In mid-October 2026, our researchers Dr. Paško Bilić, Dr. Jaka Primorac, and research assistant Nikolina Rajković visited Mexico City and participated in highly rewarding academic and cultural exchange that fostered new insights and international connections. During their visit, they had two opportunities to present findings from research conducted in the second and third years of the DEVELOPER – Digital Data, Infrastructures and Development research project, funded by the Croatian Science Foundation.
At the invitation of Dr. Raúl Ornelas, Senior Researcher at the Institute of Economic Research of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Dr. Paško Bilić delivered a lecture entitled Understanding Data Centres in Contemporary Capitalism: Single Data Market and Digital Statecraft in the European Union.
The lecture took place at the Institute for Social Research and attracted a large audience of Mexican students and professors, who actively participated in an extensive discussion. The strong interest demonstrated the relevance of the topic of data centres and the role of peripheral countries within their global ecosystem. Before opening the discussion to the audience, Dr. Jaka Primorac and Nikolina Rajković provided comments on the presentation, with Cristóbal Reyes (Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, UNAM) moderating the session. The event was held in English and is available at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/live/GPbLv9IIQJ4
Following the lecture, our researchers visited UNAM’s Central Library and University campus, being integral part of Mexico’s largest and most prominent public university and recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
From 14 to 17 October 2026, Mexico City also hosted the 27th International Conference of the Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR), entitled Regeneration(s). The conference is one of the most prominent international academic events dedicated to the study of digital society, digital infrastructures, and contemporary sociotechnical transformations. It is organized annually by scholars affiliated with leading research and educational institutions worldwide, including the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Tecnológico de Monterrey, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the Platform Observatory.
The conference brought together several hundred participants, including researchers and scholars from around the world. Over three days of parallel sessions and presentations, participants explored topics such as artificial intelligence and the future of AI-generated digital technologies, transformations of digital networks and online communities, digital inequalities, the ethical and responsible use of AI technologies, and the sustainability of the infrastructures underpinning them. These issues were examined through the concept of regeneration, understood as a process of technological, cultural, political, artistic, and infrastructural renewal.
Dr. Paško Bilić, Dr. Jaka Primorac, and Nikolina Rajković presented their research paper, “Catching Up” with the Future? Data Centres Imaginaries from the European Periphery, within a panel session entitled Data Centres: Development, Industrial Policy, and Political Economy.
The paper draws on an analysis of 80 semi-structured interviews conducted in Croatia during 2025 and 2026 with representatives from across the data centre ecosystem. Building on theories of infrastructural power, dependency, and sociotechnical imaginaries, the paper examines how data centres function not only as technical infrastructure but also as instruments of economic and geopolitical power. Particular attention is paid to the unequal relationship between the centre and the periphery within the European Union, as well as the growing interest in investments in data infrastructure in countries such as Croatia, together with the associated energy-related and environmental risks.
Other panellists presented cases of data centre infrastructure expansion in Greece, Brazil, and South Korea, highlighting the socio-ecological risks and consequences of these developments. Their presentations sparked a lively discussion and raised important questions among audience members.
The findings of the DEVELOPER project presented at the National Autonomous University of Mexico and the Association of Internet Researchers conference generated considerable interest among the academic audience in the development and challenges of digital infrastructure in Croatia. Through this exchange of experiences and knowledge, our researchers strengthened IRMO’s network of contacts and collaborations beyond Europe, creating new opportunities for future international partnerships and increasing the international visibility and recognition of IRMO’s scientific contributions.
