2026-05-19 –, Plenary room
How can you reduce undesirable dependency on external digital platforms, tools and infra and take greater control of your research?
In this interactive Challenge Session, you’ll explore the future of digital autonomy in an open space together with researchers, experts and peers. This is not a passive talk, it’s a dynamic, thought-provoking discussion where your perspective, thoughts and experience matter. Together, we’ll explore the impact of technology, the role of policy, and the power of the research community.
Join us in this open discussion and let's connect our minds!
Annette Langedijk (SURF) will moderate this discussion.
Anyone interested in building a more independent digital research ecosystem.
What is the key take away of your session?:New perspectives and practical approaches to strengthen digital autonomy in your work.
Emile Bijk (1971) graduated from Radboud University in Communication Science on the topic of information elasticity in E-commerce. After a short career in communication consultancy he started at HKU Utrecht University of the Arts as a co-ordinator of projects on digital facilities.
During the past 25 years he led the Networking and Information Department at HKU focusing on open source and creative technologies. Furthermore he participated in several European Research projects on E-learning and technology and was technical liaison in cultural exchange programs and development aid projects (Ghana, Costa Rica) Currently he acts as Chief Information Officer and Head of the IT department of HKU.
Kwartiermaker Digitale Autonomie Universiteit Utrecht & Domeinhoofd IT, Huisvesting en Veiligheid faculteit Diergeneeskunde
Oskar Gstrein (he/him) is Associate Professor at the interdisciplinary Faculty Campus Fryslân. He is also Programme Director of the BSc Data Science & Society, Scholar on 'Data Autonomy' at the Jantina Tammes School of Digital Society, Technology and AI, and Member of the University of Groningen Alliance for Digital Autonomy (ADA).
His overall research theme is 'Human Dignity in the Digital Age'. In his research he explores the transitions from (e.g. legal/ethical/policy) principles to concrete legal or governance frameworks in the areas of digital autonomy and artificial intelligence. His research also covers the topics data protection, value-based digital infrastructure, and security related research.
Oskar joined the University of Groningen to work with the first UN Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy on aspects related to internet governance. His teaching is inspired by a contemporary interpretation of the Humboldtian model of higher education.
A researcher, educator, and designer, ginger "all-lower-case" coons studies and intervenes in the intersections of individuality, mass standards, and new production technologies. She is a Senior Researcher at the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, where she works across a variety of topics relating to the role, use, and contestation of technology in society. Her work on AI has a focus on ELSA and social values, taking place in contexts including the AI-MAPS project and the Social AI Lab Rotterdam.
Gjalt-Jorn operates at the intersection of open science, open infrastructure, behavior change science, psychology, and theory and methodology. He was involved in the development of several applications for qualitative research, quantitative research, evidence synthesis, and open science practices. He is interested in the epistemological, theoretical, methodological, and operational requirements for moving towards true interoperability for the social and behavioral sciences, as well as in the spectrum that runs from accurate modeling of complex data with open standards on the one end to simplified, user-friendly applications that support real-world impact on the other hand.