the implementation of social rights at EU level. This is particularly relevant in relation to homelessness, which represents an extreme form of social exclusion and marginalisation.

Stine Piilgaard Porner Nielsen is part of the Public, Administrative and Welfare Law Group (PAW) at the Department of Law, Aalborg University.

The grant is awarded by Independent Research Fund Denmark through the Inge Lehmann Programme, which supports talented researchers in developing their research ideas.