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Dear friends and fellow researchers,
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Diagnoses of what is going wrong can be found everywhere. What is rarer and equally important are research-based ideas about what could go right. That is what drives our work at HIIG: understanding the digital society we live in and developing well-grounded visions for the one we want to build. |
This edition reflects both aspects of our mission. Three completed projects have deepened our understanding of the present moment and produced ready-to-deploy toolkits, guidelines and resources designed to inform what comes next. However, our work does not stop there. New projects and questions are already emerging and our researchers are contributing to wider conversations through publications, discussions and open calls that encourage others to collaborate with us. |
We invite you to explore the latest highlights from our research projects, publications, calls and upcoming events.
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Stay informed and inspired, |
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Jeanette Hofmann · Björn Scheuermann · Thomas Schildhauer · Wolfgang Schulz |
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Projects completed: Navigating crisis in higher education |
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Following six years of research and several journal articles on organisational resilience in higher education, the project findings from OrA and ORC, conducted in cooperation with CATALPA, are now ready to be put into practice. Based on twelve case studies from seven countries, the Learn-and-Do Kit helps university leaders, educators and support staff reflect on their institution's crisis capabilities, anticipate disruptions, cope with them and adapt afterwards. |
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Project completed: Tackling hostility towards scientists |
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When researchers communicate about their work in public, they may face defamation, coordinated trolling or threats of physical violence. Over the past three years, the KAPAZ consortium has combined research with practical capacity-building to address these challenges of science communication. The outcome is a set of guidelines, fact sheets and toolkits providing institutions and researchers with the skills to prevent, manage and respond to hostility towards science. |
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Project completed: Fairness as strategy |
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Large online platforms are increasingly being criticised for unfair practices that affect users, workers and businesses. What kind of future do we want for the European online economy? Grounded in research on platform power, digital sovereignty and European platform alternatives, these guidelines from the EU Horizon project INCA help managers at platform companies identify where power asymmetries create unfair outcomes and to reflect on their own business models. |
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New project: AI and gender equality |
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Who benefits from AI right now and who does not? Women are underrepresented in AI development. They are also less likely to use AI tools in their day-to-day work. And they are disproportionately affected when algorithms make decisions based on biased data. Research on these structural challenges exists, but remains fragmented. This project systematically evaluates national and international findings to identify research gaps and where policy can act. |
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| Publications | | |
Theorising Humanoid Robots as Media |
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Humanoid robots are machines, yet their human-like appearance invites us to attribute human traits to and form emotional bonds with them. Their gestures, facial expressions and touch add layers to human-machine interaction that screens or texts cannot. So why must we and how can we understand them as media? This entry in a newly released handbook on media theories by Springer Nature develops a four-dimensional media theory framework for humanoid robots. |
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This volume in our "Internet und Gesellschaft" book series comprises seven articles that address key challenges relating to digitalisation and internationalisation from the perspectives of public law, EU law and international law. The authors analyse and discuss the legal impact on mobility and administrative procedures, as well as the regulation of digital media, online communication and artificial intelligence. |
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How and why do shared meanings or established frames such as "freedom" or "security" get reinterpreted and reversed to shape industry legitimacy and amplify polarisation? Analysing 30 years of the German nuclear energy debate, the authors of this study in the Academy of Management Journal argue that even the most resonant frames can be weaponised against their initial intent. |
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| HIIG BOOKSHELF · Other worthwhile publications | | |
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Long Night of the Sciences |
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The HIIG is opening its doors for Berlin's smartest night of the year! Meet our researchers and explore the questions shaping our digital societies: Are deepfakes as dangerous as we think? What technology lies behind the darknet? Does artificial intelligence really destroy the environment? Find out through our talks, live podcasts, hands-on activities and much more. Snacks and summer vibes included! |
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The Digital Services Act as a tool for tackling digital gender-based violence |
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Can the Digital Services Act (DSA) effectively address gender-based violence online? This Learning Call, organised with the Leibniz Institute for Media Research | Hans-Bredow-Institut and the DSA Observatory as part of the DSA research network, will explore how platforms and regulators interpret and operationalise this risk. It will cover recent developments including the Commission's investigations into Grok and the DSA’s place within the broader EU legal landscape. |
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re:publica 2026 | |
"Never gonna give you up" is this year's re:publica motto in Berlin. It is a call to stand up for pluralism, participation and an internet that belongs to everyone. Our HIIG researchers will be offering sessions on topics such as the use of generative AI in hiring processes, human-machine collaboration in aviation, the responsible adoption of technology, journalistic concerns surrounding AI and the future of news in 2050. |
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| BEYOND HIIG · Events that caught our eye | | |
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Workshop on public interest AI |
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Submit your papers on public interest AI to join Theresa Züger and Hadi Asghari at the 49th German AI Conference in Bremen on 11 August. They are inviting researchers and practitioners to exchange ideas and connect theory with practice. Topics range from AI for democracy, public health and sustainability to journalism and beyond. The deadline for paper submissions is 1 June. |
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twentyfifty: Utopias for a democratic society |
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What if researchers used their knowledge to not just analyse the world, but to imagine a better one? For this experiment, the HIIG is inviting researchers from all disciplines to put aside academic conventions and use their expertise as the foundation for stories about democratic societies in 2050. What kind of society do we want to live in? We are looking for 10–12 creative minds to bring their answers to life at an international writing retreat in or around Berlin from 7–10 October. The deadline for submissions is 15 June. |
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