About

The Digital Society

We are living in a digital society, in which every aspect of our lives is profoundly being affected by the digitalisation of data: how we communicate and socialise; how we work, learn, stay healthy and participate in politics and the economy. Digitalisation promises tremendous benefits; for better health, more efficient mobility, efficient energy use, and flourishing companies.

Yet it also raises complex challenges: new divides around access to and control of data; what it means to be human when we share the world with sophisticated artificial intelligences; identifying knowledge and truth amongst the deluge of information. To address these issues, computer- and data scientists need to work together with social scientists and humanities scholars.

The DiSo programme focuses on answering the many scientific and societal questions raised by the emergence of a digital society. All Dutch universities participate in the programme, which promotes interdisciplinarity around this urgent societal theme. Cooperation is actively sought with societal partners, through consultations, (team science) projects/tables and through the annual conference. The DiSa programme is organised interdisciplinarily around themes that suit the participating scientists.

In recent years, DiSo has developed into a solid network and programme that plays an important role in the digital ecosystem. 

DiSo provides a network to encourage collaboration at the national level between postdocs and UDs appointed to themes in the SSH sector plans that significantly touch on digitisation.

The objectives of the programme are:

• To provide an interdisciplinary network for early career researchers (especially postdocs and UDs) from the STEM, medical and SSH disciplines, led by authoritative professors;
• To play a connecting role in bringing together different strategic stakeholders and research projects in the field of digital society. This will mainly involve collaboration with the SSH Council in the coming years.
• Making connections between research within the interuniversity network and societal partners such as ministries;
• Creating impact for the universities’ research on this important societal theme.

Data Principles

Data Principles are concepts that are vital to understand the societal challenges and opportunities of digitalisation.