Wednesday 26 February, 2025 at 11h00-12h30 UTC (12h00-13h30 CET)

Research influences all aspects of our lives, from the products we consume to the healthcare we can hope to receive, even down to the way we conceptualise and interact with the world around us. The rise of digital technologies has transformed the research landscape, facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration and accelerating progress. However, this shift also presents challenges, particularly concerning ethical issues in research assessment. Addressing these issues is crucial for fostering responsible research practices that serve everyone and improve our quality of life.

The proliferation of AI and digital technologies is making the question of effective research assessment increasingly complex.

Digital tools can significantly enhance assessment methodologies, making them more effective and efficient. While at the same time, teaching and assessment should aim to cultivate and develop digital competencies, which are essential in today’s tech-driven environment. However, AI detectors and other technologies developed in response to the increased use of generative AI in research and education settings, are unfortunately not particularly reliable. Worse still, they are especially unreliable when dealing with text written by non-native English speakers, leading to unintentional bias.

It is clear that research assessment needs to be brought up to date in light of these challenges. So what are the potential solutions? How do we place value on digital or other non-traditional contributions to knowledge? How do we maintain research integrity? How do we structure and conduct assessment in this new environment?

Join our panel of experts as they introduce us to the world of research assessment in the digital environment. Find out about the questions that the Coalition on Advancing Research Assessment (COARA) are grappling with as part of its ERIP Working Group.

As digital technologies reshape research, workplaces and society, it is crucial for assessment to evolve in tandem, ensuring that research meets minimum standards and graduates are prepared for their futures. For assessment to be fit for purpose, it must reflect the realities of our increasingly digitised society.

The Research Assessment for Ethics, Data and AI Discussion Series, presented by the Ethical Data Initiative, CoARA-ERIP, CODATA IDPC, and the EOSC-Future-RDA Artificial Intelligence and Data Visitation Working Group, is a pioneering platform for advancing discussions on the need for reform of research assessment practices and fostering critical dialogue within the academic and research community and beyond. This collaborative effort brings together leading experts, scholars, and practitioners through a series of engaging discussions and interactive sessions to empower stakeholders with the knowledge and tools to navigate the challenges of research assessment in the digital age.

Panellists

Dr. Gitanjali Yadav is a senior scientist at the National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR) in New Delhi and serves as an Adjunct Professor of Data Science at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal. She specializes in genomics and structural bioinformatics, focusing on applications in food security and ecosystem conservation. She was the first recipient of the DBT-Cambridge Lectureship, a joint program between the University of Cambridge and India’s Department of Biotechnology, during which she contributed to the establishment of the Cambridge-India Research Foundation.

Dr. Yadav has received many accolades, including the Hamied Fellowship from the University of Cambridge in 2019, the Exceptional Talent Award from the Royal Society of London in 2017 and the Women’s Excellence Award from India’s Ministry of Science and Technology in 2014. Beyond her scientific pursuits, Dr. Yadav is dedicated to promoting science education among underprivileged students in rural India, especially young girls. She has served as a mentor for the British Ecological Society’s Women in Science Program and as an ambassador for Indian women in science through various international platforms.

Professor Evelyn Chiyevo Garwe, Associate Dean at the Mahommed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) in Morocco, is an expert in education, quality assurance, and strategic planning, and agriculture with 30 years of experience and over 100 publications. Her transdisciplinary background and leadership in development cooperation initiatives across Africa, Europe, and Asia-Pacific inform her work in building resilient education systems through responsible research and innovation.

Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evelyn-chiyevo-garwe-72b18578/

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=bRhnmGwAAAAJ

Dr. Thandiwe Hara is Regional Innovation and Research Policy Manager at the University of Oxford. Prior to this role, she spent years working on European Regional Development projects, including developing the Knowledge Exchange department for the European Centre for Environment and Human Health at the University of Exeter Medical School. She also has extensive experience in developing strategy and policy in Local Government.

Her Doctoral research focused on how large public institutions adopt, implement, and sustain evidence-based health interventions. She is also interested in developing strategies, interventions, and policies that promote the adoption, successful implementation and sustainability of research evidence while addressing health inequalities, and promoting socially inclusive economic growth.

Moderator: Kathryn Bailey, Professor of Research Governance Partnerships at the University of Exeter and Operations Director of the Ethical Data Initiative.

About the Groups and Initiatives Behind the Webinar Series

The Coalition for the Advancement of Research Assessment’s Working Group on Ethics and Research Integrity Policy in Responsible Research Assessment for Data and Artificial Intelligence (CoARA-ERIP) addresses the need for the integration of research ethics and research integrity into digital research practices and the evaluation of scientific research engaging digital transformative tools and (eventually) evaluated by AI. The primary objectives of ERIP are to develop policy, methods, and tools that contribute to ethical and responsible research assessment practices in the context of data and artificial intelligence (AI).

The Committee on Data of the International Science Council (CODATA) International Data Policy Committee (IDPC) is the key instrument by which CODATA pursues its mission of promoting effective and appropriate policies for Open Science and FAIR data.

The mission of the EOSC-Future-RDA Artificial Intelligence and Data Visitation Working Group is to contribute to building the ethical, legal, social, and technical frameworks for Artificial Intelligence while examining the potential of data visitation to bridge challenges for the open sharing and re-use of data in the framework of Open Science.

The Ethical Data Initiative is jointly coordinated by the University of Exeter and the TUM Think Tank. We are a non-partisan platform fostering open discussions on data ethics, informed significantly by philosophical, historical, and social studies of science, with a focus on equity and engagement across different domains of data work for public interest.