Partnerloket HvA meets AI – Project

CHALLENGE 

The Hogeschool van Amsterdam (HvA) is connected to the city through a wide and diverse network of collaborations between researchers, students, companies, institutes, and societal partners. Platforms such as www.hvaindestad.nl already make these projects and partnerships visible.

As this ecosystem continues to grow, it becomes more challenging for people to easily find projects, understand what is happening across the network, and see where opportunities for collaboration might exist. Users have different preferences: some enjoy intelligent guidance, while others prefer to explore information on their own.

The challenge is to make HvA’s collaboration ecosystem more user-friendly and accessible for everyone, supporting exploration, learning, and future collaboration in ways that suit different users.

DESCRIPTION

Partnerloket HvA meets AI explores how Generative AI (GenAI) can enhance HvA’s existing collaboration platforms through an optional AI assistant, while preserving familiar manual filtering and search for users who prefer a more traditional approach.

Rather than replacing current tools, the project focuses on improving usability and discovery. Users can choose how they explore the platform: by interacting with the AI assistant to receive guidance, explanations, and suggestions, or by using filters and search to browse projects independently. In both cases, the goal is to help users easily find projects, learn from existing collaborations, and identify opportunities for future collaboration.

The concept is designed for a broad audience such as researchers, students, companies, institutes, and citizens who want to collaborate with HvA, as well as those who are simply curious and want to stay informed. The project results in a conceptual, tested prototype that demonstrates how GenAI can support collaboration without becoming a requirement, making the platform inclusive, flexible, and welcoming.