Outside-In Signals: Outsider Innovation as Foresight Infrastructure
Short description
Open-source communities, civic technologists, small businesses and marginalised users often notice the effects of new technologies before regulators do. This project asks how their insights can become part of a reliable early-warning system, and why institutions sometimes overlook them.
The researcher will trace signals in sources such as issue trackers and incident reports, then prototype ways for authorities to receive, assess and escalate them. The aim is to make outsider knowledge useful to regulatory foresight while preserving legality and proportionality.
Interested in this project?
Recruitment is planned for autumn 2026. The official university vacancy will be linked here when it is published, with the application procedure, deadline and employment conditions.
Job advert coming soonApply through the host university’s official recruitment procedure. Read the applicant FAQ.
What the project involves
- Map outsider innovators, their networks and the ways their early signals emerge.
- Study why authorities overlook or discount signals from outside established institutions.
- Prototype intake, triage and escalation protocols, supported by a curated dataset and practical guidance.