Waag Futurelab presents its research agenda for 2025 to 2028. This agenda outlines a broad research programme that translates Waag’s core belief – that technology is not neutral – into methods for designing a more open, fair and inclusive future.
Sander van der Waal, Research Director at Waag: “Our research agenda comes at a time when digital autonomy is more important than ever. In this agenda we propose a new version of the Public Stack model. Since 2019, we have been using the Public Stack to gather insights from our research in order to define guidelines for designing and developing technology over which we ourselves have control. There is a greater urgency than ever to research and experiment with our own technology. But also to ensure this technology is embedded in society. Not through old-fashioned commercialisation, but by collaborating with public and private stakeholders in society, based on the shared interests of a democratic society."
With the six dimensions of the Public Stack, Waag creates a framework for examining the cultural, economic and ecological assumptions embedded in every layer of technology. Across all our research programmes, we repeatedly question how we can bring hidden values to light, redistribute ownership, redesign governance and reduce ecological impacts. At the same time, we are developing the knowledge, tools and networks necessary for systemic change. The three breakthrough programmes – Public Nodes, Art × Science × Society and Workshop for the Future – illustrate how Waag translates its research questions into collaborative interventions that can reshape digital media, bring together artistic and scientific research, and strengthen local cultural workshops.
Through these programmes, Waag strives for a resilient society, so that we can regain control of our technologies, economies and ecosystems. As the research progresses, the issues will be continually refined, ensuring we remain responsive to changing societal challenges. In this way, Waag’s research continues to contribute to the design and development of a just, regenerative and technologically sovereign future.
