Radboud University (RU), the University of Groningen (RUG), Utrecht University (UU), and Vrije Universiteit (VU) are working on this theme. Dr. P.J. (Pascal) Beckers is the coordinator on behalf of RU. Prof. Dr. M.J. (Marcel) Broersma is the coordinator on behalf of RUG.
Prof. Dr. Sonja Bekker is the coordinator on behalf of UU. Prof. Maurits van Tulder is the coordinator on behalf of VU University Amsterdam.
Marcel Broersma – Professor of Journalism, Culture and Media at the University of Groningen – is the leader of the national Digital Society programme. Researchers from a wide range of scientific disciplines are brought together here and collaborate on themes such as Health & Wellbeing, Media & Democracy and Responsible Human AI.
Mid-term evaluation 2025-2026
In 2025, the self-evaluations for the mid-term review were submitted. The most important findings for this theme are:
- National collaboration focuses on sub-themes such as migration and (digital and social) inclusion on the one hand, and polarisation and disinformation on the other.
- UDs within the theme have published articles and edited special issues of internationally recognised journals to further raise the profile of the theme internationally within the various disciplines. For example, special issues are being published on Digitalisation and Migration: Rethinking Socio-Economic Inclusions and Exclusions, Inclusive Media Literacy Education for Diverse Societies, Women, Work & Well-being and Misinformation and Government Transparency. In addition, team members from various universities are jointly publishing books on Inclusive Media Education (UU-RUG, Routledge 2026) and The Admission and Integration of Refugees in Europe (RU-UU, Routledge 2025).
- UDs are setting up international partnerships, such as an expert group on digitalisation and migration studies within the international IMISCOE network, participating in (international) consortia and applying for grants on the theme.
Innovation in education
Insights from interdisciplinary collaboration are increasingly being integrated into education. Interdisciplinary minors (RU, UU) and faculty-wide courses (RUG) are being developed, insights are being embedded in interfaculty programmes such as PPE (VU), and opportunities for establishing new MA programmes are being explored.
In addition, courses have been developed outside the regular educational offering, such as summer schools (Migrant inclusion: Policies & practices in the age of digitalisation at RU), training programmes for refugees or professionals (RU) and a pre-university programme (VU) aimed at prospective students. UU engages with secondary school pupils and their teachers in discussions about digital literacy & citizenship, social media and the teacher influencer in the classroom.
At Master’s level, UDs supervise students in their theses, encouraging them to take a critical approach to the priority theme, thereby ensuring that it resonates with new generations of researchers. It is also embedded in research internships in the Master’s and Research Master’s programmes.
Finally, a series of extra-curricular educational activities has been developed, also in collaboration with national research schools (e.g. the Empirical Legal Studies Academy, which originated from the Sectorplan for Legal Studies, and seminars within the national research school Media Studies) and social partners. At Radboud University, a collaboration has been started with the MA Project Impact Programme of the Honours Academy.
Interdisciplinarity and inter-university coordination and collaboration
At the national level, regular consultations between the coordinators of the four universities are held on the initiative of the national coordinator of the DDT and the SSH-office. These consultations regularly generate new insights and ideas for inter-university collaborations.
Cooperation has been established with the UNL Digital Society programme, which offers a network for researchers within the DDT and also brings them together with ECRs from the science and medical disciplines. Active participation is taken in the (co-)organisation of the Digital Society Conference, where all five DDT themes have been given a panel to highlight the theme.
Furthermore, (international) collaborations are encouraged through conferences, guest lectures, research presentations and outreach activities. There is also regular exchange between researchers: within the theme line, UDs are actively invited to organised conferences, workshops, guest lectures and lectures at the universities involved.
Concrete results include:
- A collaboration has been set up on the subject of “Migration and Digital Inclusion” between the University of Groningen, Radboud University (RUNOMI group) and Utrecht University. There is also collaboration between VU University Amsterdam, Utrecht University, Tilburg University and Maastricht University on themes such as regulation, leadership and inequality, and between various universities on the theme of misinformation and disinformation.
- The organisation of the workshop Digital ethnography for public engagement in collaboration between the University of Groningen (RUG) and Utrecht University (UU) within the national research school Media Studies.
- To promote trans- and interdisciplinary learning, workshops on interdisciplinarity were organised (RUG, UU) and UDs from VU and UU participated in interdisciplinary workshops and networks to promote team science (e.g. the Rotterdam Replication Games). National and international expert groups have also been initiated with scientific and practical partners, such as the theme group on digitisation and migrant inclusion within the IMISCOE network.
Societal impact
- All universities have focused on establishing and/or strengthening ties and collaborations with social partners. This is done through institutional structures such as the Jantina Tammes School (University of Groningen), a network approach (Radboud University – RUNOMI) or a living lab that forms a bridge between science and society (Utrecht University). Joint research projects have been launched with social partners and a series of activities has been organised to raise awareness of the theme and explore it in greater depth with partners.
- Sectorplan UDs have provided advice to various ministries, local authorities, the EU and advisory committees such as the Meijers Committee on the rule of law in the Netherlands.
- Sectorplan UDs have organised a series of public activities, such as a lecture series with Studium Generale Groningen on digitisation and broader social issues related to social inequalities, and a webinar with Samenwerking Noord on AI and the future of work for consultants, managers and other IT professionals (University of Groningen), a book club in the House of Active Citizenship and a travelling pop-up exhibition on women, work and well-being (UU), a podcast on integrated (elderly) care (VU), a policy brief series and blog on migration and related themes, and an annual conference (RU).
- Collaboration has been established in research projects with social partners, such as on the subject of neighbourhood courts in Amsterdam, with the municipality and the court of Amsterdam (VU). UU has set up a living lab method that is now part of five research applications, including two successful grants, and which has resulted in co-creation with members of works councils, for example, from which an improved survey provides inspiration for innovation in employee participation. Collaborations have also been initiated with, among others, the Association of Migration Law Specialists and Lawyers, the Dutch Council for Refugees, municipalities and ministries, Interreg and the Knowledge Centre for Migrant Workers (KCA).
- A round table discussion was organised during the Digital Society Conference (2024) in Utrecht: Active Digital Citizenship – Pathways and Barriers to Participation, with the participation of the Municipality of Amsterdam, Commit Global and Kieskompas. During the conference on 20 November 2025, a panel on Migration and Digital Inclusion was organised.