Headlines
For the second round of the JTS Scholarship, four new scholars have been selected. The JTS Scholar Programme aims to build a strong and lasting collaboration with researchers.
A thousand times greater performance, two hundred times more energy efficient and a hundred times more data transfer speed: the startup IMChip is working on the AI chips of the future. Among other reasons, their work is crucial in times when concerns about the vast amounts of energy used by AI are rising.
In the annual ORC funding round, consortia can submit thematic proposals that provide a joint expression of the breadth and innovative character of the NWA. The funding round is aimed at facilitating research that leads to scientific and/or societal breakthroughs.
Digital inclusion is rarely a free choice for adults with limited basic skills. This can present difficulties for disadvantaged citizens. On the other hand, such people exercise a great deal of resilience to stay afloat. These are the conclusions of Alex Smit’s doctoral research.
University of Groningen researchers have developed a method for the customer service department of the company AFAS to check answers generated by AI. The system uses the same methods as human experts and is based on internal documentation as a knowledge base.
Dr Marieke van Vugt and Prof Natasha Maurits are both researching how the brain works. Their fields of expertise differ, but they start from the same question: how do you collect enough reliable information about brain activity to really learn something from it?
How do you know a face is a real face? With the emergence of generative AI, photos of non-existent faces can be created at the touch of a button. And if these photos are used in official documents it will be possible to create fake identities, bypass facial recognition and commit all kinds of fraud. Luckily, George Azzopardi and Guru Swaroop Bennabhaktula have created a way to confirm the authenticity of photos
The Jantina Tammes School of Digital Society, Technology and AI is offering individual 'JTS Grassroots Grants' for researchers, staff and PhDs of the University of Groningen to organise interdisciplinary activities.
Ordering a coffee at that nice new corner shop: most of us do this without thinking about it. For people with language impairments (such as aphasia), however, it can pose a serious challenge. What if AI-driven models could help these people – for example, with a smartphone app? Computational linguistics researcher Frank Tsiwah is exploring various ways to make this happen. ‘If it can make a single life better, then it will be worth it.’
Robots are being used in more and more applications. In industry, at home, but especially in the service sector. Technological developments in this area are advancing rapidly, but our knowledge on how to best utilize robots in practice is lagging significantly behind, according to Jana Holthöwer. She studies the interaction between consumers and robots. ‘Robots are more than just technical tools – they shape how people experience care, support, and services. The key is not to use them in all circumstances, but to identify the moments when they actually add value.’
Teleconsultations, patient portals, and home-monitoring devices. Governments and healthcare institutions see digital care as the solution. Assistant professor Esther Metting, an expert in digital care, also sees the potential. At the same time, she emphasizes that many people are currently being left behind digitally. In this episode of the JTS Scholars, she explains what we can do about that.
We are excited to announce the second round of winners of the 2025 Grassroots Grants! After careful consideration and evaluation, the winners were selected through a lottery.
The electricity grid is under pressure, and the consequences are now being felt in virtually all sectors. Businesses are having to wait longer for a connection, sustainability plans are being delayed, and the energy transition is stalling. Yet, the message during Net op Groen Noord-Nederland On November 13, 2025, was surprisingly hopeful: there is space on the grid, if we use it smarter and work together.
Electrical engineer Ming Cao tackles the ethical, legal, and societal aspects surrounding AI, as head of the ELSA Lab for Technical Industry.
The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) offers new opportunities for healthcare. From analysing medical scans to predicting disease progression, AI can support doctors in making complex decisions. But how reliable are these models? And how can we ensure that AI enriches medical practice without losing the human factor?
Interaction was the focus of the 12th edition of the International Conference on Multimodality. The event took place from October 29 to 31 at the House of Connections in Groningen. Organizers and UG researchers Janina Wildfeuer and Francesco Possemato look back. ‘Above all, the conference was about making new connections.’
Associate Professor Mirjam Plantinga sees it as her mission to paint a realistic picture of artificial intelligence (AI). She is project leader at the ELSA AI Lab Northern Netherlands (ELSA-NN), a lab dedicated to the responsible development and application of AI in healthcare. In this edition of the JTS Scholars, she talks about the (im)possibilities of artificial intelligence. ‘When implementing AI, we must not lose sight of the fundamental questions of care.’
Challenge-based, interdisciplinary, and society-oriented education. That’s what the Summer Schools are all about, co-organized by the Schools for Science & Society. The participants and lecturers, each with very different backgrounds, bring together a wide range of perspectives. ‘That diversity leads to a broad range of solutions to societal challenges.’