Expectations are high for digital technologies to address sustainability related challenges. While research into such applications and the twin transformation is growing rapidly, insights in the actual daily practices of digital sustainability within organizations is lacking. This is problematic as the contributions of digital tools to sustainability goals gain shape in organizational practices. To bridge this gap, we develop a theoretical perspective on digital sustainability practices based on practice theory, with an emphasis on the concept of sociomateriality. We argue that connecting meanings related to sustainability with digital technologies is essential to establish beneficial practices. Next, we contend that the meaning of sustainability is contextspecific, which calls for a local meaning making process. Based on our theoretical exploration we develop an empirical research agenda.
MULTIFILE
We present our ongoing work on upgrading the Amsterdam Public Library's book database search capabilities. So far, users have had to input the exact book title and/or author name without any typos or misspellings in order to retrieve any results. This is in sharp contrast with the manner in which users typically use the interface: they frequently search for books on a particular topic, input the names of the characters, or even ask fully-fledged questions. The aim of this project is therefore to enable smart search in natural language based on book content. The initial focus is on the Dutch language, with the possibility of including English and other languages later. In the first phase of the project, we built a proof-of-concept knowledge graph from a sample of the existing tabular database and enriched the data with named entities extracted from book summaries. Based on this first step, a user query like "Heeft u boeken over de Tweede Wereldoorlog in Amsterdam?" would yield all books that mention both WW2 and Amsterdam. We are currently working on augmenting the knowledge graph with embeddings, which will enable us to retrieve semantically similar results. The final step of the research involves integrating our knowledge graph with a pre-trained large language model.
Developing a framework that integrates Advanced Language Models into the qualitative research process.Qualitative research, vital for understanding complex phenomena, is often limited by labour-intensive data collection, transcription, and analysis processes. This hinders scalability, accessibility, and efficiency in both academic and industry contexts. As a result, insights are often delayed or incomplete, impacting decision-making, policy development, and innovation. The lack of tools to enhance accuracy and reduce human error exacerbates these challenges, particularly for projects requiring large datasets or quick iterations. Addressing these inefficiencies through AI-driven solutions like AIDA can empower researchers, enhance outcomes, and make qualitative research more inclusive, impactful, and efficient.The AIDA project enhances qualitative research by integrating AI technologies to streamline transcription, coding, and analysis processes. This innovation enables researchers to analyse larger datasets with greater efficiency and accuracy, providing faster and more comprehensive insights. By reducing manual effort and human error, AIDA empowers organisations to make informed decisions and implement evidence-based policies more effectively. Its scalability supports diverse societal and industry applications, from healthcare to market research, fostering innovation and addressing complex challenges. Ultimately, AIDA contributes to improving research quality, accessibility, and societal relevance, driving advancements across multiple sectors.
Insecten hebben het al decennia lang moeilijk. De aantallen insecten en verscheidenheid in insecten neemt af (Hallmann, 2017). Door een afnemende biodiversiteit neemt de stabiliteit van onze ecosystemen af. Gewas bestuivende wilde insecten hebben een grote rol in bestuiving van open geteelde gewassen. De landbouw is afhankelijker geworden van bestuivende insecten. Honingbijen en wilde bijen zijn beiden belangrijke bestuivers in de landbouw. Er is echter een tekort aan voedsel voor alle bijen. Dit leidt nu tot een gepolariseerde discussie over concurrentie om voedsel. Deze discussie is zelden gebaseerd op feiten die passen bij de situatie. We willen de polarisatie doorbreken met antwoorden over de voedselvoorziening voor bijen in Nederlandse landschapssituaties. Daartoe is onderzoek nodig naar de dracht van verschillende landschapstypen. Kort samengevat: hoeveel bijenvolken kunnen in een bepaald gebied staan? Imkersverenigingen willen dit weten. We willen dit meten met online meetapparatuur bij honingbijenvolken. Tegelijk meten we het effect van de aanwezigheid van honingbijen op de biodiversiteit en dichtheid van andere bestuivende insecten. Dit zal leiden tot een gedegen opzet voor onderzoek, adviezen voor plaatsing in verschillende landschapstypen in Nederland en een aanvraag voor vervolgonderzoek met als doel een verbeterde inrichting en gebruik van landschapstypen in Nederland ten behoeve van honingbijen en wilde bijen.
Promoting entrepreneurship is an enabler of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and it is one objective EU regions have pursued since the EC included it into 2020 Strategy. Entrepreneurship development has economic and social benefits, since it is not only a driving force for job creation, competitiveness and growth; it also contributes to personal fulfillment and to achieve social objectives. That is why the EU encourages entrepreneurial initiatives and to unlock the growth potential of businesses and citizens. However, only a 37% of Europeans (Eurobarometer 2012) would like to be self-employed. The Entrepreneurship Action Plan adopted by the EC in 2013 to reignite Europe’s entrepreneurial spirit includes initiatives for educating young people on entrepreneurship. To ensure that EU economy remains globally competitive, young generations of Europeans need to be inspired to develop their entrepreneurial mindset. EU 2020 Action Plan argues that young people benefitting of a specialised entrepreneurial education are more likely to start-up a business and to better tackle challenges in their professional career and life in general. Hence, there is good reason to ensure better quality of entrepreneurial education. Most approaches in recent years have focused on improving the skills or competences youngsters should obtain only within the education system. However, an integrated approach is needed, where the school, their friends, family and the social environment, shall play each one a relevant role, contributing to generate a more adequate atmosphere to boost their entrepreneurial mindsets, intrapreneurial attitudes and innovation capacities. This project will identify and exchange – through a quadruple helix approach- good practices for creating friendlier entrepreneurial ecosystems and actions to boost entrepreneurship in young people mindsets. The good practices and lessons learnt will be transferred into Action Plans to be included in regional policies.
