Care/i colleghe/i,

vi segnalo la call for application di SWING – School on Internet Governance 2026.

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SWING – School on Internet Governance 2026 will take place in Bruges, Belgium, from 20 to 24 April 2026. Hosted by the United Nations University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS), SWING is designed for graduate students, early-career researchers, ICT professionals, policymakers, and anyone interested in the field. The program aims to strengthen participants’ understanding of the actors, processes, and policy challenges, shaping the governance of the internet and digital technologies. Through a combination of expert-led lectures, seminars and interactive group work, participants collaboratively analyse key governance issues and develop policy recommendations to be presented during the program’s final sessions.
 
SWING 2026 Theme: Digital Sovereignty
The 2026 edition will focus on Digital Sovereignty — a timely and fast-evolving concept at the crossroads of Internet governance, geopolitics, economics, innovation, and fundamental rights.

Key Dates
13 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 Berlin; Sophie Hoogenboom - UNU-CRIS, VUB.
• From Governance to Sovereignty (seminar)
  with Jamal Shahin - VUB, UVA, UNU-CRIS; Mauro Santaniello - University of Salerno;  Julia Pohle - WZB Berlin.
• EuroStack: European Digital Sovereignty (seminar)
  with Paul Timmers - University of Oxford, European University Cyprus, KU Leuven; Niels ten Oever - University of Amsterdam; more TBA
• Digital Sovereignty and Competitiveness
  with Orsolya Gulyas - Brussels School of Governance
• 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

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