Digital Society
Read here the latest news about research in Digital Society at the Faculty of Science and Engineering here.
The Netherlands is taking a major step toward energy-efficient computing with a €9 million grant from the NWO Knowledge and Innovation Covenant (KIC) Long-Term Programme, awarded to the ”10X-Factor(y): Towards a Dutch ecosystem for neuromorphic technologies“ project. The project is managed by UG researchers affiliated with CogniGron, a research hub that develops highly energy efficient supercomputers. In total, the project will manage a total budget of 30 million euros, coming mainly from companies and private funders.
On April 2nd 2026, the Second National Congress on Autonomous Systems took place in Drachten. It brought together scientists, technology suppliers, businesses, and policy-makers to explore the potential of autonomous systems and how we can deploy them responsibly and effectively.
Dr. Ayushi Rastogi has been awarded the 2026 Pieter Langerhuizen Bate Prize for her research into the impact of AI on the work of software professionals with disabilities.
Electrical engineer Ming Cao tackles the ethical, legal, and societal aspects surrounding AI, as head of the ELSA Lab for Technical Industry.
The European Union recently decided that an AI Factory will be established in the former Niemeyer building in Groningen. Ronald Stolk, senior advisor for IT collaborations and programme leader for the digitization of the Nij Begun economic agenda, and Bart Verheij, Professor AI and Argumentation at the UG and digitization figurehead at the Faculty of Science and Engineering, explain how the project came about. They also reflect on the academic backgrounds and social opportunities.
Raffaella Carloni develops artificial limbs, including the bionic leg for which she received the 2024 Ben Feringa Impact Award. ‘I am fascinated by robotics and dream of replicating the remarkable abilities of the human body.'
'People keep promoting the belief that generative AI provides universal tools that are capable of much more,’ says Michael Biehl, Professor of Machine Learning. ‘Sooner or later, the genAI bubble will burst,’ he is certain. But that doesn’t mean all of AI should be thrown out with the bathwater.
Recently, ASML acquired an 11 percent share in Mistral AI, a French company. Ming Cao, Professor of Networks and Robotics at the University of Groningen, explains why a chip-machine factory requires AI.