DEADLINE EXTENDED: SWING School on Internet Governance

📅 New Application Deadline: 27 February 2026

We're pleased to announce that the application deadline for SWING School on Internet Governance 2026 has been extended to 27 February 2026.

About SWING School on Internet Governance 2026: Join us in Bruges, Belgium (20-24 April 2026), at the United Nations University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS), for an intensive week exploring Digital Sovereignty, one of the most pressing issues at the intersection of Internet governance, geopolitics, innovation, and fundamental rights.

Who should apply: Graduate students, early-career researchers, ICT professionals, policymakers, and anyone interested in Internet governance.

What you'll gain:

  • Expert-led lectures from internationally renowned scholars;
  • Interactive lectures on topics including AI, cybersecurity, undersea cables, semiconductors, low earth orbit satellites, and fundamental rights;
  • Seminars on topics including Digital Sovereignty, EuroStack, the Geopolitics of Digital Sovereignty;
  • Hands-on group work developing policy recommendations;
  • Networking with peers and multistakeholder discussions.
Key Dates
27 February 2026 — Application deadline, including fee payment
20–24 April 2026 — SWING 2026 (Bruges, UNU-CRIS)

Core Seminars and Lectures

  • Introduction to Digital Sovereignty (seminar)
    with Jamal Shahin - VUB, UVA, UNU-CRIS; Julia Pohle - WZB, BSoG, CNRS France; Sophie Hoogenboom - UNU-CRIS, VUB; Chris Mondini - ICANN.
  • From Governance to Sovereignty (seminar)
    with Jamal Shahin - VUB, UVA, UNU-CRIS; Mauro Santaniello - University of Salerno, UNU-CRIS;  Julia Pohle - WZB, BSoG, CNRS France.
  • EuroStack: European Digital Sovereignty (seminar)
    with Paul Timmers - KU Leuven, European University Cyprus; Niels ten Oever - University of Amsterdam; more TBA
  • Digital Sovereignty and Competitiveness
    with Orsolya Gulyas - Brussels School of Governance
  • The Impact of Digital Sovereignty on the Internet
    with Azadeh Akbari - Center for critical computational studies, Goethe University Frankfurt.
  • Digital Sovereignty and Fundamental Rights
    with Marianne Franklin - University of Groningen.
  • Indigenous Data Sovereignty
    with Claudia Padovani - University of Padova.
  • Digital Sovereignty and Undersea Cables
    with Kavé Salamatian - Polytech Annecy-Chambéry.
  • Digital Sovereignty and Semiconductors
    with Linda Monsees - Institute of International Relations Prague.
  • Digital Sovereignty and Artificial Intelligence
    with Nicola Palladino - University of Salerno.
  • Digital Sovereignty and LEOs (Low Earth Orbit satellites)
    with Berna Akçalı Gür - Queen Mary University of London, UNU-CRIS.
  • Internet Governance: Conflicts and Cooperation
    with Jan Aart Scholte - Leiden University.
  • The Geopolitics of Digital Sovereignty (seminar)
    with Kseniia Ermoshina  - CNRS, France; Grace X. Yang - Freie Universität Berlin; more TBA.

Registration
To register, applicants will be asked to submit:
  • Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  • Completed application form (template)
  • Copy of a valid ID document (passport or national identity card)
  • Proof of payment of the participation fee (receipt/confirmation)
Participation Fee and What It Covers
The participation fee is 800,00 € and includes:
  • Registration costs
  • Meals provided during the School programme
  • Social event(s)
The participation fee does not include:
  • Accommodation
    Although students are required to provide for their own accommodation, SWING has an agreement with a local hotel that is willing to provide a reduced fare for the students of the school. Details will be provided after a successful registration.
  • Dinners
Scientific Committee
Co-directors: Mauro Santaniello (University of Salerno, UNU-CRIS) and Jamal Shahin (VUB, UVA, UNU-CRIS).
Scientific Advisory Board: Andrea Beccalli (ICANN), Dennis Broeders (Leiden University), Edoardo Celeste (Dublin City University), Philippe De Lombaerde (UNU-CRIS), Sophie Hoogenboom (UNU-CRIS, VUB), Robin Mansell (London School of Economics), Francesca Musiani (CNRS), Nicola Palladino (University of Salerno), Dennis Redeker (University of Bremen) and Riccardo Nanni (CNRS).
Organizing Committee: Sophie Hoogenboom (UNU-CRIS, VUB), Carlos Andres Fonseca Diaz (Ghent University, UNU-CRIS), Armando Antonio Ferrara (University of Salerno), Chiara Spiniello (University of Salerno) and Stephanie Teeuwen (VUB).

More information on the programme, faculty and registration: https://cris.unu.edu/swing-school-on-internet-governance

For further information about the School and registration, please contact Sophie Hoogenboom at shoogenboom@cris.unu.edu.