The Observatory on Dante Studies (ODS) is a research project set up by Gandolfo Cascio in 2016.
Its launch was funded by the Institute for Cultural Inquiry (ICON) through the the Talentontwikkeling programme.

The scope is to monitor and to interpret the legacy, readership and reception of Dante’s works: primarily among writers, but also within the musical and artistic circles, as well as its impact in popular culture, from commercials to video games.

The Observatory is also committed to knowledge brokering, combining its academic activities with teaching, in order to fully perform an act of societal impact. To achieve this aim, it engages with:

• undergraduate students, through an annual course  
• postgraduate students and hosted researchers
• a wider audience, with lectures open for public attendance.

ODS has established a partnership with the Società Dantesca Italiana, and over the years has become the meeting place in the Netherlands for national and international scholars.