DGH - University of Luxembourg I Uni.lu

The Competence Hub is a ULIDE project resulting out of a convention with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The project at a glance

Start date:

03 Mar 2026
Duration in months:

60
Funding:

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Principal Investigator(s):

Georg MEIN

About

The Competence Hub on Digital Governance, based at ULIDE (University of Luxembourg Institute for Digital Ethics), is a five-year initiative designed to strengthen ethical, legal, and operational governance capacities for digital transformation in humanitarian and crisis-affected contexts. At a time when humanitarian actors increasingly rely on data-driven systems, digital platforms, and AI-supported decision-making, the Hub addresses a critical gap: the lack of robust governance frameworks that ensure these technologies are effective, rights-aware, and context-sensitive. The Hub combines interdisciplinary research, capacity building, and practical guidance in a hub-and-spoke model. ULIDE serves as the central coordination and knowledge hub, working with international organisations and partner institutions in crisis-affected regions, including priority cooperation contexts such as Costa Rica, Viet Nam, Ukraine, Jordan, and Cape Verde. The model is explicitly based on co-design and joint capacity development, rather than one-directional knowledge transfer. The Hub will launch with three flagship research areas: (1) a data protection typology of harms in humanitarian operations, (2) participatory AI design principles and methods for meaningful inclusion of affected communities, and (3) cognitive warfare and the protection of humanitarian actors in contested information environments. These research strands will be translated into policy briefs, operational guidance, toolkits, and training formats for humanitarian and development practitioners. With a total volume of €9 million, the initiative establishes substantial long-term capacity: postdoctoral and doctoral positions at ULIDE and partner institutions, as well as targeted investments in partner-country institutions through training, supervision, equipment, and field-based collaboration. The Competence Hub thus creates a durable platform through which Luxembourg can make a distinctive contribution to humanitarian action and human rights in the digital age.