Indigenous Digital Heritage (VIDA)

Call for Applications

First International Moot Court on Indigenous Digital Heritage – PUCP – Lima 2026

“DIGITAL PATHS, LIVING MEMORIES: A TRILATERAL EDUCATION NETWORK FOR INDIGENOUS DIGITAL HERITAGE (VIDA)”

23– 27 November 2026
Pontificia Universidad Católica del Peru (PUCP)|Lima Peru

This five-day Moot Court Competition, organised at the Faculty of Law at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Peru (PUCP) in Lima (Peru), will focus on legal aspects of digital heritage— Indigenous rights, IP rights, Indigenous intellectual property, collective ownership, traditional knowledge databases, data sovereignty, interculturality, legal innovation, ethical digital governance. Activities include debate of a hypothetical case study, lectures by legal scholars, policy simulations, comparative analysis, and participatory sessions with Indigenous representatives.The moot Court will be partecipated by Indigenous students.

This Moot Court is organised by the project “Digital Paths, Living Memories: A Trilateral Education Network for Indigenous Digital Heritage (VIDA)”. VIDA is coordinated by the University of Lapland (Faculty of Law), Finland, with partners from the Universidad de los Andes (Faculty of Law), Colombia and the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (Master’s Program in International Economic Law, Department of Law), Peru. The project aims to promote education, teaching and learning on the legal and ethical issues at the crossroads of the regulation and governance of Indigenous peoples’ rights to their culture, with particular focus on the digitisation of Indigenous people’s cultural heritage. VIDA is funded by the Team Finland Knowledge programme. More information: (https://research.ulapland.fi/en/projects/digital-paths-living-memories-a-trilateral-education-network-for-)

Who can participate?

BA, MSc, and LLM students from the University of Lapland (Rovaniemi, Finland), the Universidad de los Andes (Bogota, Colombia) and the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Peru (Lima, Peru), from the field of law or Indigenous studies. Indigenous representatives are especially welcome to apply to this study visit.

How to apply?

Please apply via this dedicated online application system Webropol. Please submit:

1. Application form

2. Mandatory attachments:

• Motivation letter (maximum one page)
• Certificates of studies (including grades)
• CV (1 page)
• Proof of English skills (e.g. language certificates, or certificate to have passed a course in English, or certificate of a diploma course taken in English).

When to apply?

Application period is from 26.05.2026 to 09.08.2026 at 23.59 hours EET (UTC +3).

Number of accepted students and Scholarships

A maximum of 21 students will have the opportunity to attend the international moot court.
Five (5) places are reserved for Indigenous representatives.

The course is free of charge for all accepted applicants.

Through the VIDA project, we are offering three students from the University of Lapland the opportunity to obtain a scholarship to cover their travel and accommodation costs. Preference will be given to students enrolled in the Faculty of Law. One scholarship place is reserved for an Indigenous representative. The scholarship can only be awarded to people currently enrolled in the University of Lapland. Students will be granted a total lump sum of €2190 per person, which can be used to cover travel, accommodation or living expenses. Students should keep the original receipts for their own records in case they are needed.

Selection criteria

The following criteria will be followed in selecting students to the international school:

• Studies, experience and interest in the topic;
• Number of credits and grades;
• Be currently enrolled in a BA, Msc or LLM programme or hold a BA, Msc or LLM degree.

Indigenous representatives can be accepted also if they are not currently enrolled in a BA, Msc or LLM programme or do not hold a BA, Msc or LLM degree.

When will you be informed?

Selected students will be contacted individually by email by 13.08.2026. Selected students will have to accept the scholarship by 16.08.2026.

Travel requirements

International students need to make their own travel and accommodation arrangements. Support for travel and accommodation arrangements will be provided by the project lead at PUCP.

All international students need insurance that is valid throughout their stay in Lima and have valid travel documents. International students need to make their own arrangements in this respect.

Transcript of credits and certificate

Upon successful completion of the international school, students will be granted 5 ECTS. The Pontificia Universidad Católica del Peru will issue a certificate to all students that have successfully passed the course. The University of Lapland will recognize the Study visit via the existing module “OTMEVAL0065V24-3002 International course on Indigenous Rights, Responsibilities and Ethics”. The Pontificia Universidad Católica del Peru will grant diplomas of participation to the students who successfully complete the study visit, which will be incorporated into existing courses interational law and governance at the Faculty of Law. PUCP students may request the recognition of the VIDA studies as part of optional courses in the Master Program in International Economic Law. 1 ECTS amount to 1.5 credits in the PUCP system. The Universidad de los Andes will grant diplomas of participation to the students who successfully complete the study visit.

Other students must ensure that their university allows for transfer of these credits.

More information:

Rosa Ballardini, Professor, University of Lapland (Rosa.ballardini[@]ulapland.fi) and LL.M. Dino Girardi (dino.girardi@ulapland.fi)
Rene Urueña, Professor, Universidad de los Andes (Rf.uruena21[@]uniandes.edu.co) Yovana Reyes-Tagle, Professor, Pontificial Universidad Catolica del Peru (yreyes[@]pucp.edu.pe