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PARTNERS
The SMIDGE Project brings together partner institutions spanning Denmark, the UK, Austria, Italy, Belgium, Kosovo and Cyprus.
Københavns Universitet (UCPH): The University of Copenhagen is a prestigious public research university in Denmark. UCPH is the project coordinator and responsible for administrative, legal and financial management. Additionally, the university will conduct periodic data scraping and qualitative methods to analyse the digital contexts in which extremist content flourishes.
De Montfort University (DMU): De Montfort University is a dynamic UK university with a global outlook based in the city of Leicester. The university’s Centre for Computing and Social Responsibility (CCSR) has significant ethical expertise and will be responsible for the project’s scientific management and ethics plan. This plan will address ethical, legal and societal concerns through a ‘Responsibility-by-design’ approach.
FASresearch: FASresearch is a spin-off company from the University of Vienna, Austria. FASresearch provides social network analysis of target media sites, the users/accounts, technologies and social media content used in spreading misinformation and extremist views. They will apply an interdisciplinary framework drawing on data science, media studies and psychology to analyse the interplay between these dimensions.
Hallgarten-Franchetti Centro Studi Villa Montesca (FVM): The FVM foundation is a research and training centre in Italy. FVM will take part in the production of webinars and create training materials including a ‘Lateral reading’ course to be uploaded to the MOOC, providing long-term resources for journalists.
Inclusive Europe (INEU): Inclusive Europe is an independent non-profit organisation based in Brussels. INEU will participate in organising focus groups and interviews, and undertake the project’s dissemination and communication responsibilities. This includes the organisation of the project’s roundtable discussion and final conference events.
Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS): KCSS is an independent policy research centre in Prishtina, Kosovo. Firstly, they will develop a database with the main characteristics of the existing online extremist videos. Then, they will produce webinars, alternative counter content and educational tools to build awareness, elicit positive reflection and critical thinking, and limit the spread and impact of extremist narratives.
UCLan Cyprus: Based in Larnaca, the UCLan Cyprus University operates under the academic umbrella of UCLan UK. It will be responsible for conducting psychological analysis through surveys, focus groups and interviews to understand what specific tools and techniques draw middle-aged people to and from extremism and conspiracy theories.
The University of Milan (UMIL): UMIL is a public teaching and research university in Italy. It will conduct horizon scanning of the social, political, philosophical, psychological, legal and technical literature about online extremism and malicious use of social media to undermine trust in governments. UMIL will also create policy briefs and recommendations for policy and decision-makers.