VIENNA, AUSTRIA, June 25, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Central European University (CEU) has joined forces with University of Vienna, TU Wien, and WU Vienna to establish the Center for Digital Humanism Vienna (CDH Vienna), a new interdisciplinary hub dedicated to ensuring that technological innovation advances democratic values, social responsibility, and human well-being.
The announcement was made during the Digital Humanism Conference 2026 – Orientation in Turbulent Times, which brings together more than 120 international experts in Vienna to discuss the societal implications of artificial intelligence, digital platforms, and data-driven technologies.
As Europe navigates growing technological dependencies and rapid advances in artificial intelligence, the concept of Digital Humanism offers a framework for aligning technological development with democratic governance and societal resilience.
“We must bring technological innovation and democratic responsibility together—and this is precisely what is happening at the Center for Digital Humanism Vienna,” said Carsten Q. Schneider, Interim President and Rector of CEU. “As CEU, we contribute a global perspective, our expertise in democracy research, and our longstanding focus on open societies. Digital futures must be shaped in ways that are just, democratic, and human-centered.”
The new center will serve as a platform for large-scale interdisciplinary research, policy engagement, and public dialogue. It will bring together expertise from academia, government, business, and civil society to address some of the most pressing questions raised by digital transformation.
CEU’s contribution to the partnership builds on its internationally recognized research on democracy, governance, inequality, ethics, and philosophy. These disciplines are essential for understanding the political, institutional, and societal implications of emerging technologies and for ensuring that technological development strengthens rather than undermines democratic societies.
The Center for Digital Humanism Vienna is being established jointly by the University of Vienna, TU Wien, WU Vienna, and CEU. While research communities will remain based at the four partner universities, the center will coordinate collaborative initiatives, advise policymakers, and strengthen Vienna’s role as an international hub for Digital Humanism.
In a period marked by rapid advances in artificial intelligence and growing global concentrations of technological power, the center aims to provide a distinctly European perspective on responsible innovation and digital sovereignty.
The official founding of CDH Vienna will take place on 1 July 2026, with operational activities beginning in autumn 2026.
About the Center for Digital Humanism Vienna
CDH Vienna will design and implement interdisciplinary research and practice projects, foster collaboration among academia, policymakers, industry, and civil society, and contribute to international debates on technology, regulation, and democratic governance. The center builds on Vienna’s emergence as a leading location for Digital Humanism and seeks to strengthen Europe’s capacity to shape technological development in line with democratic values. Peter Knees, Professor of Computer Science at TU Wien and UNESCO Chair for Digital Humanism, has been appointed as the Center’s founding Director. Supported by a Deputy Director and an Executive Managing Director, he will lead the development of CDH Vienna as it begins its work. A ten-year financial plan is already in place.
Links:
Digital Humanism Association: https://digitalhumanism.at
About CEU
Founded in 1991 and based in Vienna since 2019, Central European University (CEU) is a non-profit private university with around 1,500 students from more than 100 countries pursuing bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs accredited both in the United States and Austria. With more than 200 outstanding faculty members and researchers, CEU maintains an excellent student–faculty ratio and consistent external recognition through prestigious research awards and third-party funded projects. CEU is committed to equal opportunity, diversity, open societies, and freedom of expression – exemplified through initiatives such as the “Invisible University for Ukraine.”
CEU maintains a research and civic engagement presence in Budapest through the CEU Democracy Institute, the Vera and Donald Blinken Open Society Archivum (OSA), the Roma Graduate Preparation Program (RGPP), the CEU Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), and the CEU Center for Ethics and Law in Biomedicine (CELAB), as well as a wide range of public educational programs, lectures, and cultural events, organized by the Civic Engagement, Arts and Culture Unit.
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