Mercator-Journalists in Residence – Centre Responsible Digitality

In the context of the discourse project Democracy issues of the digitalized financial sector – eFin & Democracy» ZEVEDI and the Mercator Foundation invite applications from journalists and media professionals.

With their expert knowledge and excellent practical experience, the Mercator-Journalists in Residence are important instigators for a broader discussion. They help to raise awareness for a topic that is underrepresented in public awareness so far. They help to connect the scientific public with media outlets and to develop an effective science communication. We sustainably involve them in our work, welcome their expert knowledge and positions and invite them to contribute to our network via lectures, discussions or other events.

For a period of four weeks, the Mercator– Journalists in Residence will be given the freedom and opportunity to devote themselves to a research project, a journalistic or even artistic piece that addresses the digital transformation of the financial sector and the social and political issues it is associated with. They will be paid € 3,500.

All journalists and media professionals are cordially invited to apply as Mercator-Journalists in Residence. This applies to classical journalists in the narrower sense as well as to artists in the broader sense.

Current

Luca Neuperti is a science slammer and science communicator.

He discusses topics in the fields of sociology, political science and computer science. Luca Neuperti’s focus is on presenting socially relevant intersections between technology and society in an understandable way, without neglecting either the technical or social aspects. With over 70 performances across Germany and as a finalist in the 2024 German Science Slam Championship, he communicates scientific content to a broader audience. At the end of 2025, he will begin studying digital sociology in the United Kingdom.

Project

Luca Neuperti’s focus at ZEVEDI is on the digital euro. His goal is not only to explain how it works technically, but also to examine the various social conceptions of a Digital Euro. Where do the conspiracy theories around it come from? How can different understandings of the Digital Euro be categorized?

To make these questions accessible to a broader public, Luca plans to give lectures in the style of a science slam. He aims to use entertaining but scientifically sound communication to introduce people to the topic and create a broader understanding of the digital euro.

More information about Luca Neuperti and his residency