Raising awareness of HCI research
CHI Nederland activated a specific working group led by Prof. Cesar and Prof. Bozzon to draw a detailed picture of the Dutch HCI community and build an agenda for the future. The CHI Lobby group coordinated the write-up of the HCI Research and Education in the Netherlands document, a collective effort of dozens of Dutch scientists and educators to raise awareness of the importance of HCI research and education in the Netherlands. The document is edited by prof. Regina Bernhaupt (Eindhoven University of Technology), prof. Alessandro Bozzon, prof. Pablo Cesar, prof. Judith Good (University of Amsterdam), prof. Vanessa Evers (University of Twente), prof. Judith Masthoff (University of Utrecht) en prof. Nava Tintarev (University of Maastricht). Prof. Cesar comments: “The Dutch HCI community missed a clear and concise delineation of the ongoing research and education activities and a coherent outlook on the important areas of interest for the near future. Having it will allow us to communicate HCI’s pivotal role in ICT research and education better.”
The group also initiated a yearly track on HCI at the ICT.Open Conference 2023, the yearly event for all computer scientist in the Netherlands. The track received great interest from the community and continues to be core to the ICT.Open programme.
Three Best Paper Awards
After another engaging CHI NL Community Event 2025, hosted by the University of Twente, the CHI NL community will gather again at the annual ICT.OPEN event organized by NWO (the Dutch Research Council). For the third year, the CHI NL community has been one of the most active in the Dutch ICT ecosystem, showcasing the energy and commitment behind HCI research in the Netherlands. Between 26 April and 1 May, many Dutch researchers will participate in the 2025 ACM CHI conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2025), the premier international conference on Human-Computer Interaction.
This has been an incredibly productive year for Dutch HCI researchers, with the Netherlands being the 9th most productive country in the World. Even more importantly, colleagues from Dutch institutions obtained 3 best paper awards and several Honourable Mentions – a fantastic recognition for a year of great scientific work. Dutch scientists are also playing a crucial role in the organisation of the conference, with prof. Vanessa Evers acting as general co-chair of CHI 2025, and prof. Pablo Cesar TPC co-chair of CHI 2026.
Societal impact
HCI research is naturally geared towards societal impact. Recently awarded NWO projects testify to this, also showcasing, the value of the methodological richness of HCI research. An example is the recently awarded TACIT project – a five-year, 3.2 million NWO Perspectief project due to kick-off later this year. TACIT is one of the largest private-public partnership projects in Europe, and it is based on the theme of inclusive technology design. It aims to break down digital barriers for the 1 in 4 Dutch affected by long-term visual, hearing, and cognitive disabilities through the participatory and co-designing of inclusive AI and XR technology.
TACIT is an example of the value that HCI research can bring to the overall positive impact of ICT on Dutch society. The new HCI Special Interest Group in IPN will help foreground HCI research even more. Prof. Judith Masthoff from Utrecht University is delighted with this achievement as “it will help with the positioning of HCI research in the Dutch funding landscape and increase research opportunity for the field.”
