Coordinator’s farewell message

25 March 2026 By

The INCA project has come to an end after three and a half years of extensive analysis, action research, and public engagement exploring the impact of Big Tech on European society. The initiative brought together universities and research agencies from across Europe, with the aim of understanding how large technology corporations are profoundly reshaping the continent’s politics, economy, and culture. INCA examined a wide range of dimensions, from lobbying practices to industrial relations, from media narratives to public opinion formation, and from legislative transformations to the urban implications of digital ecosystems. This multifaceted approach helped reveal an increasingly visible tension between the rise of new digital economies and Europe’s institutional and democratic frameworks.

The outcomes of the project unfold on several levels. On one hand, INCA made a significant contribution to renewing academic knowledge across multiple disciplines, producing an extensive body of research materials, databases, and policy recommendations that will serve as a foundation for future studies. On the other, it developed tangible tools for public intervention: codes of conduct, guidelines for local administrations on urban digital ecosystems, as well as exhibitions, video documentaries, and educational modules for schools. The result is a transdisciplinary and broad-reaching project that has had an impact not only within academic research but also across institutional practices and the public sphere.

At the heart of INCA lay a clear question: how are European democracies changing in response to the emergence of new economic forms such as those of Big Tech, whose operations often extend beyond existing regulatory frameworks? In recent years, the European Union has launched major regulatory initiatives to address these transformations. Yet many of the underlying issues remain unresolved. The fact that Europe has not produced its own Big Tech giants highlights a structural condition of dependence on digital services that have become essential to daily life. As INCA’s research has shown, Big Tech now functions as a true infrastructure of everyday existence for citizens, businesses, and institutions alike. While this infrastructure offers significant opportunities and innovations, it also raises pressing economic, social, and environmental challenges.

The recent acceleration in the development and diffusion of artificial intelligence has further amplified these dynamics, making public and political reflection on these processes even more urgent. In this light, the conclusion of INCA should not be seen as an endpoint, but rather as a transition. The work completed opens up new lines of research and action that will be crucial to pursue in the coming years, including through the contribution of the Big Tech Watch think tank.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to all those who worked on, supported, and followed the project over the years. The path that began with INCA does not end here: many of the trajectories it brought to light remain open and call for continued exploration.

Edoardo Mollona, INCA project Coordinator (University of Bologna)