
Problem-oriented research on Internet & Society
The Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG) aims to broaden the theoretical and empirical foundation of internet and society research in order to contribute to a better understanding of digital society.
Throughout the process of digitalisation, societies are undergoing changes. Our conceptual frame of reference for identifying and assessing these societal changes is the relationship between innovation and governance. Tensions and synergies emerging from this relationship can be found across all societal fields and organisations including the state, corporations and markets, from the local to the global level.
To analyse the relationship between innovation and governance, HIIG has developed three long-term research programmes. They form the framework for the research agenda at HIIG. Further research groups, laboratories and projects strengthen this programme-oriented research. Individual research projects are usually part of a programme, group or laboratory. Different research results are presented and discussed as part of science communication projects.

Analysing the relationship between innovation and governance, HIIG has developed three long-term research programmes. They are driven by broad research questions reflecting the institute’s disciplines and provide the framework for the research activities at HIIG:
Larger research groups develop their own thematic focus to strengthen disciplinary competences in individual areas. With their research, they contribute to the agenda of the three research programmes:
Science communications projects and inter- and transdisciplinary research laboratories function as an interface and translator between academia on one side and industry and civil society on the other:
Individual research projects complement and strengthen our research. They also serve to conduct short-term studies and provide reliable results on current topics.
- All
- AI
- Entrepreneurship & innovation
- Media & data
- Politics & law
- Science & education
- Science engagement
- Society & culture
A media theory of the humanoid robot – Artificial intelligence in Japanese and European interpretations
In this project, the humanoid robots in Japan in particular will be examined with the aim of working out the realities of AI.
ACTiSS: Action for computational social science
This educational project aims at fostering the development of computational thinking among social science students and young professionals. All digital training and teaching materials will be freely available to learners and teachers.
Artificial intelligence, explained in human terms
This project uses an interdisciplinary approach to explain models for artificial intelligence (AI) to a broad civil society, to make it explainable, interpretable and comprehensible for all.
Autonomous Weapon Systems
The project investigates how autonomous weapon systems (AWS) are discussed in different concepts of human-machine interaction.
Between Autonomy and Surveillance – Employee-oriented use of people analytics in onsite and remote work
In the research project, we are researching how people and organisations use so-called people analytics applications.
Capacities and competences in dealing with hate speech and hostility towards science (KAPAZ)
This project develops strategies to make the science system more resilient to high publicity negative statements.
Case Study: Innovation and Imitation in the Games Sector
The Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society is currently launching an 18-month study into the tension between innovation and imitation in the Digital Games Industry.
Cybersecurity
The project explores the important, both mutually beneficial and conflict-prone relationship between cybersecurity and privacy. It also aims to find common ground for regulating cybersecurity issues.
This project aims to develop a data governance concept that can enable data-driven innovations addressing urban problems.
Data & Society Interface
How can we make data from private and public organizations usable for scientific purposes and for the general good of the society, and still take legal, ethical, economic or organizational challenges into account?
Data Cooperation Platforms for SMEs
The project Data Cooperation Platforms for SMEs (DaPla Mittelstand) is exploring how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in data-rich markets can better participate in the increasing platformization of value chains.
The project aims to develop an analytical research framework that can be used to describe data governance structures in a uniform manner and compare their success factors.
Defining concepts of the digital society
This project seeks to substantiate the conceptual ambition of the research programme The Evolving Digital Society by curating a set of reference articles on key notions and concepts.
Digital Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship
In the “Digital Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship” research project, we investigate entrepreneurial organisations that primarily focus on society – often called social enterprises.
Digitalisation and Climate
The project Digitalisation and Climate examines the economic, ecological & social dimensions of a sustainable digital economy.
Digitalisation and Sustainable Entrepreneurship
The Digitalisation and Entrepreneurship project explores sustainable digital entrepreneurship, the gig economy and the future of work.
DREAM (Digital Research Mining)
As part of the DREAM project, a mobile application is being developed that simplifies the search for scientific open access publications and suggests suitable new content.
