Leiden University (LEI), the Open University (OU) and Utrecht University (UU) are working on this theme. Mr. dr. Jan-Jaap Oerlemans and dr. Vincent Delhomme are the coordinators on behalf of LEI. Prof. Mr. Dr. Reijer Passchier is the coordinator on behalf of OU.
Prof. Dr. Sonja Bekker is the coordinator on behalf of UU.
Mid-term evaluation 2025-2026
In 2025, the self-evaluations for the mid-term review were submitted. The main findings for this theme per university are as follows. Leiden has primarily focused on stimulating and expanding initial interfaculty collaborations, such as the establishment of the Europe Hub, an interdisciplinary platform for research and education that addresses the social and administrative challenges facing Europe, including digitisation. Another result of interfaculty (and therefore interdisciplinary) collaboration is the new Dutch-language Bachelor’s programme in Cybersecurity & Cybercrime.
At the Open University, a noteworthy result in the field of research is the signing of a book contract with Oxford University Press (OUP) for the monograph “The Right of Access to Personal Data in the EU” (2026). Also important is the already completed WODC research on the accessibility of personal data in Dutch public registers. The social impact of our research is visible, among other things, through contributions to advisory councils (such as the Rathenau Institute, the Dutch Data Protection Authority and the Judiciary), interviews in newspapers and on television (NRC, Volkskrant, Follow the Money, EenVandaag) and opinion pieces in national newspapers (such as in de Volkskrant) and many lectures, including for the Strategic Consultation of Secretaries-General.
At Utrecht University, the sectorplan has given impetus to interdisciplinary collaboration across the entire breadth of the SSH domain within four faculties. Additional assistant professors work together thematically within and outside UU on topics such as “Fair work and labour participation” and “Social participation and reliable information”. A Special Interest Group (SIG) on disinformation has been established and a SIG on digital migration has been strengthened, both of which are structurally embedded in the university-wide focus area “Governing the Digital Society”.
Innovation in education
- Deepfakes, disinformation and digital investigations are important themes in LEI’s new Dutch-language Bachelor’s programme in Cybersecurity & Cybercrime, a groundbreaking collaboration between faculties and disciplines. The programme started in September 2025 with more than 170 students and meets the urgent need for training for professionals in the field of cybercrime and cybersecurity.
- The post-initial programme Law Analysis and Agile Law Enforcement in the Democratic Rule of Law was set up in 2023-2024, specifically intended for professionals working on legislation, policy and enforcement, a joint initiative of LEI and OU. Thanks to this programme, researchers can connect their work much better with practice. Moreover, the programme is proving to be a highly effective valorisation machine.
- The Europe Hub is organising three interdisciplinary workshops for PhD students in collaboration with Una Europa. This interdisciplinary programme is intended for PhD students and their supervisors from the social sciences, humanities and law who are working on topics related to global governance and Europe’s place in the world.
- Thanks to the Sectorplan, various new BaMa courses have been set up at the OU in which digitisation plays a central role, including the course “Law and Technology”, various courses in the Master’s programme in Data Protection and Privacy Law, and the Masterclass “Future of Democracy”. At LEI, the course “AI & Digital Skills” has been set up as part of the minor “AI & Society”. There are plans to set up a minor in “Legal Tech”.
- LEI focuses on political economy and socio-legal issues relating to (labour) migration and digitisation in interdisciplinary education. Migration and digitisation are covered in various courses, such as “Socio-economic Policy: Theory and Institutions”.
- In collaboration with the Social and Behavioural Sciences Sectorplan, Utrecht University is organising a series of seminars on research methods in a digital world. This is linked to the Empirical Legal Studies Academy (which originated from the Law Sectorplan). At Utrecht University, a university lecturer is working with the University of Groningen on a Routledge book on “Inclusive media education”.
Interdisciplinarity and inter-university coordination and collaboration
The coordinators of three universities maintain close contact through the national meetings and thematic meetings on RPV issues (and other issues involving universities), organised by the national coordinator of the DDT and the SSH-office. These meetings regularly generate new insights and ideas for collaboration.
In September 2025, a study afternoon on large tech companies took place in Leiden: “The influence of technological developments & the power of ‘Big Tech” on national law: an interaction between rules of national origin & European directives and regulations’, a joint initiative of LEI and the OU.
Interdisciplinarity and inter-university coordination and cooperation
- The coordinators of three universities maintain close contact through national meetings and thematic meetings on RPV issues (and other issues involving universities), organised by the national coordinator of the DDT and the SSH-office. These meetings regularly generate new insights and ideas for cooperation.
- In September 2025, a study afternoon on large tech companies took place in Leiden: ‘The influence of technological developments & the power of ‘Big Tech” on national law: an interaction between rules of national origin & European directives and regulations‘, a joint initiative of LEI and the OU, with speakers from the three universities involved.
- Within the Europe Hub, seed funding has been made available for interdisciplinary workshops, lectures with guest speakers, conferences, etc. In November 2024, the two-day workshop “The Global Futures of the EU” took place, attended by researchers from LEI and scientists from other national and international universities.
- The UU is committed to collaboration across the broad SSH domain, which encompasses four faculties and eleven sub-disciplines. All UDs are embedded in one of the university-wide strategic themes and focus areas (“Institutions for Open Societies”, “Dynamics of Youth”, “Governing the Digital Society”). The UDs meet regularly in plenary sessions and in theme groups.
Societal impact
- Leiden hosts the annual Legal Tech Challenge, an innovative form of education in which students from LEI and Leiden University of Applied Sciences work together to develop digital applications with social impact. In 2025, students developed “BenefitCheck” for the Municipality of Leiden, which helps citizens find out what social benefits and allowances they are entitled to, making financial support more accessible.
- One of the objectives of the Europe Hub is to strengthen ties with policymakers in The Hague, Brussels and beyond. Researchers have been proactive in setting up meetings. In early 2025, a meeting was held at the European Parliament in collaboration with the Panel for the Future of Science and Technology, which strengthens ties between MEPs and the academic world.
- The OU conducted the WODC study on the accessibility of personal data in thirteen Dutch public registers. A chair in ‘Legislation in the digital constitutional state’ has been established and a professional training course in ‘Digital sovereignty in the democratic constitutional state’ has been developed to share research into the consequences of Big Tech for constitutional democracy more widely. Researchers have given many external lectures, including in the House of Lords and the House of Commons, at the AP and the French data protection authority.
- UU has set up a living lab that bridges the gap between science and society. Together with members of works councils, the living lab has improved a survey and shared ideas for innovation in employee participation. The living lab method is part of five research proposals. The next steps are to refine the method and link it to existing UU infrastructures, such as data labs.
- In the field of cybercrime, the Specialisation Programme in Cybercrime & Cybersecurity is noteworthy, covering topics such as AI-related crime and regulation, as well as digital investigation. The programme is for participants from both the public and private sectors, such as government lawyers, policy officers and employees of companies and insurers, solicitors, police, judges, public prosecutors and other supervisory and investigative authorities that deal with cyber security incidents.