Progress Cross-cutting Theme

Before presenting the progress per theme, we will first delve into the rationale behind the sectorplan, which you can refer to from page 244 of this document (in Dutch).

Background

The digital transition offers great opportunities, such as finding innovative solutions to societal challenges, increasing the effectiveness of the public sector and strengthening competitiveness.

However, this transition also raises fundamental questions. Who will be able to keep up? How do we handle decision-making and judgment regarding its effects on security, the rule of law, democracy and human and fundamental rights?

What do we want to achieve?

The challenge is to make the most of the opportunities presented by the digital transition while preventing negative effects. We aim to accelerate and strengthen responsible digitalization through innovative research.

We also want to renew our education system accordingly, ensuring that today’s students are well-prepared for these developments. This will accelerate innovation within the SSH education domain, which is necessary to better align with the rapidly changing labor market for graduates and participants in lifelong learning programs. Where possible and appropriate, researchers and educators collaborate with various professional fields and society at large.

The research groups that have received funding through the sectorplan come from different disciplines and existing interdisciplinary networks. They choose where to collaborate and where to make clear distinctions. They experiment with new partnerships and learn from each other. The sectorplan’s contribution primarily lies in fostering better connections, strengthening the foundation, and stimulating new collaborations. Societal challenges remain central.

Approach

In 2022, each university selected one or two societal themes within this sectorplan, on which researchers were appointed. This decision fostered collaboration with other universities that chose the same theme—sometimes to strengthen existing networks, sometimes to build entirely new connections.

Universities defined what they aim to achieve during the sectorplans’ duration. Each university has a coordinator for each theme, with ample flexibility to tailor implementation to their local environment and strategy. The coordinators meet regularly to align their efforts, make decisions, and inspire each other. The SSH-council facilitates these meetings.

Progress

The researchers have been appointed, and the research groups working on a theme have found ways to connect within each university. Since different disciplines operate in different ways, and not everyone was previously in contact, this has sometimes been a learning process.

In the summer of 2024, the first discussions took place with the Sectorplans Committee to assess progress. From September 2024, the thematic groups also intensified their collaborations across universities. In February 2025, a national meeting was organized by the UNL Digital Society program. Involved researchers showcased developments in other themes and strengthened their networks.

Monitoring

A midterm evaluation will take place in 2026 to allow the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science to monitor progress. Various groups will report on their current status, observed developments, and encountered barriers. The Sectorplans Committee will then reassess the direction for the coming years.