R&I group

Digital Society Technologies

The Digital Society Technology (DST) Research Group focuses on digital social research and innovation to address societal challenges through technology, while also emphasizing digital rights and responsibilities. It develops i2CAT’s Quadruple Helix model and promotes the Living Lab approach, integrating collaboration into its R&D strategy. DST leads initiatives such as the “Collaboratory” in Catalonia, which combines open research networks and innovation labs to create a universal ecosystem for innovation. The unit also designs, tests, and evaluates these laboratories while generating research projects aligned with this vision, ensuring that digital rights and responsibilities are at the core of their work.

Research lines

Universal Innovation Ecosystems. Living Labs: This research line focuses on building inclusive and open innovation ecosystems by applying the Living Lab methodology in real-world contexts. It promotes co-creation processes involving citizens, public institutions, academia, and private stakeholders to develop user-centred digital solutions.
Assessment of the Social Impact of Digital Technologies: This line evaluates the social, environmental, and economic implications of digital technologies using a human-centric, ethical, and sustainable lens. It employs methodologies such as Key Value Indicators (KVI), Human-Centric Innovation, and Impact Certification to ensure responsible and meaningful innovation.
Digital Rights and Responsibilities: This research line promotes a digital transformation grounded in fundamental rights and an intersectional approach. It advocates for inclusive, democratic, and equitable innovation, aligning technological development with rights-based and value-driven institutional frameworks to support social well-being and fair economic growth.

Innovation lines

Universal Innovation Ecosystems: Living Labs and thematic Living Labs
Assessment of Social Impact of Digital Technologies
Digital Rights and Responsibilities

Technologies

Social Digital Innovation
Innovation Ecosystems Design and Development
Collaboratories for Co-Participation, Co-Design, and Co-Creation
Systemic Transformation of Society
Facilitation techniques and Methodologies for the adoption of new technologies aligned with healthy lifestyles and cultural values
Open living Labs and open innovation as methodologies for social, economic, industrial and sectoral transformation.
Impact of social digital technologies and qualitative studies
Techno Anthropology
Gender and Intersectionality research and analysis
Design, implementation and evaluation of innovation policies and strategies for social and digital transformation
Rights and Responsibilities in the development and use of technology and digital solutions

Group leader

Marta Martorell i Camps

Areas

Social Impact

Digital Society Technologies

Projects

Digital Society Technologies

Publications

Energy-aware Joint Orchestration of 5G and Robots: Experimental Testbed and Field Validation

M. Groshev, L. Zanzi, C. Delgado, X. Li, A. d. l. Oliva and X. Costa-Pérez, “Energy-Aware Joint Orchestration of 5G and Robots: Experimental Testbed and Field Validation,” in IEEE Transactions on Network and Service Management, vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 3046-3059, Aug. 2025, doi: 10.1109/TNSM.2025.3555126. keywords: {Robots;Robot kinematics;5G mobile communication;Robot sensing systems;Sensors;Resource management;Real-time systems;Energy consumption;Testing;Peer-to-peer computing;5G;orchestration;robotics;optimization;offloading;energy efficient},

Quantum Computing in the RAN with Qu4Fec: Closing Gaps Towards Quantum-based FEC processors

Nikolaos Apostolakis, Marta Sierra-Obea, Marco Gramaglia, Jose A. Ayala-Romero, Andres Garcia-Saavedra, Marco Fiore, Albert Banchs, and Xavier Costa-Perez. 2025. Quantum Computing in the RAN with Qu4Fec: Closing Gaps Towards Quantum-based FEC processors. Proc. ACM Meas. Anal. Comput. Syst. 9, 2, Article 36 (June 2025), 25 pages. https://doi.org/10.1145/3727128

Curved Apertures for Customized Wave Trajectories: Beyond Flat Aperture Limitations

J. M. Canals, F. Devoti, V. Sciancalepore, M. D. Renzo and X. Costa-Pérez, “Curved Apertures for Customized Wave Trajectories: Beyond Flat Aperture Limitations,” in IEEE Wireless Communications Letters (2025).

Digital Society Technologies