In times of digitalisation, new opportunities arise, but also complex questions about responsibility, regulation and social design. The Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG) has been dedicated to these topics since its foundation in 2011 and researches the close links between technological innovation and social change.

The promotion of SW&D together with the Joachim Herz Foundation and the Mercator Foundation since October 2025 has enabled the HIIG to refocus on four central topics: Democratic Change and Knowledge; New Technologies and the Future of Law; Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Society; AI and Society. The HIIG thus makes an important contribution to strengthening a vibrant and future-oriented democracy by creating a better understanding of the digital society.

With its interdisciplinary research, the HIIG contributes to recognising social changes at an early stage, critically classifying technological developments and providing impetus for their democratic design. In doing so, it pursues a goal that SW&D shares: to promote dialogue between science, politics, business and the public and to create a basis for political decisions.

Further information on the projects and results of the HIIG can be found on the Website of the institute.