A little over a year ago, we decided to build a research group focused on our interest in emerging technology, futures, and work. We wanted to coordinate our research efforts and create something bigger. One year later we have achieved a lot more that we could have hoped for. So, we wanted to review some of what has happened.
At the start we had great people, a website, and some rough idea of what we want to do. We rolled up our sleeves and got to work on laying a foundation to build a large research initiative. This meant working on building a network and attracting some funds to start things up. It was hard work and there were ups and downs, but we there is a lot to be proud about at the end of it.
Networking
We kickstarted things with a Future of Work event held just before ICIS conference in December 2024. A small research initiation grant from Riksbankens Jubileumsfond allowed to bring together a group of excellent researchers from all around world to discuss research agenda for Future of Work research amid rapid technological developments. This also gave us a chance to meet new people and discuss international research collaborations.
We continued these conversations with Swedish colleagues at the 2025 Spring Conference of MIT (Management and Information Technology) research school, where organized a roundtable: Futures with(out) Work: how digital technology is reshaping when, where, and how we will work in the future.
We have also utilized the EUTOPIA network to visit some of the best Information Systems research groups working on emerging technologies at TU Dresden (May), and ESSEC Business School (September). This has been an amazing opportunity to meet a lot of exceptionally smart people and find a lot of inspiration for our research. We are really looking forward to future collaborations emerging from this.
Our researchers also took active part in various panels and mentorship roles including ICIS doctoral consortium, SIG DITE workshop, WASP Conference 2025 among others.
Finally, we are organizing the next year’s DBOSI-26 workshop with a focus theme Work and Digital Futures. The conference will take place in Gothenburg, February 4th-6th, 2026. Thanks to generous funding from FORTE, WASP-HS and SCDI we are set for the best DBOSI workshop yet.
Funding
While meeting new people and discussing ideas, we have also been working hard on funding applications. The end of the year brought some rejections, but also a lot of good news. We have received funding from WASP-HS, FORTE, Nordforsk, Software Center, and Helsingin Sanomat Research Foundation. In the coming year we will be investigating, among other things, responsible use of AI in various contexts, study the work of software engineers, and investigate the role of digital technology in supporting return-to-work after prolonged absence. We have a lot to look forward to for the next year. You can read more about the upcoming projects here.
Plans for 2026
In 2026 we will continue working of expanding our network and kickstarting more projects. Stay tuned for the updates. Meanwhile you can consider the following events.
As mentioned before, we will be hosting DBOSI-26 in February (register here if you have not already).
In April, we feature at the International Science Festival in Gothenburg hosting a panel on Algorithms, Truth, and Justice.
We will be part of Summer School on AI hosted by TU Dresden in August aimed at students in EUTOPIA network. We will be contributing a module on responsible AI in business.
Happy Holidays and see you next year!