WP1 — Project coordination & impact

WP1 keeps DECIDE on track. It coordinates the project, supports collaboration between disciplines, and ensures that research results are shared openly and meaningfully with society. This work package also focuses on learning how interdisciplinary and citizen-driven AI research can work better in practice.
Lead: Mieke Boon, University of Twente
Institutions involved: University of Twente
Societal/ Business partners:
WAAG Futurelab, Tetem, Citizen Science Nederland (CS-NL), VU Citizen Science Club, ImproVive, Fortis Mazars, Adwise

WP2 — Empowerment of Citizens

WP2 studies what empowerment really means when AI is involved. It explores how transparency, participation and understanding can help citizens gain more control over decisions that affect their lives — and how AI can support that, rather than undermine it.
Lead: Wolter Pieters — Radboud University
Institutions involved:
Radboud University, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Utrecht University, University of Twente
Societal/ Business partners:
NIP, Human Factors NL, Waag Futurelab, iHUB

WP3 — AI Literacy Education

WP3 develops new ways to teach people how to design AI together. It focuses on AI literacy, co-design methods and education for students, professionals and citizens, so more people can actively take part in shaping responsible and transparent AI.
Lead: Tessa Eijsink — University of Twente
Institutions involved:
Utrecht University, University of Amsterdam, Kohnstamm Institute, Saxion University of Applied Sciences
Societal/ Business partners:
Tetem.nl, Saxion, regional ROCs, Simpaticom (Venturespring), Nederlandse Vereniging voor Raadsleden VNG

WP4 — AI-Based Citizen Support Systems (AI-CSS)

WP4 works on AI tools that help citizens make their own decisions. These AI Citizen Support Systems are designed to support reasoning, understanding and exploration of options — for example, in health, mobility or societal issues — using open, transparent and trustworthy AI.
Lead: Giancarlo Giuzzardi — University of Twente
Institutions involved:
University of Twente, Utrecht University, Erasmus University Rotterdam
Societal/ Business partners:
Go FAIR Foundation

WP5 — AI Decision Support Systems (AI-DSS)

WP5 improves AI systems that are used by institutions to make decisions about citizens. The focus is on making these systems more transparent, interactive and explainable, so people understand how decisions are made and can question or contest them if needed.
Lead: Mehdi Dastani — Utrecht University
Institutions involved:
Utrecht University, University of Twente
Societal/ Business partners:
(to be confirmed)

WP6 — AI governance & Regulation

WP6 examines how laws and regulations (such as the EU AI Act) shape transparent and responsible AI. It connects technical possibilities with legal and ethical realities, helping policymakers, developers, and institutions understand what transparency can achieve.
Lead: Oskar Gstrein — University of Groningen
Institutions involved:
University of Groningen, University of Twente
Societal/ Business partners:
Patientadvicgroup Psychiatrie, Kennisplatfom AI in de GGZ, ECNL, Tairis Medical B.V., Waag Future Labs, Raadsleden VNG, Adwise, Fortis Mazars, European Centre for Not-for-Profit-Law (ECNL)

WP7 — Foundations of Transparent AI

WP7 looks at the fundamental question: what does AI transparency actually mean? It explores different forms of transparency, their limits, and how explanations can truly make sense to people.
Lead: Sanne Abeln — Utrecht University
Institutions involved: Utrecht University, University of Twente
Societal/ Business partners:
The Hyve

CES 1 — Healthcare

CES 1 focuses on empowering citizens and healthcare professionals to demand and use transparent and trustworthy AI in mental healthcare. It examines what patients, caregivers, and clinicians need to know about AI performance, including the risks and consequences of incorrect predictions or misuse, and how transparency can be made meaningful in real clinical practice. Through literature review, surveys, and close collaboration with patient representatives, the project identifies needs, concerns, and expectations regarding AI decision support systems. It aligns these expectations with technical possibilities and validates AI tools in real-world mental health settings to ensure safety, effectiveness, and generalizability.
Lead: Dr Maarten van Smeden (UMCU)
Institutions involved: Eindhoven University of Technology, University of Twente
Societal/ Business partners:
Kennisplatform AI in de GGZ
TAIRIS Medical BV
Patiëntadviesgroep Psychiatrie (UMCU)

CES2 — Sustainable Mobility

CES 2 develops a transparent AI decision support system (AI-DSS) to empower SMEs, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and citizens in making informed decisions about sustainable mobility. Co-created with stakeholders and partners such as SmartwayZ.NL, the system will simulate real-world mobility scenarios, provide tailored recommendations, and offer adaptive explanations to clarify the impact of different choices.
Lead: Dr Yingqian Zhang
Institutions involved: Eindhoven University of Technology, University of Twente, Jheronimus Academy of Data Science
Societal/ Business partners:
SmartwayZ.NL

CES 3 — Citizen Engagement in Social Decision-Making

CES 3 puts citizen participation at the centre of designing and implementing next-generation transparent AI systems, following the bottom-up approach developed in WP4. It focuses on developing Citizen-Support Systems (AI-CSS) that help citizens access reliable information, explore societal issues, and make better-informed decisions. The work targets citizen groups connected to city councils, including interest groups, NGOs, professionals, and policymakers, and studies the barriers citizens face when dealing with complex social challenges.
Lead: Dr Vivian H.H (EUR)
Institutions involved: Eindhoven University of Technology, University of Twente, Radboud University, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Utrecht University
Societal/ Business partners:
Nederlandse Vereniging voor Raadsleden
(Venturespring)-Simpaticom
Blockverse institute
Dutch VR
ImproVive
European Centre for Not-for-Profit-Law

CES 4 — Empower citizens in behavioural changes

CES 4 develops transparent AI recommender systems that help citizens make healthier and more sustainable food choices. It combines explainable AI with citizen co-creation to improve trust, understanding, and acceptance of recommendations. The approach is tested through prototypes and pilot projects in real communities. Results will be translated into guidelines and roadmaps for wider, responsible implementation.
Lead: Guido Camps (WUR)
Institutions involved: University of Twente, Utrecht University, Wageningen University & Research
Societal/ Business partners:
Verdify
Voedingscentrum (The Netherlands Nutrition Centre)