How do we move towards a more inclusive and sustainable city where the technology we adopt is under our own collective control? What is needed to make progress on that journey and what is the role of academia, governments, societal organisations and private companies?
On Thursday 29 January, Waag Futurelab will explore Amsterdam’s route towards digital autonomy. Waag’s Research Director and VU Research Fellow Sander van der Waal shares six perspectives on technology development that can guide us. He will introduce the three deep dives into topics that illustrate this in cross-collaboration between VU, Waag, and city actors. In three panels, experts will discuss three topics in-depth that are relevant to Amsterdam: its reliance on communications infrastructures, questions around controlling the environmental footprint of our technology, and inclusive adoption of technology in the care domain.
Programme
- 13:30 - 14:00 hrs Doors open with coffee & tea
- 14:00 - 14:15 hrs Opening by Marleen Stikker (Waag Futurelab) & Ivano Malavolta (Network Institute, VU)
- 14:15 - 14:30 hrs Introduction by Sander van der Waal (Waag Futurelab & VU Research Fellow)
- 14:30 - 15:15 hrs Panel 1: How do we ensure that technology contributes to a just society?
- 15:15 - 15:30 hrs Break
- 15:30 - 16:15 hrs Panel 2: Ownership and governance of our communications infrastructures
- 16:15 - 17:00 hrs Panel 3: How do we ensure that technology stays within planetary boundaries?
- 17:00 hrs Drinks
Organizers: Waag Futurelab and Vrije Universiteit (in the context of the VU Connected World Research Fellow)
Date: 29/01/2026
Location: Waag Futurelab (Nieuwmarkt 4 1012 CR Amsterdam)
Entrance: 16 euros
Language: English
Register: via this link