DUCAH @ HIIG
The Digital Urban Center for Aging and Health (DUCAH) is an initiative of the Internet and Society Foundation and the Einstein Center for Digital Future.
IMPaQT – Indicators, Measurement and Performance of Quality Assurance: Third-Mission-Activities in the Social Sciences
The research project “IMPaQT” is about making knowledge transfer from research to society measurable through quality criteria and indicators.
INCA – INcrease Corporate political responsibility and Accountability of digital platforms
This project examines the growing corporate power of platform capitalism and its hegemony on several spheres of European society.
HIIG is involved in two of the projects as part of the BMBF funding programme “Making Repositories and AI Systems Usable in Everyday Nursing Care”.
Open!NEXT – Open and community-based innovation processes
New collaborations between company & consumer to foster the idea of open source and open innovation in the non-software area.
Organizational Adaptivity in the German Higher Education Context (OrA)
In this project, we investigate the digitalisation of higher education, with a focus placed on exploring the implementation of teaching and learning innovations.
Organizational Creativity and Resilience: Exploring the Future of Educational Technology (ORC)
How can educational technology be creatively contribute to building resilient universities and equip them to cope with future change?
Platform Alternatives
The project team will derive Corporate Governance Principles for digital platforms that seek to distribute collectively created value more fairly. The project is implemented jointly by HIIG and the Oxford Internet Institute (OII).
Platform governance
Platforms have installed themselves as key intermediaries in contemporary societies. They re-organise communication and politics, mobility and travel, work and everyday life. Yet, with this change controversies arise.
Platform Governance and Copyright (H2020)
This project tackles these issues from two complementary perspectives. It investigates the governance structures that social media platforms have devised over time to create a profitable balance between freedom & control over speech.
Platform://Democracy
The project “Platform://Democracy” examines how the rules of discourse on platforms can be aligned with public values.
Public Interest AI
The “Public Interest AI” research group is developing an operationalisable analysis procedure that will allow Public Interest to be defined in an AI-specific way and tested in technical prototypes.
Publication: Internet Policy Review
The Internet Policy Review is an open access, fast track and peer-reviewed journal on Internet regulation. It tracks public regulatory changes, as well as private policy developments which are likely to have an impact on European societies.
Ranking Digital Rights
Ranking Digital Rights (RDR) works to promote freedom of expression and privacy on the internet by creating global standards and incentives for companies to respect and protect users’ rights.
Repository for scientific policy and society advice (REPOD)
Political decisions are increasingly based on empirical research results. The project makes advisory documents specifically searchable and develops quality standards.
Scholar-led Plus: Tailored support for scholar-led publishing
This research project aims to improve the publication situation of scholar-led, non-APC open access gold journals through a consortial support structure.
The project investigates the discourse and developments around AI’s “deep learning revolution” over the ten formative years.
Task Force: Digital Organizing
The task force Digital Organizing is a group of researchers who study the implications of digital practices for the processes of organizing.
Task Force: European Platform Economy
The “Task Force European Platform Economy” is a group of HIIG researchers who study the implications of global platformisation for European actors and institutions.
The discursive and political construction of AI
This project empirically investigates the discursive and political construction of AI in contemporary societies. We have started with studies on the media discourse in Germany as well as on select national AI strategies.
The Ethics of Digitalisation – From Principles to Practices
This research project aims to develop groundbreaking answers to challenges in the area of conflict between ethics and digitalisation.
The Public International Law of the Internet
The research project “The Public International Law of the Internet” at HIIG aims at redefining the relationship between human rights law and the internet.
Women* in Tech
Das Transferprojekt Frauen* im Tech-Sektor erarbeitet intersektionale Fragestellungen zur Gleichberechtigung in der Technologiebranche.
- All
- AI
- Entrepreneurship & innovation
- Media & data
- Politics & law
- Science & education
- Science engagement
- Society & culture