Participans of the IWDS 2026 workshop are exclusively eligible to apply for research vouchers offered by the Network Institute. The application process involves sending a short joint research proposal (minimum 2 researchers). All proposals will go through a double-blind peer review process after which we will award vouchers to the top three proposals.

The top three proposals will receive a research voucher of €2.500, €1.500, and €1.000, respectively, that can be spent on any research activity related to the project (e.g. travel, equipment, assistants) to be spent by the end of February, 2027.

Requirements
• At least one author was a registered participant of IWDS 2026
• At least one author is a member of one of the following departments/institutes:
– Athena Institute (Faculty of Science)
– Computer Science (Faculty of Science)
– Communication Science (Faculty of Social Sciences)
– KIN Center for Digital Innovation (School of Business and Economics)
-Language, Literature and Communication (Faculty of Humanities)
– Organization Sciences (Faculty of Social Sciences)
• The research proposal does not exceed one single A4 page
• Please ensure that the proposal is anonymised, including the file-name.
• While the research proposal needs to be anonymised by removing personal information, please state all departments (not research groups!) represented

The voucher can be used for any expenses related to your research idea, including hiring a research assistant, purchasing equipment, software licenses, etc. Please indicate what your budget would look like if awarded €1000 and if awarded €2500.

Criteria
• Relevance for the broader theme of digital society
• Novelty of the research question, methodology, and/or technology
• Interdisciplinarity in terms of topic and/or approach
• Feasibility in terms of a research plan, or additional funding

Deadlines
Deadline for submission: Monday, 11th of May 2026 at 23:59
• Submission of the anonymized research proposal in a pdf format through here
• Notification date: 1st of June, 2026

For any questions, please contact Dorothé Smit.