NWO SHIFT – Shaping Society in Uncertain Times

Attention shapes society. NWO SHIFT brings research, policy, and society together to gain insight into their influence on democracy, well-being, and technology.

Science as a compass in uncertain times

NWO is the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research and the leading science funder in the Netherlands. NWO SHIFT is a new conference format developed by NWO in collaboration with the SSH Council (the Council for Social Sciences and Humanities). The conference starts from the social sciences and humanities but explicitly looks beyond disciplinary boundaries. The underlying premise is that in uncertain times, knowledge not only helps to understand change but also guides the choices that determine the future.

Attention as a central theme

In a world shaped by constant stimuli and fierce competition for visibility, attention is not a neutral resource. It determines authority and influence, shapes how people understand themselves and others, and ultimately determines who is heard and who is overlooked. NWO SHIFT invites participants to explore this role of attention from three perspectives: attention in power and decision-making, its psychological and existential dimensions, and its broader societal consequences. Confirmed speakers are Carl Miller (international researcher and author), Peter-Paul Verbeek (President of the KNAW), Lisa Loeb, Claes de Vreese, Sinan Cankaya, Idil Galip, and Haroon Sheikh.

Dialogue, collaboration and impact

In addition to substantive lectures and discussions, the conference offers space for exploring new partnerships and consortia. Themes covered include the contribution of social science research to AI, disinformation, democracy, diversity, and mental health; ways to bring science and policy closer together; and how inter- and transdisciplinary research works in practice.

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