From 26 to 30 May 2025, the Digital Constitutionalism Network (DCN) convened its third Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) under the theme “Digital Constitutionalism and Digital Sovereignty: Navigating Power and Rights in the Digital Age”. Hosted by the University of Salerno and co-located with the 9th GIG-ARTS Conference, the programme brought together more than thirty students and faculty from six partner universities across Europe: University of Salerno, University of Padua, University of Groningen, Tallinn University, University of Bremen and Dublin City University.
This year’s BIP explored the tensions and synergies between digital sovereignty, fundamental rights and global digital justice. Kicking off with a virtual preparatory phase, the programme laid theoretical and methodological groundwork through joint online sessions. Students were introduced to frameworks in digital constitutionalism, human rights and the political economy of global internet governance – tools that would guide the rest of their learning journey.
As the in-person component of the BIP coincided with the GIG-ARTS 2025 conference (themed “The Rise of Digital Sovereignty: Ambiguities and Challenges”), students not only benefitted from coming together in international and interdisciplinary working groups but also attended panels, posed critical questions and engaged in high-level exchanges with international scholars, policymakers and civil society actors. Throughout the week, they collaborated in inter-university teams to draft policy briefs on issues ranging from Indigenous data sovereignty and the future of platform governance to the legal complexities of low-earth orbit internet. These briefs, developed under the guidance of faculty mentors, reflect the BIP’s commitment to connecting principle-based digital governance with real-world regulatory debates.
Now in its third edition, the BIP is part of the DCN’s broader Teaching Partnership, which aims to equip students with interdisciplinary knowledge and critical skills to navigate a contested digital landscape. With the support of Erasmus+ mobility funding and a shared commitment to research-led teaching, the programme exemplifies the DCN’s collaborative model of transnational education.
We thank all partners, organisers and students for making this year’s BIP in Salerno a vibrant and intellectually rich experience.
