As digital technologies reshape economies, societies, and everyday life, universities have an important role to play in helping societies navigate these changes responsibly. With this in mind, the Interdisciplinary Centre for Digital Futures (ICDF) at the University of the Free State (UFS) will launch a new online expert series on 19 March 2026, creating a platform for critical engagement on some of the most pressing digital challenges of our time.

The ICDF Expert Series will bring together scholars, students, and external stakeholders to explore emerging developments in the digital realm and their implications for society. Through expert-led discussions and interactive engagement, the series aims to strengthen dialogue on how digital innovation can be harnessed responsibly to contribute to more sustainable and inclusive futures.

According to Prof Katinka de Wet, Interim Co-Director of the ICDF, the series will feature four expert sessions during 2026. The opening session will be presented under the theme Discover the latest trends and innovations shaping e-waste management, focusing on one of the fastest-growing environmental challenges linked to digital transformation.

The keynote speaker for the opening session will be Prof Thandazile Moyo, Assistant Professor in the Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering at Pennsylvania State University (PSU). She will be joined by Dr Mariana Erasmus, Director of the Centre for Mineral Biogeochemistry at the UFS, who will serve as respondent and engage critically with the presentation.

For the UFS leadership, initiatives such as the ICDF Expert Series reflect the university’s broader commitment to advancing knowledge that responds to complex societal challenges. Prof Vasu Reddy, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies at the UFS, emphasised the importance of creating spaces for intellectual exchange in an era of rapid technological change.

“The ICDF Expert Series is more than a platform; it is our bold continuation of shaping digital futures that will define scholarship, society, and South Africa’s next horizon,” he said.

“In a time of accelerated digital transformation, universities must not only interpret the future, but they must also architect it, and this lecture series positions the UFS exactly there.”

Strengthening dialogue and critical engagement

The launch of the expert series also represents the evolution of an earlier ICDF initiative that primarily served as an internal research network. Recognising the growing societal significance of digital technologies, the centre has now expanded the platform to include deeper engagement and broader participation.

Prof De Wet explained that the new format introduces respondents who will critically engage with keynote presentations, creating space for richer dialogue and reflection.

“We will invite a respondent who is a domain-specific expert to pose some critical questions to the main speaker. This will ensure that there is a greater level of interactivity as well as reflexivity among those attending the expert series talks,” she said.

By creating opportunities for open exchange and debate, the series aims to encourage researchers and students to engage more actively with the ethical, social, and technological dimensions of digital innovation.

Addressing digital challenges shaping society

According to Dr Herkulaas Combrink, Interim Co-Director of the ICDF at the UFS, the expert series has three central objectives: sensitisation, critical engagement, and potential action. Through these discussions, the centre hopes to stimulate new research questions and collaborations that respond to real-world needs.

“These series of expert talks will allow UFS staff and students the opportunity to be at the forefront of new digital developments and insights and will inspire researchers and students to embark on new avenues of enquiry that are relevant and critical to our immediate needs,” said Prof De Wet.

The series will also draw on the ICDF’s core thematic research areas, which include human-language technology, digital well-being, digital heritage, and digital labour. These themes highlight how digital innovation intersects with social, cultural, and economic transformation across multiple sectors.

Dr Combrink explained that these areas are closely aligned with the university’s Vision 130 ambitions and support key research agendas focused on addressing contemporary challenges in the digital landscape.

As digital developments continue to influence sectors ranging from business and government to education and health care, the expert series is designed to bring together diverse voices and perspectives. By connecting researchers with students, industry partners, and policymakers, the initiative aims to foster collaboration that strengthens both scholarship and societal impact.

For Prof Reddy, this kind of engagement is essential for universities seeking to remain relevant in a rapidly changing world.