What is DigiSus and what does it do?
Digitalization is both an opportunity and a challenge for sustainable development. The ICT-sector is estimated to be responsible for roughly 3-5% of global emissions and up to 10% of global electricity consumption (Ojala & Oksanen, 2021). We need research, practices and collaboration to guide sustainable digitalization forward in a smart and responsible way. But how to get there?
Digital and Sustainability Transitions in Society: A Double-edged Sword (DigiSus) is a research platform that aims to create holistic and cross-disciplinary insights into digitalization and sustainability as societal transitions. Enabling collaborative action over faculty and organization lines ensures that all scopes of sustainability (environmental, social & cultural, economic) are taken into account in our search for solutions. DigiSus brings together experts, offers funding for research, and guides society towards a digitally sustainable future.
The goals of DigiSus
- Develop a community around cross-sectioning themes of sustainability and digitalization
- Increase research excellence on these themes
- Develop competence and ideas to attract funding for sustainable digitalization research
- Influence education and policies by providing resources for policy makers and educators
- Inform industry practices and foster cross-organizational projects and collaboration
- Support Tampere University’s research culture and foster talent through networking among academics and collaboration on thesis projects
- Fuel sustainability work at Tampere University through knowledge sharing and raising awareness
Visit our ‘Get Involved’ -page to learn more on how you can take part.
What is a research platform?
In Tampere University, the term “research platform” (“tutkimusalusta”) refers to a university-funded, multidisciplinary research hub that is established on a fixed-term basis to facilitate national and international collaboration across disciplinary boundaries. The goal is to promote high-quality research that delivers impact for society, addresses societal challenges and supports bold new initiatives. The research platforms bring together researchers at Tampere University and stakeholders from the private, public and third sectors. Tampere University hosts four active research platforms.
Story behind DigiSus
The societal transitions of digitalization and sustainable development are defining megatrends of our times. However, these transitions are typically researched separately, and chasms between research disciplines and institutions hinder systemic understanding. Digitalization involves many unique sustainability considerations, opportunities, and challenges. The effects of digitalization on society, culture, and environments have only started to emerge, and the interdependencies between various phenomena are largely unknown.
We need inter-organizational and long-term collaboration and different research traditions to come together to develop novel concepts and theories, empirically study various intertwined phenomena, and define novel evaluation metrics, policies, and forms of oversight. Tampere University is uniquely positioned and has all the relevant expertise to become a globally leading institution at this cross-section of social sciences, computer science, information technology design, and economics. Uniting efforts across faculties, as well as with leading responsible IT-sector companies, can pave the road for a digitally sustainable future.
DigiSus research platform started its work in January 2024 with the aim to increase understanding of the intertwined nature of the digital and sustainable transitions. The initial four-year operation period of DigiSus will continue until the end of the year 2027.