Conference: Digital Resilience in a Multipolar World - Global Perspectives on the Resilience of the Digital Economy and Society

• Academic Lead: C³S – Centre for Critical Computational Studies, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main
• Cooperation Partner: European Network for Technological Resilience and Sovereignty (ETRS)
• Organisational Support: GIZ
• Language: English

 

Background

The global digital order is undergoing profound transformation. The ideals of a free, interconnected world have faded as governments increasingly link digital sovereignty to economic security and geopolitical resilience. While the European Union has relied on regulation to safeguard its interests, countries around the world are developing their own approaches to digital governance.

These developments reflect competing visions of how digital infrastructures, platforms, and data flows should be governed. The conference is based on a central premise: greater sovereignty must not lead to isolationism or protectionism. Europe, Germany, and their partners require like-minded allies to build resilient digital ecosystems.

Countries such as Brazil, India, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Ghana, Kenya, and Indonesia are pursuing different models of digital resilience and technological development. These approaches differ from the European model while also challenging and enriching it.

The conference examines two dimensions of digital resilience: resilience of the digital economy – the protection from structural dependencies, market concentration, and external influence – and resilience through the digital economy, meaning the strategic use of digital policy and infrastructure to advance economic and foreign policy interests. Resilience is understood as a dynamic process balancing security, economic interests, and rights across different contexts.

The International Digital Dialogues provide the comparative foundation of the conference, bringing together diverse perspectives on data governance, digital industrial policy, infrastructure, and international cooperation.

A particular focus lies on the material foundations of digital resilience: critical infrastructures such as submarine cables, data centres, network hubs, and digital supply chains, which shape data flows and strategic autonomy. The conference explores questions of global power asymmetries, including who sets standards, controls infrastructure, and shapes regulatory models.

The Centre for Critical Computational Studies (C³S) at Goethe University Frankfurt and the European Network for Technological Resilience and Sovereignty (ETRS) contribute academic and policy perspectives to this debate. The objective is to develop recommendations for digital policies that strengthen resilience not through isolation, but through equitable international partnerships.

 

Target Group

The conference is aimed at representatives from business, academia, and civil society, as well as from government and public administration at the expert level. It is open to participants from around the world, with a particular focus on speakers from the partner countries of the International Digital Dialogues. In addition, places are reserved for students (provided that the event is held on the premises of Goethe University Frankfurt).

 

Focus Countries

Brazil	Ghana	India
Indonesia	Japan	Kenya
Republic of Korea	Mexico	Singapore
Israel	United Kingdom	Canada (Digital Alliance)

 

Conference Programme (preliminary)

09.00-09.30	Registration
09.30-10:00	OPENING: Welcome, Introduction and Keynote
10.00-11.00	PANEL 1: Digital Resilience in Global Comparison: Concepts, Models, and Conflicts
11.00-11.30	Coffee Break & Informal Networking
11.30-12.30	PANEL 2: Infrastructural Resilience – Control, Dependency, and Agency in the Physical Network
12.30-13.45	Lunch (Buffet)
13.45-14.45	PANEL 3: Technological Resilience and Digital Supply Chains – Raw Materials and Ghost Work
14.45-15.15	Coffee Break & Informal Networking
15.15-16.15	PANEL 4: Governance, Standards und Digital Public Goods – Europe’s New Role Between Regulation and Co-Creation
16.15-17.30	WORKING GROUPS: Parallel thematic working groups WG 1: Digital Infrastructure and the Resilience of Physical Networks WG 2: Digital Supply Chains: From Raw Materials to Digital Labour WG 3: Resilience through Open Standards and Digital Public Goods
17.30-18.00	CLOSING SESSION: Synthesis, Policy Recommendations, and Closing Remarks
From 18.00	Evening Reception & Networking

 

You are invited to join the conference. Please register your interest to participate here:

Registration