DOMINICAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE (DRI)

Dominican Research Institute is a research institute characterised by the Dominican commitment to be at the service of the Truth. Research at Domuni takes place within the context of an Order that has never been afraid of questions and where teaching and transmission play a major role. The democratic organisation of the Order and its liturgical life, shape a specific theological act that draws its inspiration from the contemplation of the mystery of the incarnation and revelation. Research also takes place in an inter- and transcultural dimension that promotes the international dimension of the Dominican order and its partner universities. The internet being an eminent way to promote the proximity of the schools of thought, the chosen subject areas can be studied with a renewed fruitfulness. The mottos of our research are rooted in the Order of Preachers tradition: namely, to live what we believe and practice what we teach (verbo et exemplo), and to contemplate and share with others the fruits of our contemplation (contemplari et contemplata aliis tradere).

At Domuni, the academic research undertaken in the domains of humanities and social sciences has the particularity of combining the intellectual and applied dimensions. The Truth is not only to be clarified, it is to be lived and verified. The teaching and research undertaken at Domuni University represent an intellectual and existential commitment. For over 8 centuries the Dominicans (Order of Preachers) combine reflection and action, and thus there is no opposition between tradition and modernity: on the contrary, tradition and modernity are amalgamated in a long experience which structures intelligence for a better approach to the
Truth.
The research conducted at DRI is organized in 3 areas:

• Theology and Leadership;
• Sacred Texts, Traditions, and Dialogue;
• Knowledge, Ethics, and Digital Futures.

I. Theology and Leadership

We develop this area as a transversal and transcultural research focus. It implies DOMUNI’s intellectual tradition and mission, responds to contemporary global challenges marked by political instability, social fragmentation, ethical crises, and unpredictabilities of legal practices.

Research focus: We explore how humanities and social sciences contribute to a renewed understanding of leadership in contexts of uncertainty and transformation. We assess questions of authority, responsibility, discernment, and service, with particular attention to how leadership is exercised in religious, academic, social, organizational and institutional contexts. Special emphasis is placed on leadership in crisis situations, intercultural environments, and plural societies, where ethical decision-making and spiritual discernment play a decisive role. The research adopts an interdisciplinary and transcultural approach, integrating perspectives from theology, philosophy, social sciences, and law. It studies leadership models across different cultural and geographical contexts and reflects on how Christian thought and theology in the broader sense (i.e., not only Christian) engage with contemporary debates on power, governance, leadership and social responsibility.

II. Sacred Texts, Traditions, and Dialogue

This research area reflects DOMUNI’s global intellectual geography and positions it as a space of encounter between intellectual and religious traditions within their socio-linguistic and cultural contexts. 

Research focus: We examine how sacred texts, biblical and non-biblical, are received, interpreted, and reinterpreted across cultures and religious traditions. We pay particular attention to how the reception of sacred texts shapes interreligious dialogue, cultural identities, and social imaginaries in plural societies. We explore how interpretations of sacred texts may contribute either to conflict or to reconciliation, and how hermeneutical traditions
can foster mutual understanding and peaceful coexistence. We analyse both classical interpretative traditions and contemporary re-readings of sacred texts, including their circulation and reinterpretation in digital and educational contexts.

III. Knowledge, Ethics, and Digital Futures

This area positions DOMUNI as a reference for reflective and responsible digital scholarship at a global level.

Research focus: We examine how digital technologies transform knowledge production, teaching and learning, and research collaboration across cultures and continents. The project analyses new methodological approaches in the humanities enabled by digital tools. Also, we engage with the ethical challenges raised by these transformations (e.g., access and inequality, sustainability, responsibility in digital education, and the governance of digital infrastructures). Furhermore, we explore how online environments reshape academic communities, scholarly authority, and pedagogical practices, and how they may contribute to more inclusive and globally connected forms of higher education.

Contact: Dr. Srećko Koralija o.p., director of the Dominican Research Institute: srecko.koralija @ domuni.eu

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